Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-01-18
PLEA FOR BIG BATTLESHIPS.
PRESIDENT WRITES LETTER TO
NAVAL COMMITTEE.
He Says ThatLlnIeSs. One Is Built Every
Year The United States Navy
Will 60 Backward.

The President has taken a hand IN
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 TO
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 AN 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
acceed to his demand for two first
class battleships in the bill this year
is matter of much doubt, but the
matter of submarines is looked upon
with much more favor by some MEM
bors of the committee, their conten
ton being that this sort of naval i'm
crease can be accomplished at much
less proportionate cost than the big
battleships and much quicker. There
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
building of big battleship, in view
of the Senate's amendment, and there
is a 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 10
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 am not asking
for any increase in the navy, because
unless we can provide at the rate of
battleship year our navy will go
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 a 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 i'm
effective, especially against large YES
sells having all of their guns and gun
crews in l2-inch turrets behind heavy
armor.
Therefore the effective offensive
power of a pattleship may now be
measured by the number of heavy IL
inch guns she can fire on either broad
sided. For the ordinary battleship
this elfeeti We broadside fire consists of
four 12-inch gun.
ut follows as matter of course
tina a large ship having broadside fire
OFTEN lE-lncn guns cOulQ promptly
destroy 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 must
be determined by a comparison of
their relative abilities when fighting
in fleet formation. Ip/this respect a
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 is
inherent in the design of the large
vessels. This advantage consists in
the ability of the small squadron of
large vessels to concentrate upon a
limited part of the enemy's line the
fire of the many more heavy guns than
the ships of that part of the line are
able to return, which, of course,
would result in the successive de-
struction of the entire fleet of small
vessels.