New-York tribune., 1901-05-22
NEW WARSHIP DESIGNS
ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST
TLESHIPS AND CRUISERS
mY TELEGRAPH TO THE rp,R,,x,.

and
discussion is now being waged arnor, ,,,- - - a
quaned to judge over the relative merits of bot+I
ships and armored cruisers as essential IN tho g.
The wide diversity of opinion and the strorg a
menus on poth sides of the question vindcate the
wisdom of Congress at its last session IN raser,,,
All appropriations for large vessels and substi-
tuuhs requlsluon upon the Navy Department for
new plans. TO be presented to Congress In Daoa,,
ber for ships of the highest TYNE ,-,tb ~ -.
Of having definite policy adopted in place of the
FORMER fhethod OF voting millions OF dollars TO he
eApehueo upon compromise plans devised by the
members OF the Naval Board of Constr7,ctio,, ,,ho
seldom go to sea WIN
Inns acuon OF Congress was encouraged by the
pIotes' % ishlhs officers against the futilitv of
"uIidIns SIX monster cruisers at a cost exceeding
S9'Vr@oVo each. when the type was regarded win
disfavor by the great majority of Officers MI -
actual service In the with Spain The con-
uNe'4oh BOARD mas already taken the proposed
programme oifcially in hand 1t is already evt
dent mat the whole line and staff of the navy Is 10
have influence in the final decision aud ~, 60
plans prepared by the rear-admiras AT the head NJ
the haFaI bureaus will eventually be passed upon
oy 'he experts Of the inspection board and by
others whose experience and ability command re-
spect at home and abroad.
In a sweeping generalization II aira,d,. ar,,eo-s
evident that the group of officers known as the
Santiago captains believe in heavy moderate sneed
oatueshlps exclusively, and would relegate all
armored cruisers TO the scrap heap II is admitted
that they are influenced by the performance of the
United States battleships at Santiago against the
Spanish armored cruisers and their opinion that
neither the Brooklyn the New-York was an eie-
nent in that engagement.
ARGUMENTS FOR CRUISERS
They ignore the fact that Spanish ship made
over thirteen knots on that July s. and that the
victory wOuld probably have been less complete
had the Cristobal Colon and her sister ships been
in condition 10 run away at a twenty knot wait
4 cruiser should This IS the view taken by most
of the younger men in the service and particularly
-h,- -,, n;-N-
anything conclusive about armored fighting types.
The men who fought at Manila Bay without armor.
and the men whose experience was mostly in block
aiding Cuba's commerce and in scouting also
opposing the idea Of navy wholly OF battleships.
and producing telling arguments in favor of
great ships of high speed and wider cruiser radius
than 4 ship built: ships that can steam quickly
across the Pacific and back.
The whole matter placed squarely before the
navy few months ago in a memorable paper by
Naval Constructor Taylor. himself OF the nota-
be leaders Of opinion in matters Of this sort which
published TO the service in the proceedings OF
the Naval Institute at Annapolis. After presenting
al the facts regarding the latest designs in man
ner beyond criticism he asked whether battleship
speed ought to be increased TO twentyone knots in
view Of the great sacrifice of offensive and de-
fensive power that must accompany the increased
speed, and whether any more great armored cruis
Of the Maryland class ought built. Dis
cussion invited, and the responses are Of
character that prove invaluable. in view OF the
unsettled policy IN Europe on the subject, and the
fact that the United States has make policy OF
its own after the manner of Germany and Japan
with little regard the naval vagaries OF England
and France which time responsible
for adding a number of useless vessels 10 the
steel navy Of America
ROBLEY D. EVANSS VIEWS
To show the trend Of the discussion quotations
are made from Rear-Adniral RobIey D. Evans on
side, and Commander John NJ. Ellicott, the
other, typical Of large number Of expert views
Admiral Evans said:
SOY unhesitatingly that we are making seri-
Gus bunder in building ships so much alike as the
battleship Virginia and the armored cruiser Mary
back to sound military principles the better it viii
be for US when battle shall give us the only real
test In the days OF wooden ships our superiority
entirely owing TO the heavier batteries we car
e ana "vn @ & we f1 @ Uig 4y s,
cessful because We stuck TO the same principle.
classes. in our cruisers added also the quality
of speed because recognized the fact mat speed
certain extent the controlling factor in
the vessel intended for scouting work. and not in
came and somebody with sufficient influence
dominate the Navy Department. began to undo the
good work Of our constructors, until to-day we
find thin and light guns the rule In our
projected ships Of the line OF battle ..,--,,-
To my mind, the after speed in a batteship
Is at the bottom Of it all The desire for a thing
compelled the thinning of the armor and the re
Guet2n IN callnIe "I guns I0 r ,l the t fta i IsS 10 aT
worse stiH. p knots speed, We must sacrifice the
things that<nake batteship, and having attained
this speed on the trial trip we can never hope to
reach il again. because We can never reallze the
same conditions in actual service In other words,
we must carry around during the entire life OF the
snip lot of dead weight in the shape Of machinery
arrnor and the battery in armor piercing guns
sea speed. and then displacement Of 1000 tons
give US all the protection you can and a steamins
radius as great as possible
MODERATE SPEED ADVOCATED.
F7attleships are not intended to do the work of
cruisers; they are intended to fight and for that al
purpose alone they built If others choose 10
thin their armor in order 10 get speed let them DO
H. and when the day of battle comes they can run
away or get whipped. just as they prefer; Trey
amount the same thing when you consider the
tious between the battleship and the cruiser clear
and distinct-heavy armor heayy guns an1 i1H S
speed. with great manSeuYrinS qualties. m Ihe
features OF one; great speed aLo coaI eilaurtIIce
the features Of the 3ther' with bo aS aI tbinps
and battery possible; out aDove an .iiSS' 70
stick TO the moderate speed for the battleshp be.
cause IT is the attempt 10 80 rad ser amf cr,jsar
The craze for rapid fire in aTmor plercing gum gun
in our later battleshls 10 ro,,d fire nm 70
doubt or discount the value OF raplo lie up 70 a
luteiv no value and win only deafen men and over
guns. Well sustained M sS "a
tanned and inaccurate fire that must fonoW me
effort 10 fire with the greatest possible Ia4is 1h;
as arnor was made more perfect and more dlnlcult
penetrate we would hna NOR IloFe g, 1nt the case
IN nm tb az contrarT we find the 12-inch instead of
IN We ~ ,rrb and the number OF e-inch guns re-
ne aat I"-ilisH @ IN he case of the Alabama and the
Illinois in favor of the rapid tre o-lnch-a Puteiy
1rIisar e1In in my opinion, and one that certainty
on foreign battleshps outsae to.PIo ~ so,,9d min
In conclusion let come back TO the souho pfih-
c,r'ieS as shown in our first battleships-a Few
more guns and little more 5rnh9f 9 iir Id ynIndS
a"d er.ereies 10 giving us a ship OF about 1000
toms Win armor protection for the estire ship:
sreed sixteen knots. sustained at sea ana the
following iattery near as may be;
A RATTIEsHIP's ARMAMENT.
H., =, ,rot guns I'm turrets forward and aft: