The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-10-24
UNCLE SANS
ARMORED SHIPS
CONTINUED from page Sd

| the 6-inch and the I2-inch, represents
an early appreciation of the value of
| heavy guns which is now universally
conceded
The weak point in the American navy
is its lack of homogenity Battleships
are built to act together, and any tame
| duck" lowers the efficiency of the entire
| fleet It is particularly important that
/ the ships be uniform in the matter of
! speed and coal endurance. Owing to
the constant progress in naval design
| ing absolute homogenity must yield to
| a progressive advance, but the Amer
lean navy shows fluctuations which are
hard to justify The low freeboard of
the Indiana class was abandoned in the
Iowa, restored in the Kentucky class
and abandoned definitely with the Ala
| bana. The superpoSed turret was made
the feature of the Kentucky class, aband-
oned in the Alabama and Maine, res
tored on the Georgia and then finally
discarded. The speed of the battleships
progressed from the Alabama of 10 knots
to the Maine of Is knots and the Georgia
of 10 knots, then back to the Connecticut
of Is knots and the Idaho of II knots.
The size of the Idaho and Mississippi,
two 1900 ton ships in a fleet of 10000
ton vessels, was due to Congressional
meddling in affairs of naval construction,
but the Board of Construction followed
this mistake by taking off knot IN
speed. The heavy sacrifice made by the
speedy Gromovoi and Rossia in vain
endeavor to protect the slower Rurik
furnishes an illustration of what may
happen if our five 10 knot batt1eships
should be in line with their newer but
slower II knot consorts. AS an English
expert remarks: There is no strong
argument to be adduced IN favor of
deliberately constructing inferior, vessels.
The process of time creates ships of this
sort; it is surely folly to construct them
specially"
1t is in our guns, however, that there
is the most remarkable lack of system.
Our museum of calibers," as the Italian
chief-constructor calls it, contains every
size except two from 8 inches to IS. The
8-inch guns on our first battleships put
US years ahead of other nations, but
instead of holding our advantage we
dropped them and copied English models
with their 6-inch guns. When we dis
carded the latter, we should have gone
back to the 8-inch gun, instead of which
we invented new size, the 7-inch, and
put 8-inch and 7-inch on the same yes
sells Now the Finch gun is considered
too small, and there is talk of planning
new ships carrying nothing but I2-inch
guns for fighting battleships, and 3-inch
guns for keeping off torpedo craft. The
era of heavy guns has fairly set
in, and while America is far in the lead
in this respect we should have been IN
still better position had we kept con-
sistentlv to the calibers first placed on
the Indiana and Oregon.
The lack of homogenty, which is the
chief fault of the American navy, can
be to some degree overcome in the
future by a proper disposition of ships.
The policy of the navy department is
to keep one battleship squadron in the
North Atlantic and one in the Philip
pines In 1908, therefore, we may anti
cipate that the North Atlantic squadron
will consist of the FIVE Georgias with the
speed of 10 knots and the three Names
and the six 10000 ton ships of Is knots.
The slower boats will be classed together
in the Pacific. the Iowa, two Kentuckys,
three Alabamas, with the new Idaho
and Mississippi, all with a speed of 10
to II knots. The Oregon class will be
relocated to the company OF the monitors
as a coast defence squadron.
And what is the use of all these
ships? That is the paradox of the
navy.-the more ships we build. the
Nothing will incline the nations to settle
their differences with us peaceably more
than the realization that we have navy
superior to their own.
Already, counting our geographical
position, any nation but Great Britain
would have an uphill fight, and when our
navy is superior to any continental
nation single-handed attack viii be
wellnigh impossible. But even if Our
newest and biggest battleships are COM
pleted, commissioned, live out in peace
the span of battleship's usefulness,
and go to the scrap heap at last their
cost will not be wasted. 1t is the in
surance that we paw TO guard against
possible loss and disaster which would
be appalling in magnitude, and IS money
well spent.
OnIy One-"ETow do Won keep the