The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-24
NAVY'S WAR RECORD
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Chief of Navigation Bureau Makes
His Report.
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CREDIT DUE TO GUNNERS
THEIR SUPERIOR SKILL WON
THE VICTORIES.
Enemy Was Annihilated at Long
Range and spaniards Were I'm
able to Do Effective Work With
Their Guns-Navy Should Be In
creased to 10000 Men.

! Washington, Nov. 23.-Far out of the
! lines of the ordinary annual report of
| the bureau officers is that of Captain
! Crowninshield, chief of the bureau of
navigation, navy department, just
made public. The war history begins
with the simple statement OF certain
! precautionary orders that were issued,
| but even in the absence Of comment, at
tention cannot fail to be attracted to
the remarkable foresight exhibited. To
begin with, an order, dated Jan. II last,
| directed the commanders Of the Euro
pean stations to retain in service men
! whose enlistments were about to eX-
pire, and those following provide for
the successful extrication of the Euro
| pean squadron from the danger to
which it was exposed on the outbreak
of the war, show how the South At
lantic squadron was brought up to re-
inforce Sampson, how the Oregon start
ed on her famous race around South
America, how stores and ammunition
were forwarded to the squadrons and
finally they wind up with the famous
! laconic order to Dewey of April "a:
War has commenced between the
United States and Spain. Proceed at
! once to the Philippine islands. Com
mence operations at once, particularly
ture vessels or destroy. Use utmost en-
beavers"
Four months before Cervera's fleet
reached this side our whole North At
lantie fleet was ready for any emer-
gency within striking distance of one
of the two points from which attack
might come Trained gunners to the
number Of forty-five who had just
graduated from the course on the Am
pnitrite, We're placed on the vessels of
the fleet, and rendered a good account
of themselves. AS exhibiting the quail
ity of these men, Captain Crowninshied
cites the destruction Of three gunboats
by the little Scorpion in ManZanillo
harbor, July Is, of which the command
ing officer reports: Orders were given
to obtain the range With two of the six
Founders, after which the first shell
from the five-inch guns blew her up,
apparently having struck her boilers"
AMERICAN GUNNERY.
Captain Crowninshield says: "The
completeness of our naval victory dur
ing the war and the almost absolute
immunity from injury which our ships
and crews enjoyed, naturally led to a
general conclusion that our gunnery
had much to do with the matter. AS a
matter of fact, all reports bear out this
conclusion. The percentage of hits
smaller, it is said, than has been OBJ
tanned at target practice-Was modified
by three conditions. In the first place,
the demolition of the enemy's ships has
usually been Sc complete that it is GER
tain that the marks of many hits We're
obliterated by subsequent fires and eX-
plosions; in the second place, the ranges
at which the combats have taken place
have usually been So much greater than
those used in target practice that this
difference will account for a reduction
of from so to 60 per cent in the percent
age of hits; and, finally, the rate of fire
was much higher in the battles than at
target practice. The bureau had been
endeavoring before the war to increase
the rate of target fire. and, when all
this is considered, it Will be found that
the hits per gun per minute have
been remarkably high. In fact, it ap-
pears that the experience of each COM
bat was that our craftsmanship was SO
far superior that, at a range at which
the Spanish guns and gunners were in
effective, our guns and gunners were
so effective that before the range was
or could be reduced, the Spanish ships
were either seriously crippled or their
crews demoralized.'
Touching upon the combined opera
tons of the army and navy, the report
says one glaring defect of the system
of joint operations was found in the |
matter of conveying troops, and it is
recommended that to secure smoother
handling of such campaigns, the navy
be by law charged with the transport
service.
TWENTY THOUSAND MEN.
The navigation bureau recommends
that congress must increase the naval |
force TO 10000 men for general service |
and 1000 apprentices, and an argument |
is made to show the absolute necessity |
of some such increase, unless the re- !