Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-03
Secretary Morton Discusses
Plans of the General Board.
GREAT COST INVOLVED
THE PROPOSED AUTHORIZATION
WOULD REQUIRE $41 900, 900.
More Sailors and Officers Needed-Good
Results Expected From the New
Lake Training Station.
By WIN. E. CURTIS.


Written for The Evening Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
When asked Secretary Morton concern
ing the building program for the navy next
year he replied:
''The recommendations of the general
board. of which Admiral Dewey is the
head, recently submitted to the department.
include three battle ships Of the Connecticut
class, of 10000 tons displacement each:
five fast scouting cruisers of about 1000
tons displacement each; six torpedo boat
destroyers; six torpedo boats and two
squadron Golfers. This program is. of
course, subject to revision as to the final
recommendations that will be made to Con-
gress on the subject.
What will the ships cost?
~ Is estimated that the three battle
ships proposed will cost approximately
100000 each, or $24 1000, 600; the five scout
cruisers $4,000. 600 each. or $40 1900; six
destroyers. $4,000 each, or $500. 900: six
torpedo boats, 100000 each, or $4,000
81 SOC. 600: making the total authorization
proposed by the general board cost $4l600.-
600. The general board has studied our
necessities carefully and the members were
unanimous in their report" -
What ships are now buiiding!
There are now building seven battle
ships, more than half completed-the vir-
ginia. Nebraska, Georgia. New Jersey,
Rhode Island. Connecticut and Louisiin
These are all in the water, and their
completion is only matter of little more
than a year In all probability. The battle
ship Ohio is practically completed, while
the Vermont, Kansas, Minnesota. Missis-
sippi and Idaho. five In number, are still on
the building ways.
Three great armored cruisers, the
Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Colo
RADIO, are nearly ready for service. The
Maryland is rapidly approaching compile
ton, and four others-the California,
South Dakota. Tennessee and Washing
ton-are in process of completion.
The protected cruisers of type which
EQUALS the armored cruisers of only a few
years ago-the ST. Louis, Milwaukee and
CharIeston-are more than 80 per cent
completed, the last named having been
launched.
I'm addition. the navy is building three
gunboats, three training ships and is
completing five torpedo boats from au-
thorizations of several years ago..
The Navies of the World.
when those under way and those pro-
posed for the next bill are finished. where
will we stand among the navies of the
world?''
TT is difficult to make an accurate esti-
mate Of the strength of the fleets Of the
close comparison of ship with ship no ac-
curate gauge of the strength Of the re-
spective navies in vessels can be arrived
at. However, 1t has been estimated that
IL the vessels now built and building
were compared in accordance with their
probable efficiency, on a basis of size and
age, the relative strength Of the lead
ing nations would be represented as fol-
lows: England, Al per cent; France, POS
per cent: United States. III per cent. and
Germany, 149 per cent. It would not be
possible to say what our relative strength
would be If the additions proposed by
the general board were made to the
navy. for the reason that the building
programs of other nations cannot be
stated accurately. Presenting. however,
the improbable condition that the foreign
navies will remain at their present indi-
Gated strength until the proposed battle
ships and cruisers are completed for the
United States. the navy Of the United
States would then be slightly in advance
of that of France. but still less than one
half Of the indicated strength of the navy
of Great Britain AS it is probable that
there will be some construction for the
French navy it is only safe to say, in a
general way. that upon the completion
of such program the indicated strength
Of the navy of the United States in YES
sells would be equal, approximately to
that Of France, and would be some dis
lance in advance of the material which
has been provided by Germany
ut is necessary to say. however, that this
comparison does not include torpedo craft
In which the United States is numerically
far below either of the other nations men,
toned having at the present time but
sixty of that type of war vessels, as against
343 owned by Great Britain. 30S owned by
France and 1856 owned by Germany. The
eleven torpedo craft proposed in the pro-
gram of the general board would only
make the total number of the United States
seventy-one, or less than half the strength
in that type possessed by Germany and
little more than one-fifth of the number
attached to the navy of France"
The American Sailors.
How many men have you now avail
able?'
There are approximately 10000 available
seamen and apprentices. the maximum
number allowed by law being 81, 500 men
and $500 apprentices. 1t is recommended
by the bureau of navigation that the $500
apprentices be merged with the regular en-
listed men of the navy and that the rating
of apprentice and 1andsman' for training
be consolidated under the name apprentice
seaman Over 81 600 men are now required
for the necessities of the service, and 1t is
recommended by the bureau of navigation
that, in addition to the $500 apprentices
made available by the abolition of the rat
ing of apprentice. the enlistment of 5000
additional men be authorized, making the
above number of enlisted men as the total
authorized strength of the navy for the
fiscal year ending June 30, 1905 We need
more officers. too. In his annual report Ad-
miral Converse, chief of the bureau of navi-
cation, says that experience, especially in
gun fire, has shown that 1t is necessary to
Increase the number of officers assigned to
Ships so that the estimate made in 1902 of
the number of officers needed for ships in
commission is inadequate. 1t provided for
only about one-haf as many officers as
ships of the same class carry in the British,
French and German navies. Admiral Con-
verse recommends that the number of lieu
tenants be increased from $50 to 600, and
that the number of lieutenant commanders
be increased from 26O to 300. 1t is espe-
ciaily desirable the admiral says, that
every battle ship and other powerful ves-
sci requiring the greatest skill and expe-
rience for proper efficiency should have her
full quota of officers of suitable rank; yet
many of our battle ships have iieutenants
as ordnance officers and several battle ships
have ensigns and even midshipmen watch
and division officers. This very unsatisfac-
tory and even dangerous condition is due
to many urgent demands for officers the
existing inadequacy of numbers often max
ing it impossible to detail officers of appro-
pirate rank. The increasing number of
graduating from the Naval
Academy in time will partially relieve the
in the lower grades. but more
lieutenant commanders and lieutenants are
required than the law provides
How many vessels are tied up because
Of lack Of seamen?"
Mine vessels of the cruiser class have
been placed out of commission on account
of the need of officers and men to man the