The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-28
GROWTH OF JAPAN'S NAVY.
No Mean Antagonist for Russia II
1t Comes to Sea Fighting.

The navy of Japan is the child OF
Great Britain. the ships were built
mainly in England. and most of the
officers and men have been trained
either in British men-of-war or in col
leges and schools founded and for many
years controlled by British naval Of
ficers. AS late as ten years ago a
British officer was retained as naval
adviser to the Japanese government.
1t is, therefore appropriate that the
two forces should be bound in close
alliance during these years when the
outlook in the Far East becomes in
termittently threatening. The feet
which flies the ensign of the Rising
Sun-"Dar Nippon" as the people call
their kingdom, means 1.-The great land
on which the sun first rises"-is linked
to the fleet of an empire on which the
sun never sets.
In no department Of the state has
British influence been stronger than
in the navy. Englishmen in the early
days organized and trained the officers
and men, and the ships have been
built almost entirely by English labor
Japan had no navy a quarter of
century ago; to-day her fleet is one
of the dominating factors in the Far
East. The rise of Japan in naval pow
er has no parallel in history. and this
year the Emperor must have been
proud ruler as he passed down the re-
view lines of this assembled men-of-
war, which include some of the finest
and most powerful ships in the fleets
of the world.
The fighting fleet nominally dates
from about 1877 Though a small ship
had been purchased a short time be-
fore from the United States), when
Co, YIaSe old I'D he
built the earliest ironclad. Fuse. from
the design Of Sir Edward Reed. For
several years the movement toward the
construction Of a large fleet made lit
tie progress, though in that time the
foundation was being laid for the great
expansion of the past ten years. The
Japanese understood that an adequate
organization and a system of training
for officers and men were the first
essentials. Thirty years ago, with the
consent of the British admiralty, Japa-
nese officers were undergoing instruc-
ton at the gunnery and torpedo schools
at Portsmouth, and gaining sea ex-
perience with the British squadrons;
and down to quite recent years the
aspiring officers of the Japanese navy
were to be met with on British ships.
Meantime, in Japan itself training es-
Establishments were being founded and
for this work the Japanese authori-
ties, having a firm belief in English
methods, borrowed officers from the
British admiralty to carry out the
work of organization. The present
Vice-admiral, Sir Archibald Douglas,
now in command of the British North
American squadron, was the command
er of the naval mission sent to Japan
in the '70s to instruct the fleet of that
country, and afterward he became di-
rector of the imperial naval college
at Toxic. Another officer who assist
ed in the work. Vice Admiral Sir Ar
thur Wilson, V. c., is now in command
of the British home fleet while, as
Fate as 1898, Japan retained the services
of Admiral J. Ingles as naval adviser.
Under these auspices the foundation
was laid of the naval power of this
regenerated kingdom.
For many years the Japanese people
had little faith in their fleet; they re-
garded ii as an aristocratic institution
and grudged the money spent on ships.
This was the state of affairs as late as
the outbreak of the war with China.
In this struggle the Japanese navy won
with ease against the more powerful
feet of China. Japan had few vessels
of much fighting value, and not a
single modern armored ship. She
achieved victory by the daring, re-
and Judgment of the Off
SNAH anu NAAC oplCitOlu uCNOllOl 10 QuLy
of the crews
The world rang with stories of the
way in which the Japanese had fought,
and these achievements planted in the
breasts of the Japanese people a pride
not felt before in the marine forces of
the. island kingdom, The events which
occurred at the time of the signing Of
the treaty of peace at Shimoncseki fired
the nation, newly awakened to the
meaning of sea power, with a determi-
nation to build and equip fleet ca
pable of meeting any probable combi-
nation of enemies. While japan was
debating terms to China, Russia, Ger
many and France stepped in between
the two parties and declared that. in
the interest of the integrity OF China.
Japan could not be allowed to hold Port
Arthur, which she had captured.
Neither Great Britain nor the United
States made effective protest against
this interference. The victor had to
bow in face of superior force, and with
IN a short period had the modification
of seeing Russian soldiers take over the
barracks built during Japanese occu-
patton of Port Arthur, and the sway
of the Muscovite power slowly but
surely spread over the whole province
of Manchuria. The sequence of events
was sufficient to rouse the whole peo-
pie TO a resolve to build a fleet which
should be able not only to defeat China
again, IL need be, but to hold its own
against any probable European enemy.
AS soon as the war was over the ia
panese government, which had two bat
tlesnfps already under construction.
decided TO put In hand a great ship
building programme, which was to oc-
cupy British workmen for several
years. for all the battleships and most
OF the cruisers and torpedo craft were
ordered from England. The scheme
was gigantic one for a small and COM
mercially backward country. like ia
pan, FOR Japan is poor. 1t included no
fewer than four first class battleships.
and, In addition to smaller craft. six
nrst-class cruisers, so heavily armored
ana carrying so many big guns as to
be battleships in all but name.
Out of the spoils of her fiRht-for
Japan received heavy indemnity from
Ch1na-the victorious navy has been
rebuilt, while the personnel has been
doubled. Now the programme which
was outlined at The conclusion of hos
tillties, has been completed, and this
year the emperor-now a constitutional
monarch, but the head of his navy. as
is the German emperor of the German
neet-has had the pride of reviewing
his new fleet. So great an expansion
In so short a period is unexampled in
the history of modern navies, FOR not
even Germany's growth is compar-
able to that of Japan, when their reIa-
tive. wealth development and industrial
resources are borne in mind. At the
time of the war with China the whole
Meet of Japan displaced only about
10000 tons; to-day the aggregate dis
placement is over 100000 tons.
While this armada has been in pro-
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