The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-29
NEEDS \ !. /: oFIHE: NAVY
Secretary M1ooddy's Annual Report
Shows the Want q Of More oaioers
and Men for the NewShips. s
Naval Stations ia the West Indies;
and the Philippines Are I'M. p
peritive Necessities.

| - :. :. 81 -r.s.
Washington, Now. 29.- In his annual're-
port as secretary Of the navy, Mr.. Moody
says, 81 e,,s. =: TO-. ..r. .. ~
''1he task which is employing tn. high
est tnergits OF the navy and receiving the
greatest attention from the heads Of
bureaus the commanders In chief of sta
tons, the commanding and subordinate
officers of souadrons. divisions and single
| vessels everywhere, Is the work Of train
| Ing. Schools of instruction have been es-
tab1ished wherever practicable. It is
needless to say that the purpose of all this
instr uction and training Is to. make the
navy fit for the ultimate design as an in
strument Of warfare: The navy serves
many useful purposes in times OF peace
which should by no means be minimized.
Nevertheless it would not: exist in any
thing like its present form II the posi-
bility aof war were not In contemplation.
1t is believed to be the duty of the depart
ment to employ the means which congress
has placed at it's disposal 70 develop every
latent pave: Of material and see that all
branches Of the service operate in intel
l:gent harmony. I,&,%@f
AT the close OF the last fiscal year
there were under construction for the
navy, by contract the following vessels:
Eight battleships six armored cruisers,
nine protected cruisers, four monitors,
thirteen torpedo boat destroyers, seven
torpedo boats and seven submarine tor
spedo boats. The general progress Of work
upon these vessels; particularly those Of
the larger class, has mot been found to
be satisfactory: !" The. battleships were,
.:on the Goth Of June, 1902, from tens to
twenty mine nnoEths,s- behind contract
time; the armored cruisers from four to
thirteen months. the protected cruisers
from six to eighteen months, while the
monitors were from sixteen to nineteen
months In arrears. - Z. Il :t,.'t.. So .
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ~ A~E
The department has recently taken
grounds Of delay. over which it can exsr-
else. control, and has notified contractors
THAT they will be held to accountability
II" failure to push forward the, work. Of
construction with due diligence, If such
failure shall occur, and particularly for
caused byScpreference being given to
private over public work. r .s1::~
:,"I'nring the fiscal year the following
vessels have been finally accepted: The
battleshfps Alabama, r. wisconsin and
Illinois; the torpedo boats. Bailey. Bag
ley, Barney. Biddle, Shubrick and Stock
tonaa The torpedo boats. Thornton and
Wilkes, and the destroyers Decatur, Perry
and, Treble have been preliminarily ac-
cepted.. Between. July /, 1902, and Nov
1, 1902, the Thornton has been finally and
the following vessels preliminarily accept
ed: The monitor Arka nsas, the torpedo
boat destroyers Barry Chauncey, Dale.
Paul Jones Truxton, Whippie and Worden,
and the torpedo boat De Long.
: The monitors Catskill, Manhattan and
Mahopac and the receiving ship Vermont
have been stricken from the navy register
during the fiscal Year: These vessels.
condemned as unit for further service
under the provisions 7of@the law, were ad-
5Vertised land sold. 5stFf t-:,5.f ..>Y
AT the last session scf congress the con-
struction Of the following additional ves-
sells OF the navy was authorized: Two
battleshfps, one to be built at such navy
yard as the secretary might designate;
two armored cruisers, aRd two gunboats.
In rs1rs,lai1ce The; depar tment
-Withoutad clay appfy ms for:the con
istr,lct1on aef the ts and al
necticutj be commenced at once at the
navy yard, New York.
#: ss::5 Ascontraets awarded. r. rs 5s&
! The contract for |yIe eonstruc taonGxo
the other. battleshtp,@-the louisiana, has
been awarded to the Newport News Ship
building and Dry Dock company after
compe tition, for 50 $4,000: The specifca-
lions, for these two ,battleships, the most
powerful yet laid down BY the navy; call
for vessels $50 feet In length upon the load
water line; about r. feet beam; gross
draft, about 26A feet trial speed at sea,
to be maintained four hours, Is knots. It
Is intended to give these vessels each
main battery Of four 12-inch, eight 8-inch
and twelve 7-inch breech- loading rifles,
and secondary battery OF twenty 3-inch
14-pounder rapid-iire guns, twelve g.
FOUNDER seni-automatic guns, two l.
FOUNDER semi-autonatic guns, two 3-inch
field pieces, two machine guns, caliber 80,
and six automatic guns, caliber 80
The, plans and specifications for two
A,500-ton armored cruisers, the Tennessee
for their construction will be opened on
Jan. s, 1903. - : %="@ - = .~.
Among the most important lessons
learned in the war with Spain was that a
modern navy cannot be improvised dur
ing war or upon. the threshold Of war.
Much money, was Their expended in the
purchase Of ships: Many Of them served
useful auxiliary purposes. but 1t may well
be doubted whether they added materially
to. the fighting efficiency of our fleet. The
time best suited to the development and
perfection Of our navy is the time when
there Is neither war nor the threat of war
Happily the present is such time, and
It permits q dispassionate consideration Of
the future. T@--~:.r =? 49,: Z; 49,
~ The, Most Imperative Need"
The most imperative need of the navy
to-day is Of additional officers. + can
not' overstate this need. The 5adninistra-
ton Of the department Is embarrassed al
most daily by the lack of officers below
command rank, The deficiency in the
number OF officers required for the full
complement of naval duty will be at the
end Of four years as4folIows: -. :, -:
present aenc1ency ...................... SIT