Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-09
REARMING WARSHIPS
COMPARISON OF ENGLISH AND
OTHER METHODS.
Special Cablcgram TO The Star.

Special Cahlegram TO The Star.
LONDON, September 9-Time and again
naval writers have contended in favor of
the rearming OF warships to bring them
into line with modern progress in artillery,
bu: the authorities of Whitehall have op-
posed the scheme with rare exceptions, and
that for obvious reasons. But Germany is
embarking upon such a scheme, and the re-
suits will be watched with interest Japan
has also essayed the task in the Russian
vessels captured. while the change of ar
mament in the Mikasa is matter of great
interest. This case IS typical: Originally
the vessel had four twelve-inch and four
teen stx-inch guns. being superior 10 the
formidable class simultaneously built for
the British navy in having two more six
inch quickfrers Eight of these six-inch
guns will now be removed to enable four
ten-inch guns to be fitted. This may be
quite a suitable arrangement so far as
weight Is concerned. but the stress of a
ten-!nCh gun firing with a rnuzzle energy
of $1,000 fl. tons is very much greater
than the effect from a six-inch ouIck-ffrer
dIscharElnE shot of One-fifth the weight
Win an energy of only about 5000 it. tons
l. must be accepted that the structural
chang. which will materially add to the
fighting strength of the vessel making her
equal almost 10 the later vessels the Katori
AMI the kashima. built. respectively, by the
NlckeTN Company and the Armstrong Com
panN Indeed. the Mikasa now approx
mates 10 the gun power of the Agarnernnon
ana Lord Nelson. and. like them has the
slN-inCh quiCk-frers to punish the obtru-
sive torpedo craft
Many NAV ask the question why the fen
Formidables or the six Duncans in the
British fleet could not be similarity rearm-
Ell. out the japanese government had to
greatly overhaul the Mikasa after she had
been under the water for months other
wise they might not have considered #
worth while 10 make the change. SO also
with The captured and salved Russian ves-
sel4
German Situation Different.
with Germany the case is different. and
Ia more comparable with British conditions
1 he kaiser class including five ships and
u" Nttelsbach class. also of five vessels.
are comparatively modern ships Not one
was dfoat eleven years ago and some
were launched as late as 1901 The former
cIasS have Harvey armor. the latter krupp
plates, but their armament Is distinctly
weak according to present-day ideas In
twin gun tuTrets, fore and aft, they have
. finch guns, and dotted over the upper
works eighteen 59-inch quick-frers
And these are the ships which some naval
critics liken TO the British formidable and
N Ing Edward classes. To substitute 11-!nch
guns for the four 9.4-inch guns would in
Noiv" great increase In gun power but
with the additional stress due to a muzzle
energy OF 10000 feet tons against 10 700
rect tons, the comparative power of the
Two weapons Is not negligible quantity. 1t
means stiffening which again Involves
nI
a~~i weight Of the larger guns and their
In0uFtings and ammunition, will immense
the snip To greater depth, reducing speed
Which even now Is only eighteen knots
w hat $ more serious is that the part of the
a'n.T belt now above the water line would
q most entirely disappear. The armored
!. serve Of buoyancy In the kaiser class is
already less than in many other ships
not her naval troubles to seek.
Comparison With Great Britain.
The facts show that Germany's position
relative to that of Great Britain is not so
strong as some would have US believe This
holds good also TO the time taken in con-
structing ships. OF five battleships Of the
Deutschland class. whose inception dates
back nearly i've years. two have just been
put IN commission. one will be commits
stoned in the autumn, and two more next
than even the formidable class, and do not
come under the same category as the King
Edward VII
In other words. since the Deutschland was
ordered England has laid down and com
p.et"d five King Edwards, two Agamom-
mons and "a DreadnouGht and the Belle
rpPhOu and Temera!re viii not be much be
b nd the SChlrslcn and Schleswig x Holstein
Thus in battleships England has recently
quite met the condition laid down by an
influential Russian paper-that Britain need
only build two guns for every one ordered
by Germany in order To ensure the mainte-
nance OF peace.
The ten British ships laid down since
lEt. and all In the list to be completed
next year. are equal to fifteen OF the Ger
man ships. and Yet they have only built
i've The three 'lnvincible'' cruisers are not
Included
Future Is Reassuring.
Us ~ The future the conditions are equally
r-assu-iug. The German navy program in
GUIDES four battlesh!ps of H. G0 tons, with
rgelProcating machinery to develop 10000
Indicated horsepower Two of these
sa.ps named the Ersatz Sachen and
L~atz Bayern, were laid down two
months ago and two others. the
i-rSatz WurtemberE and Ersatz Baden,
are provided Tor in the l90I-S program, but
have not been commenced. 1t is yet too
soon 10 speak Of l9oS-9. but the present
!"trHtton is To begin two others. The first
FOUR Of these ErsatZ battleship-the
DreadEoughtS Of the kaisers nayy-wtil
De completed by 1910 IL the hopes OF the
government are realized. England will
Then have ten Dreaduaughts If the present
Intentions of the admiralty are realized.
The German ships, according to official
data, Will have fourteen or sixteen guns of
e4eVen-inch caliber, with several smaller