The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-22
TALKS OF OUR WARSHIPS
PAYS A COMPLIMENT TO THE
AMERICAN SAILOR.
Says the Naval Construction In This
Country Is Characteristic of
American Energy-The Matters In
Which We Excel and Where We
May Be Deficient.

| ilOt only the war peTlOu out an inspect
ton of our ships, navy yards and naval
methods in the period since the war.
| This officer made such favorable re-
port to the German admiralty concern
| ing the consideration shown him by
American naval circles, that it brought
a strong letter of thanks from the min
lister of marine of Germany to Secretary
Long, and to some extent offset the
| tension arising over alleged differences
| between the American and German
naval officers in the Philippines. Speak
ing of the technical construction of
American ships, Captain Won Reuber
Pashrewitz said:
1T is quite noticeable that your AM
erican naval constructors and ship
builders show the characteristic energy
of Americans in wishing to find some
thing new. While the American ships
are built on the same general lines as
the German and English ships, yet they
show a tendency to try new ideas, to
experiment on details.
For instance, the disposition of am
munition and the ammunition hoists
are admirable contrivances. The am
| munition is served through one central
chamber and is delivered Immediately
back of the gun, ready to be placed in
the breach and fired. This is so OBJ
viously the right thing and SO practical
in the rush and confusion of action that
all navies followed the lead of your
American constructors when they first
adopted this method of getting the am
munition to the gun.
The Ideal Fighting Vessel.
There are many of these small points
which appear to the naval observer, IL
not to those unfamiliar with naval ar
chitecture, and altogether they are de-
wall rair, n
ing vessel. In the placing of guns and
armour the American and German
ships are much alike. except that We
have resorted to your device of the
double-decked turret, which is probably
not beyond the experimental stage.
The large coal capacity of American
ships is a capital feature, which will
prove specially serviceable if you are
to have outlying territory such as Ha-
wall and the Philippines.
How does the personnel of our navy
the officers and men-compare with
that of other navies?" he was asked
1.-THE American naval officers have
much technical knowledge, perhaps
more than German officers, but it is a
question whether technical knowledge
cannot be carried too far, to the ex-
clusion of those larger subjects of
strategy, torpedo maneuvering, etc.
You have just united the engineer
branch with the regular line of the
navy, and thereafter all your naval
officers will also have to be Steam-en-
gineers. That is carrying the technical
knowledge very far and will put such
great requirements on your officers that
the result will be awaited with much
interest by students of naval affairs
When officers are compelled to master
such a mass of detail they have seant
time for considering the larger ques-
lions of attack and defense and the
real science of warfare. They become
too technical. The great commanders
are not merely engineers but men of in
tellectual attainments. thought and
craftsmanship, as we'll as technical
knowledge of ropes and irons.
Torpedo Boat Service.
When your torpedo boat service is
fully developed il will be found that
your officers have a large field of use
fulnesS. As yet, the American torpedo
boat service is not organized as with
us. We have these craft formed in di-
visions, with special drills and ma
neuverS, suited to their size, much as
troop of soldiers would be drilled. But
there is little in that line here, as far
as / have observed, and the uses of the
torpedo boats are yet TO be realized |
AS | have seen them, they are much
occupied as dispatch boats, carrying
messages, etc, rather as well-organ-
lied adjunct of attack or defense |
Probably when all your new destroy
erS and torpedo boats are completed, !
this organization will follow, and then
will come this new line of study and |
practice for your officers, giving them, |
with all their other duties, an unusual |
amount of technical knowledge to |
master
''As TO the American sailor, it is hard |
to judge him by any foreign standard, |
as your ideas and ours are so totally !
different Physically, the American ,
sailor is splendid specimen. The ,
American method of recruiting is call |
culated to get good class of men, |
drawn from a wide stretch of country, |
and with frequent infusions of new |
blood, while with us, sailoring is al I
most a life business. Probably, as a
whole. the American system has a bet
ter class of men than in vogue abroad |
1t certainly tends to give the men
greater self-reliance and that in turn |
may be the reason they are such good |
fighters.
The American Sailor.
"They certainly know how to keep
your ships in ship-shape, and the dis
cipline and general conditions OBJ
served on board an American ship are
probably equal TO those of any naval
service in the world"
How does the rate of American
naval ship building compare with that
Of Germany"
1T is proceeding at about the same
rate, and it seems as though the Amer
can navy and the German navy would
develop on about parallel lines for
some years to come. There is nothing
or significant, from political
in this era of naval con-
t is simply the adapting of new ideas
% new conditions; the bringing of
naval ornaments up to the standards
by modern naval science.
with us general plan of naval de-
Feiopment has been provided, covering
he period up to 1904. In that time are
nineteen battleships, eight
coast defense ships, twelve cruisers,
md thirty small cruisers are already
inder way. This may seem an unus-
tally large number of warships, but It
s to be remembered that ii covers six
ears. running some time into the flu
ure. and on the whole is about the
anne as the Developments contem- |
dated and now in process of rise In
he United States.
Ship-building Facilities.
"Our facilities for naval shipbuilding
re probably greater than yours. as
re have a system of large shipbuiiding I
lants. beginning with Dantzig, Schie- I
'ulcan works at Stettin, which is a
rivate institution, capable of doing
arge government contracts. and those ,
I HAMBURG and at Rremeu There