Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-02-05
They Have Become The Accepted
Type Of The United
States Navy.
SUPERIORITY IS NOT DOUBTED
Heavy Gun Fire as Accurate as With
smnlI calibres and More Destruc.
Theological Growth of eattleship
from Civil War Monitor to 10000
Ton VESSEL

| WASHINGTON. Feh 4.-Big ships
of the big gun kind have come to he
the accepted type of the United
States Navy. Some conservative of.
ficers believe that with the building
of battleships of this type there
should he equal advancement in the
dredging of harbors and the increased
size of naval docks. but even these
admit their objections are not to tho
size of the proposed ships. but are
rather admonitions looking to the
preservation of the big ships. and
not in opposition to them.
Members of the Naval Board on
construction decline TO 90 on record
as to the big ships, basing their dc.
clination OH the ground that they
may he called unon later to pass up.
on these very ships. and II would he
'mwise to give their views to the Dub.
lie when they might find ground to
correct or revise them.
The Naval General Board. howev.
er. is less stringently l,Dund by snch
restrictions. Captain Richard VAIN
wright may be taken as speaking for
this Board. and in summarizing the
argument of the Board for this class
of ships he makes these five points
in its favor:
Points for Big Ships.
Ihat the big gun can make as
good record of hits as the smaller.
and with greater destruction.
That increasing the number of big
guns to more than four per shin is
valuable because. among other rea-
sons. it favors the concentration of
the heavy runfire of fleet and thus
confers distinct superiority In tao.
fical issues over n fleet in which the
biz eunfire is less concentrated
THAT high speed. at least twenty
knots. adds TO the value OF this con-
centrated heavy P'm fire when oppos-
ed to slower fleet and is neces.
sarv in meeting a fast fleet.
THAT TO carry this increased num-
Der OF big guns. adequate armor and
engines larre enough TO give the high
speed. the big ship of 10000 tons or
moro is necessary.
THE big shin is not by it's size
more rnlner"hle TO tornadoes than
the smaller ship because its size per.
nits greater subdivision Of the hull.
''ioi' sliF fliN I'CdIlLtS lHt ell
fects of tnrnedo explosion"
Captaip wainwright saws the main
battery in English and American
shins has changed from the 1O.inch
tn the IL and tho - 1-2-inch gun. and
then went back to the Pinch, which
has continued in favor for several.
years. On the other hand the length
of the barrel has increased. to the
benefit of velocity and accuracy, the
latter dependent upon lower trajec-
tories
Lesson of Russo-iapanAse War.
''TTp tn the time of the Dreadnought
hattleshins had gradually grown in
size without increasing the number
of the guns in the main battery. The
additional disbursement was devoted
tn greater sreeh greater steaming
radius. more armor or lareer inter
mediate or secondary batteries"
The demand for all big gun ships
was advanced before the Rnsso-Iap.
anese War. Cantain Wainwright
savs and though the hig gun was
djsapDointment in earlier battles 1t
demonstrated its effectiveness in the
battle of Tsu-Shima Straits.
The conclusion of Captain Vain.
wriaht's ARGUMENT is for the all big
Pun big shin with the armament ar
rnnoed IL f'v" tnrrets of two guns
each. such rs the tyne which is now
before CONGRESS- for its approval.