Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1902-12-03
NAVY IN NEEO OF OFFICERS
Secretary Moody's Report Shows
There vii! Be a Great Deficiency.
WANTS MORE CADETS APPOINTED


VIII re Wanted In About Four Years
Time-Extcnsion Of Annapolis and In
crease In Promotions Recommended
The Naval Programme.
Washington. n. C.-Sccrctary of tho
Navy Moody has made his report for
the fiscal year ending June 80. The
report deals with the ships under con-
Struction. those authorized hy Con-
gress. those in aud out of commission.
the personnel of thr service and with
the future of the Navy. rs seen by
Secretary Moody. CT the vessels under
construction. the report says:
AT the close of the last fiscal year
there were under construction for the
Navy, 10y contract, the following yes
sells: Eight hattlCShips. six armorcd
cruisers. nine protected cruisers -four
monitors. thirteen tOrpPdo-hoat destroy
crS. seven torpedo boats and seven
submarine torpedo boats. The general
progress upon these boats. particularly
those of the larger class has not been
found to he satisfactory. The battle
ships We're. on the 3Oth Of .Iunc. 1902.
from ten to twenty nine months behind
contract time: the armorcd cruisers
from four To thirteen months; the pro-
tectcd cruisers from six to eighteen
months. while the monitors were from
sixteen To nineteen months in arrears.
"nurinC the fiscal wear the folluWiu.
vessels nave been nnally accepted: rh"
hat;lCShipS Alahama Wisconsin. and
/ Illinois: the torpedo boats Bailey. Rag
! ley. Barney. Hiddlc. Shuhricll and Stock
| ton. The torpedo boats Thornton and
! Wilkes. and the dcstroycrS Decatur.
! Perry and prcblr have been prclimn-
Grily accepted. Between July |. 19O2.
| and November l. 1902. the Thornton
/ has hocn finally and the following YES
sells prCliminarily accepted: Th" moni-
tor Arkansas. the torpedo boat destroy
crs Barry. Chaunccy. Dale. Paul Jones
TruXton. Whipplc and Worden. and the
torpedo boat De Long"
or new vessels the authorized report
continues:
AT the last session of Congress the
! construction of the following addi-
tional vessels of the Navy was author
lied: Two battleshiIs. one to be built
at such Navy Yard as the Secretary
might designate: two armorcd cruisers
and two gunboatS. III pursuance of
This act the Department without delay
| approved plans for the construction Of
The two hattlcShipS and directed That
Tcri; on one of them. the Connecticut.
! Nc cormcnced at once ut thc Navy
Yard. Ncw York"
OF the future of the Navy the Sec
rc,ary says:
IF the policy Ci strengthening our
! power upon the Sc? - the point where
: it can respond to liz" National needs h,'
/ nor abandoned. tI!p Navy haS manifold
needs. There must hp additional naval
ana coal.ng stations: rOrc shipS. fight
in" ard auxiliary; ana 81 intrcaSc oi
/ officers and men
The most imperative need or the
/ Navy today is OF additional ofliccrs. !
/ cannot overstatc this nccc. II invites
the instant attention Of Congress. TE,.
administration of tn" Department iS
embarrassed almost daily Lv the lack
OF officers below command rank. This
! condition has been approaching for
sD-N" wears. and was clearly apprc.
h"ndcd and stated hy my predecessor
IN oiiic". 1t is acute to-day. and. when
The ships already authorized are com
nlcted. il will b. desperate unless there
f, IS early action"
Tie report shows tina, nj prcs,n;
= rc is Il deficiency OF ~ officers foy
lIr ships of the Navy. 1t speaks Of
Inc ways III which more officers may
be obtained. and adds:
II therefore earnestly recommend
that without years delay the mum
Der OF midshipmen at the academy he
Increased sufficiently to meet prcSCut
and prospective needs of the service"
The report continues:
FROM time To time during the last
forty years attempts nave been made
by various foreign governments. as
wei rs by our own. to utilize oil as
fuel for naval service Fourteen
official tests have Dccn made from
which valuable information has been
secured.
'As result of the Investigations
thus far conducted the Chief of the Ru-
reau Of Steam Engineering recommends
tho installation of liquid-fuel appli-
ances without delay in Mt least n third
OF the torpedo boats and destroycrS
With respect to the larger war vessels
and particularly the battleships. tho in.
stnllation of liquid fuel presents So
rious difficulties, entirely apart from
the question of the satisfactory use OF
oil under boilers
I'm recommending that the Govern.
1ncnt obtain control Of all wireless tel
cGraph stations the Chief OF the Bu-
REAL OF Equipment says: In time Of
war the department will undoubtedly
ina II necessary to communicates by !
means of wireless ucl"Graphy with GER |
tain receiving stations along the |
coast. Nothing should he permitted
To Interfere with the transmission Of
such messages. nor should il be ncssi- !
bic for unauthorized pCrsouS to receive
them" ,