Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-05-06
GERMANY'S NAVY.
Demonstration Of Ability to
Keep at Sea.
An Object Lesson for Other Powers
To Consider.
The Plan Has Been Tried by This
Country.

other nations with an object lesson in
the way of the ability of her fleet tC
keep the sea for an indefinite period
She intends to show that in spite OF
foreign belief to the contrary, her men.
of-war are able to conduct over sea
operations however distant the scene
from their home base of supplies.
The announcement of the German
admiralty that the German squadron
will leave tomorrow for a given point
of latitude and longitude in the vicin-
ity of Spain, the ships to have only
sufficient coal on board to reach theil
destination, is pregnant with meaning
| to experts at the navy department. In
| the first place, Germany designs to dc
that which the general board projected
for the American battle squadron. II
was ordered that the American battle
ships should steam to Lisbon and lie ir
| that port several weeks, taking coal
and all other supplies from the GOLFERS
| and supply ships accompanying them
and receiving nothing from shore. Be-
| cause of the comment created by the
| proposed use of a friendly port for OPP
erations stimulating those of war, the
| navy department abandoned the cruise
to Lisbon and announced that the ships
would not go farther than the Azores
Because of accidents and assignment OF
| ships to other duties the battle squad
| ron has been reduced SO that it is now
| expected that the maneuver will not
| occur until next year. Had the Ameri-
| can warships carried out the program
| contemplated they would have demon
Isf,a f1l .l~:I:x
ate upon it's coast.
Germany does not intend to send her
| ships across the ocean, but she is di-
| cecting them to proceed sufficient
| distance from home to obtain all The
| advantages of cruise such as the
| general board of the United States
| navy prescribed. 1t has been the be-
| ief of many American experts that the
| United States was comparatively safe
| from German operations because of the
small coal-carrying capacity of German
| ships. The German admiralty sacri-
| feed coal space to protection and bat
| terry. When Prince Henry, brother of
| the Emperor, who will command the
| fleet during it's proposed maneuvers.
was on his way from Washington to
Annapolis to inspect the Naval Acad-
envy he asked Rear Admiral Bowles
about the characteristics of the Amer
| lean ships.
1.-THE American vessels" the rear adj
| niral stated. ARE provided with large
bunker space so they can accommo
| late sufficient coal to enable them tc
| steam to Europe and operate there, and
l that is not an advantage, your high
L ;o1 e,1,i
Prince Henry admitted the truth O
| Rear Admiral Bowles' assertion, as
l indeed, has every expert who has com
| oared the two navies. For instance
| the Wittelsbach, the latest German
| ,attleship, only carries 1000 tons o.
| 'oal, while the Maine, the latest Amer
| can battle-ship in commission, car
| ccommodate 1000 tons of coal.
| Prince Henry will have a strong fleet
| lnder his command. 1t will comprise
| according to Emperor Williams officia.
| statement, the line f-battle ships
| Kaiser Wilhelm 1. Kaiser Friedrich Ill
/ Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse, Kaiser
| Barberossa, Kaiser Karl der Crosse
| Wittelsbach, Zahringen, and Victim;
l armored cruiser Prinz Heinrich, anc
| protected cruisers Victoria Luise, Am
| azone, Ariadne, Niobe, and Hela. The
1 fleet therefore comprises a battle
| squadron and a cruiser squadron, the
former to do the fighting and the lat
| ter to do the scouting and to assist H.
1 hostile operations in time of war
| The Wittelsbach Victim, and Zah-
| 'ingen are the most modern bat
| leships, each having a displacement
I hot
! cry that has deservedly received the
l praise of foreign naval officers; ir
| act, the English are inclined to re.
| gard these vessels within their lmita-
| ton as the product Of the finest battle
| ship design produced up to the Tins
| they were laid down. A complete belt
4 Of armor of maximum thickness o.
| inches encircles each ship at the
| water line and with it is associated a
| ieck 3 inches thick and thinner spin.
| er deck. An upper belt, amidships
| las a thickness of 6 inches. The bar
| )ettes have a maximum thickness OF
| 20 inches On the main deck the bat
! cry is well protected by belt 1-2
| inches thick The battery comprises
| or 9.4-inch breech-loading rifles
| eighteen 5.9-inch rapidfire guns, and
| hirty-two smaller guns. The same
| battery is carried by the Kaiser Will
! ,eim /. Kaiser Friedrich III, Kaiser
| Wilhelm der Crosse. Kaiser Bar
| oerossa, and Kaiser Karl der Crosse,
| ,ut it is not so we'll protected.
The reference to the protection and
| ,attery of these ships is interesting to
| Americans only because it shows
| What the Germans are doing, and ii
| las relation to the projected maneu-
| ,er of Prince Henry's command
| simply because to obtain these advan-
tages it has been necessary. as stated,
| o reduce the coal carrying capacity
| If each ship. The normal coal sup
| DIV of each ship is $50 tons and the
| maximum 1000 tons, but some doubt
| exists as to it's ability to carry even
| this moderate quantity. Greater cruis-
ing radius is naturally enjoyed by the
| cruisers. The PrinZ Heinrich has a
| displacement of 8,868 tons. the Victoria
| I.uise of 6,100 tons, the AmaZone and
Ariadne each of 2,645 tons. the Niobe
of 240O tons, and the Hela Of 1000
| tons. The Prinz Heinrich is one OF
| Germanys latest armored cruisers
| and has comparatively good protection
and armament and a large steaming