The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-04
BAlTLESHIP SUPREME
HAS DEMONSTRATED THIS IN JAP
 RUSSIAN WAR.
Despite Sentiment in Favor of Destroy CTS and Torpedo Boats, They in Reality Have Been
 Ineffective.

Washington, Jan. 3.-How absolute | Is the supremacy of the battleship in naval warfare and how completely it's | superiority over all other types of war vessels has been demonstrated in the war in the Far East, is told in an of | hcial statement issued at the Navy De- partment today, which Is likely to | arouse interest because of it's frank l ness and because it was prepared by a | member of the general board of the | navy, of which Admiral Dewey is pres ident, and represents the view of that | board as well as of the Secretary of the Navy.
 Although the Russian destroyers at | Port Arthur numbered twenty-four, the statement says, not one has scored a | hit thus far in the war, and that of the many torpedo boat attacks deIiv- cred by the Japanese, nearly all met with complete lack of success, all | though made as usual under the cover of darkness and against an enemy at anchor and whose position was known"
 In the opinion of high officials of the Government, the sentiment which has gained some credence in this country to the effect that the value of battle ships has been discredited by the re- suits in the Far East Is one which will
  | and the department has adopted the | somewhat unusual method of comment ing officially on the achievements of the Russian and Japanese navies in the effort to correct this impression. The report says: "A great surprise has been caused l by the superb condition and efficiency of the Japanese fleet, ascendency upon the seas being supposedly a less na- nR hot, -In time spirit than a fighting supremacy on shore. Every type of war vessel has It's place in the navy of that coun- try, and 1t is not too much to say that each has been used in a manner and for the purpose in which 1t is best | adapted and for which 1t was intended, and perhaps no more useful book is opened to the modern tactician than a thorough and logical study of the em- ployment of the different weapons" The development of the torpedo boat is discussed and the fact commented on that hundred years have passed since that craft was first designed. and the battleship still stands su- preme."
 In the brisk inauguration of hostili- ties by the Japanese torpedo boat fio- tilla, the statement continues, "during the night of Feb. 9, they did undoubt- edly deliver telling blow by disabling three Russian battleships. The tenn porary crippling of that force affected the conduct of OpeN9tions not only during the beginning, but throughout the entire first phase of the war; the Japanese, having by thot stroke won the mastery of the sea, were able to land troops at the Yalu and later at Newchwang instead of at the far south end of the Korean peninsula.
 This mastery was due to their hay ing the prepOnderating force of battle ships, which alone enabled them to blockade the Russian fleet. No more eloquent tribute to the pre-eminent value of battleships Is to be found than this one circumstance, that the small margin of superiority thus ob- tained saved the army hundreds of miles of precarious and weary land transport of men and supplies, en- Rbhng them to strike swiftly and continuously upon a weaker enemy be- fore he could be reinforced.
 ''On the other hand, if under normal conditions, battleships can be de- stroyed or seriously damaged by un-