The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-10-22
CHANGES IN THE NAVY
Annual Report Made By Rear
Admiral HichbOrn.
WANT MORE DRY DOCKS
SPEAKS OF PRACTICABILITY OF
THE SUBMARINE BOAT.

Washington, Oct. 21.-The report of
the chief of the bureau of construction
and repair tor the fiscal year 1Ss9-1soO.
has lust been made public. Especial
interest attaches to the report. as it
( is the last one to be submitted by Rear
Admiral Hichborn. who. under the
/ operation of the law. will retire on the
4th of March next. The period during
which he has held this post has seen
greater changes in the navy than any
other equal period in it's history, the
chief constructor having begun, as he
stated four or five years ago, as gov
eminent apprentice employed upon the
construction of the Merrimac and
Hartford After speaking of the old
wooden ships of war, without protec-
/ ton or water tight subdivision and
! armed with broadsides Of smooth
! bores. he opens his report with the esti-
mates, the principal items being:
| For preservation Of and repairs to
vessels of the navy, 100000 for re-
pairs and improvements to navy yard
| plants, 1920 600: the account of hulls
and outfits of vessels and steam ma
chinery heretofore authorized, $21, 772,-
OF.
The chief constructor points out the
! disadvantages under which the naval
station at Cavite labOrs, and quotes a
report from the naval constructor rela-
tive to a proposed site at Olongapo,
Subig bay. He withhOlds recommen-
datiOnS until the question of a perma-
nent naval station in the Philippines
is permanently settled. Especial atten-
ton is placed upon the need for addi-
tiOnal dry docks He says:
More Dry Docks Needed.
There are available at the present
time on the east coast of the United
States but nine government dry docks
of all Sizes distributed among seven
ports, and of these but one is of suf-
fcient size to take the battleships. The
docking facilities available are severely
taxed under existing conditions. This
disparity, in time of war, would be an
exceedingly serious matter, and might
result in keeping a considerable pOr-
ton of our naval strength ineffective
at critical times.
1T cannot be too strongly urged that
the increase in docking and repair ia
cilitie5 in an adequate ratio TO the in
crease in the fleet is a necessary ele-
ment in naval development, and it
should be especially emphasized that
in this most important matter war re-
Quirements and not peace requirements
must always be kept in view"
Some space is devoted to the question
of building vessels in the navy yards.
He says: There are at the present
time. in view of the prosperous cOndi-
ton of the shipbuilding industry and
the number of naval vessels building
and appropriated for, sufficient work to
permit the assignment of a portion of
building work TO the govern
ment yards without there being
a question of Withholding of necessary
support and assistance, the mainten-
ance of which in a high state of eff
hcfency is Unquestionably of national
Importance"
Powers of the Old World.
He points out that England is build
ing in her navy yards sixteen battle
Shlps and cruisers, France seventeen, |
Germany eight, Russia six and Italy
zee in their government yards.
7cerning the batteries of battle
he says: 1.-The decision finally
come TO in the arrangement of the bat
teries of the new battleships was a
compromise between opinions The
merits and dement's Of the superimpos-
ed turret have been under discussion
for some years The completion of the
first battleships 10 which the system
has been applied, and the trials to
which they have been subjected, dem
onstrated only the mechanical practic- /
ability of the system of mounting. It /
mas B6Sn recognized from the COM I
mencement of the discussion that there (
are grave disadvantages in this system :
Of mounting. There is noting in the
experience with the two vessels ze- /
Gently completed tending either TO show
how they may be removed or to deter /
mine the extent of their effect upon
the vessels in which this system is en-
pIoyed.
1.-THE decision in the case of the re- !
cent vessels has been reached in prac- (
ucally the same way as the decision |
relative to the first vessels TO which /
the system was applied and is based !
upon the same presentation of argu- !
ments, pro and con, although the navy |
now possesses the means of determin- !
ing practically. at any rate, a portion 4
OF the points al issue
Admiral Hichborni deals at some 1
length with the question of sheathing 1
ana says 1t is a practical impoSsi- /
bility to prevent such fouling that in 1
a short time after the docking the /
speed is SenSibly deducted and after 1
the lapse of a very few months her
speed capabilities are cut down % per /
cent TO nearly so per cent. except by /
providing her with a wood sheath and 4
cOppered bottom. The process is an
old one. It's practicability and freedom t
from injurious effect upon the ship to 4
which it is applied. even the element I
OF safety which it adds. have been |
fully demonstrated"
MUCH OF the preJudlce against it, /
he adds, lis born Of incomplete infor- |
nation as to what is really involved |
and is of the same nature as that |
which opposed the Introduction of /
steam navigation and steel ships
Steel For Ships.
IN speaking of the steel for naval |
vessels. it is pointed out that nearly |
600 pounds of steel material has /
been inspected, passed and shipped |
during the year by the inspectors and |
the bureau of construction and repair /
and presenting an increase of more |
than 100 per cent in two years in the /
qaantity of this material required. /
The vastness of the figures gives some !
idea of the extent and Importance of /
the operations carried on under this |
bureau
Speaking of submarine boats. the re- /
port says: THE past year has brought |
to fruitiOn the experimental work COW |
ering a considerable period and has /
demonstrated the practicabuity of the /
submarine boat. There can be little |
doubt that to the first nations in the |
Held with the new type will accure not |
only the advantages which will come
from the of 1