The San Francisco call., 1904-08-15
WHY JAPANESE
NAVAL OFFICERS
EXCEL RUSSIAN


sia and Japan and the system Of select
ing and educating naval cadets. The
incidents of the present war have thus
far proved the japanese system the
best, for no changes have been made
in naval commands of squadron
or ships, while admirals and captains
are shifted about in the Russian fleet.
The Naval Academy at st. Petersburg
was founded about 200 years ago, while
that of Japan, at Etajima, an island,
dates only from 1870 Entrance to the
Russian Naval Academy is open to
boys between the ages of II and IA
years who are the sons of naval officers
or Of noblemen. About 100 cadets enter
each year, the education Of whom is
simply academic during the first three
years. The professional training begins
with the fourth year, and after that
the yOungster may pass the eXamina-
ton for promotion to ensign. There
are two weak features in this system,
namely, the initial selection and the
subsequent training, which latter does
not tend to establish the pupils profes-
sional fitness until he has spent at least
three years at the academy.
In Japan entrance examinations are
strictly competitive and open to youths
between the ages of Is and 20 years, eX-
cepting, of course, those married or
who have undergone any serious pun
ishment, and bankrupts. The average
number entering is about 200. The
course is three years, with short vaca-
tions and monthly, half-yearly and
yearly examinations, at which their
standing is fixed. Professional subjects
are taken up at the start and the ca
diets receive practical training on ships
and steam launches while even part of
the vacations is given to drills on board
the ships. a cruise of eight months in
a training squadron terminates the
educational course as midshipmen, and
they are then distributed to the vessels
of the regular fleet as junior officers.
The entire cost of maintenance of the
cadets while at the academy is borne
by the Government.
The practical results of the Russian
and Japanese systems of naval educa-
tion are being demonstrated. The
theoretical education, very much like
that at Annapolis, together with hard
and constant practical training on
board ships, produces for Japan a class
of officers thoroughly familiar with
their profession. Dash, skill and en-
durance are the rule, not the excep-
tion of the Mikado's naval officers
while the Russians have not as class,
given much evidence of these qualities.
Then, again, the disparity in ages Of
officers in important commands In the
two navies. is also an important factor,
for while the average age of five Rus
sian admirals is So years, two being
60 and the youngest 81 years, the five
Japanese admirals average 49.5 years,
the youngest being As and the oldest
54 years. OF five Russian commanders
of battleships, the oldest is SO, and the
youngest 81 years. the average being
50 years, while a corresponding number
of Japanese captains range from A to
40 years and their average is only 45.S
years.
The London Engineer, of recent date,
contains some reliable and interesting
information respecting the condition Of
the Japanese and Russian warships
after their trying service Of the past
six months The facts are given by
officers in the Far East who were in
the position to know and the deduc-
tions drawn from these naval lessons
may be briefly summarized as follows:
The impact of heavy projectiles has
strong tendency to affect the align
ment of machinery by shock. but less
than might be expected upon boilers.
All small vessels, especially torpedo
craft. wear out quickly and lose in
speed as the result Of hard work. while
the deterioration of big ships is con-
siderably less. Cylindrical boilers have
proved inferior to the water-tube va
Z
Russian destroyers were outmatched
by the Japanese, but the hard and al
most incessant use of the latter have
done much to equalize this and the two
fotillas are of about the same eff
cheney.
Regarding the condition of the
I larger Japanese ships before the re-
cent battle, which proved disastrous to
the Russians, little was known, ex-
cept) that the armored cruiser Iwate
was still good for twenty-one knots,
but that the Asama's speed had been
reduced to eighteen knots. OF the
Russian ships the Bayan, GromobOi,
Rossia and Askold were in good steam
ing condition; the NovikS original
speed of twenty-five knots had dimin-
ished to barely twenty knots, and the
Retvizan was in a sad plight, as her
machinery was thrown out of align
ment when torpedoed. The Cesare-
witch had suffered no damage to the
machinery, while the Pallada and Po-
bieda had been repaired and were in
fair shape.
An armored cruiser OF a new type Is
on the German naval programme for
the present financial years. The ship
is to be of 0000 tons and to have n
speed of 221a to % knots. The largest
cruisers of that class now in course of
completion are the Room and York, of
924S tons and twenty-one knots,
launched in 10000.
There are strong probabilities that
the batteries of future battleships VIII
be composed of very heavy guns ana
small guns useful 10 repel torpedo at
: tacks, and that intermediary calibers,
such as eight. seven and six inch, will
be eliminated. The recent target fire
practice has demonstrated that the
heaviest guns were the most accurate.
AS battleships are intended chiefly to
! fight ships of their own class, the sub
stitution of heavy guns for those OF
six-inch would seem to be a rational
improvement. The Georgia class OF
six ships, of 1494S tons, designed in
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