New-York tribune., 1908-02-17
CONVERSE ANSWERS
CRITICS OF NAVY
THEIR KNOULEDGE LIN
ITED. 4DNfR4L SAYS.
american Ships Not iHferior to
Those in Foreign SeyJtces,
His Conclusion.


ships of the American navy. called forth oy
many criticisms recently published in maya
zines and elsewhere. This report was prepared
primarily 10 satisfy the President as % tns
exact state OF American naval ships compared
with those Of other navies. and its publication
is authorized with the design 70 resssuTe the
American sailors as 10 the quality OF the
weapons with which they must go into battle
While of course. it is regarded as desirable thar
the American navy shall not be underrated
abroad and that the American people shall
know the conditions under which their ships
were designed 1t is even more essential. IN the
Judgment OF the President and the naval off,
ciaIs that the men who ara the ships
shall not have their moral courage sapped or
weakened by the slightest doubt OF the fact thaf
they have as serviceable and efficient weapons
as the sailors Of any other navy in the world
Another purpose OF the publication IS TO MAKE
clear the fact that the voluntary critics OF the
navy have spoken and written in a hall light:
that the officers who designed the American
ships were aware OF many defects Of ships IN
foreign navies which have been unduly praised
as perfect examples Of naval architecture, ana
that in designing American ships these defects
were taken into account and avoided. while
every effort was made embody the best and
most modern native ideas well as those which
the experience OF foreign navies have shown to
be sound
Admiral Converse characterfzes the criticism.
as prepared by persons whose knowledge OF
the subject discussed was limited and fncor-
rect" There was, he says ample Justification
for the adoption Of the battleshtp designs which
have been followed "Tt Is NOT claimed that rlis-
takes have not been made" he adds. "or that
our shfps are without faults. but In view OF the
then state OF the art Of 5attIeship building this
/ fact is not 70 be wondered at Il is remarkable
! that the mistakes were so few and that nons
/ were really serious In this respect our record
| will compare favorably With that Of foreign
| services
| NINETY-ONE PAGES IN REPORT
| In the nInety-one pages which the admiral
/ devotes 70 the defence Of the navy the subjects
| dealt with include battEs drills. frseboard 81
American ships heights OF gun positions. tor
| pedo defence guns. battleshtp arnIor, turret DE-
/ signs ammunition hoists. IN and our turning
| screws the Kearsarge and the Kentucky and
| general notes His emphatic conclusion IS Our
/ ships are not inferior 10 those in foreign ser
\ vices He adds
! We have made compromises in our designs of
bat1leships because II is impossible 70 construct
| a perfect battIeship; such compromises have
| perhaps detracted from the desired perfect ship
| in respects. but the same time nave
/ made it possible to improve upon some other
| existing disadvantage. and. on the whole. the
| compromises each and all have tended toward
a nearer approach to the desired perfect final
/ ity- Other nations have labored- and wiu- Ike
| ourselves. continue TO labor. under this same
/ difficulty in endeavor1ng TO approach as near as
possible 70 that inpOssibility, a perfect battle
1 ship. In making compromises in the building OF
our ships am satisfied that IN every instance all
/ concerned in the work have acted honestly and
/ patriCticaIy and only with the desire to pro-
duce the best ship possible The result has been
I In eacn case snip Dy snip and year Dy year, an
/ Improvement upon ali that have preceded and
ship has been builr by Us inferior to those OF
any nation designed at the same time
| We lacking With an increase in number OF
/ shiDs the American navy will have been sup
piled the only feature necessary to make Il
/ second 10 none in all that tends toward fighting
I bat il such should ever unfortunately come.
brings the only really practical test. country
| need have no mtsgivings or fear but that our
| battleships will give an excellent account or
| themselves and prove themselves all that We
have designed them for and know them 70 be-
BATTLEsHIP DRILLS DISCUSSED
The admiral says. IN treating OF battle drills.
| that it was not until the spring OF 1908 that
| the American new navy achieved the size OF
| a squadron-eight bartleships: and not until
/ last spring that We acquired feet-two squad
| rors- then. for the first time. became possi-
| bic to carry out feet tactics. These were begun
in July. were interrupted for target practice snA
| resumed again in the present voyage 70 the -
| cihc Coast. Battle drills. training meet the
enemy under conditions probabIe likely TO
I occur have received much attention in recent
| years. ne says. although carried out with the
/ limited number OF ships available Great ad-
vantage Is looked for as the result o< such ex-
ercises by the sixteen battleships in feet assem-
blage In this connection the admiral remarks:
The personnel of the navy in ambition and
| professional knowledge IS second TO none IN the
| world"
! Considerable spacs is devoted to a refutatfon
| Of the criticism that American fighting ships
| are not so high out Of the water as those OF
| foreign navies. II is admitted BY the admiral
/ that the Indiana and Kearsarge classes Ohe first
/ battleships Of the navy too low forward for
efficient fighting at IN fairly heavy weather
| but the remainder OF our battleships could with
! out doubt give a good account OF themselves in
| a fight at sea I'm any weather IN which il is at
/ all likely for a fleet 70 engage
/ Attention is called 70 four of the Russian bat
! tleships which were capszed or sunk in tho
/ battle OF the Sea Of Japan. all OF which rose
/ twenty-seven feet out OF the water-highe- than
/ any OF our ships The question presents rhs
/ choice of being well armed. and consequently
weighted lower in the water. and being lightly
armed and high out of the water. II is stated
/ to be the policy of the American navy to at
ways have our vessels armed better than op-
| pOnents' The report adds:
/ Ii may not be arniss, while dealing with III.
subject OF gun HCtsllS lFStepdTN. TO dG1 totL
/ the Japanese IN their most recently designed
ships have. notwithstanding an increase OF speed
and length Of vessel. not raised their gun posi-
/ tious the freeboard. which is one OF the re-
/ suits gained frOm their experiences IN their
/ recent war, and WnfCh seems to uphold the good
idea OF our system OF building ships without the
| excessive heights deemed 20 be necessary by
| some critics
| HEIGHT OF GUN POSITION.
| AS TO height of gun position. ii is stated that.
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