The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-22
A NAVAL WAR TO BE DREADED.

A NAVAL WAR TO BE DREADED.
The maneuvers of the United States
warships going on of the New Eng
land coast, following so soon after the
British naval review at the coronation Of
King Edward, suggest some comparisons.
These peaceful maneuvers and spectacu-
lar displays are not a fair test of the real
strength of either of the navies. If they
were TO meet in actual conflict it would
doubtless result in series Of the greatest
naval battles the world has ever seen. OF
course. the British navy greatly outclasses
and overshadows that of the United States
on paper, but it's real efficiency has not
been tested for so long that it may be said
TO be altogether a matter Of conjecture.
1t is pretty certain it is not as great as it
appears on paper, but it is probably great
er than some critics represent. One of
these. a British writer, said of the recent
review that the bulk of the fleet was mere
~ IAN exhibition of flags, paint and gid
ing. and the majority might as well be
built of cardboard. as they are mere dunn
mics, too feeble to fight and too slow TO
run away" Probably this is an exag-
geration, and it must be remembered, also.
that the ships in the review represented
only the home fleet, not a single vessel
having been withdrawn from foreign sta
ton participate. In the event of
Great Britain could make very different
showing. Yet it must be remembered that
the British navy Of to-day has never been
tested, and it is not even certain that
British naval officers, gunners and sea-
men equal to their ancestors. There is
no reason to believe they have degenerated,
but there is no proof that they have not.
The British are natural sailors as well
fighters. but the fact that neither her ships
nor her men have had any real test since
the days of wooden ships, and that there
is not an officer in the navy who has ever
heard hostile shot affords some ground
for speculation on the subject Yet all
naval authorities recognize the British
navy as much the strongest of any il the
world.
While the United States navy is numer-
ically and in every other way weaker than
the British it contains some very formula
In respect of armor guns and mechanical
appliances our best ships are probably
fully equal to those of Great Britain. In
fact, we have gained the supremacy
over England in the iron and steel industry
II would not be at all surprising if we are
also beating her in armor and ordnance
for battleships. The traditions of our navy
are fully as inspiring as those Of the Brit
ish navy, and the civil war and the war
with Spain have given ours much the most
modern training. Ship for ship. gun for
gun and man for man, the superiority of
American ships over British has been
demonstrated time and again. Americans
are as good sailors as the British, and the
war with Spain demonstrated the superb
GRITTY of American gunners in a very re-
markable manner.
There has been no great naval war in
recent years. and not even any great naval
battle. The battles of Manila bay and
Santiago were brilliant exploits and won
| derfully conclusive in results. but the
Spanish squadrons made such a poor fight
and were so easily whipped that those en-
gagements could hardly be called battles.
If we had had to deal with British ships
the fighting would not have been so one
sided. Yet those engagements showed that
| the fighting spirit in our navy was as
strong as ever, and that it's officers and
men measured up to the standard of the
| highest modern efficiency. Some of the
bloodiest naval battles that have ever been
fought have been between British and
American ships, and there can be no doubt
| that a naval war between the two powers
now would far surpass in stubbornness and
| destructiveness any on record. In fact
| there has been no real war between mod
] ern navies, and one between Great Britain
and the United States would bring into
| action some of the greatest fighting ma
! chinery in the world, commanded by the
best sailors and manned by the best gun
ners, with traditions on both sides that
would prevent either from knowing when it
was whipped. 1t is to be hoped such a war
/ may never occur.