Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-01-18
PLEA FOR BIG BATTLESHIPS.
PRESIDENT WRITES LETTER TO
NAVAL COMMITTEE.
he says ThatUnIess One Is Built Every
Year The United States Navy
VIII Go Backward.


the fight which is going on in the
House Committee on Naval Affairs
over the increase of the navy. Lest
his position should not be thoroughly
understood and to emphasize his
views, he has written a letter 10
Chairman Foss, OF the committee, in
which he recommends the construc-
tion Of first class battleships and sub
marines. OF the former he urges that
provision for two be included in the
pending bill, and as to submarines he
declares his thorough belief in de-
veloping and building IAN adequate
number leaving this matter largely
to the discretion of the committee.
The President asserts that unless
one first class battleship is built
every year the navy will go back
ward. Whether the committee will
accecd TO his demand for two first
class battleships in the bill this year
is a matter of much doubt, but the
matter OF submarines is looked upon
with much more favor by some mem
bcrs of the committee, their conten-
tion being that this sort of naval in
crease can be accomplished at much
less proportionate cost than the big
are now pending in the committee
bills for the building of thirty sub
marines, all of which would cost less
than one big battleship of the Dread
nauhgt size.
There has been some question in
the minds of some members of the
committee as to whether the bill of
last year actually authorized the
= IL In atsr
of the Senate's amendment, and there
is strong sentiment in the commit
tee in favor of authorizing this year
only one battleship, namely, the one
for which the plans have been submit
ted TO Congress. In his letter TO
Chairman Foss, the President says in
part:
''Sir:-I feel so strongly that there
should be two first class battleships of
the maximum size and speed, and
with their primary battery all of IL
inch guns, added TO the navy this ses-
sion that / desire to lay the matter
before your committee through this
letter. These two big ships include
the one provided for last year and the
one provided for this year. 1t must
be remembered that 1 am not asking
for any increase in the navy, because
unless we can provide at the rate of a
battleship n year our navy Will 90
backward. Moreover, l am advising
that our money be spent economi-
cally.
The President then gives reasons for
his belief in the advantages of battle
ships of large displacement, with their
primary batteries all of one type Of big
gun. as compared with all other fight
ing craft. He says in part:
"Now that high degree of skill
has been developed in naval marks
manship, esecially with heavy guns,
future battle ranges will be so great
three or four miles-that small guns
(6-inch, etc. }, will be practically in
effective, especially against large YES
sells having all of their guns and gun
crews in 12-inch turrets behind heavy
armor.
'Therefore the effective offensive
power Of a pattleship may now be
measured by the number of heavy ~
inch guns she can fire on either broad
sided. For the ordinary battleshiT
this effecti We broadside fire consists OF
four l2-inch gun.
'sIt follows as a matter of course
tina large ship having broadside fire
often 12-inch guns could promptly
destroy a battleship of the usual type
having four 12-inch guns, and with
the advantage of the greater speed OF
the larger vessel, which would enable
her to choose her own distance, she
would be more than match for two
of the smaller vessels.
but as battleships are not intended
to fight singly their efficiency mus
be determined by a comparison OF
their relative abilities when fighting
i'm fleet formation. Iprthis respect {
relatively small squadron of large
battleships. having the same number
of heavy guns as much larger squad
ron of small battleships, has a still
greater natural advantage, which il
inherent in the design of the large
vessels. This advantage consists il
the ability of the small squadron o
large vessels to concentrate upon |
limited part of the enemy's line th'
| fire of the many more heavy guns thar
the ships OF that part of the line ar
able to return, which, of course
would result in the successive de
struction of the entire fleet of small
vessels.