Gilpin observer., 1908-02-20
UNCLE SANS
WAR VESSELS
REPORT OF ADMIRAL CONVERSE
ANSWERS HOSTILE
CRITICISMS.
OUR FLEET DEFENDED
PERSONNEL OF NAVY FIRST
CLASS AND ARMAMENT is
UNSURPASSED.

Washington.-By direction Of the
President, Secretary Metcalf has made
public the report of Admiral Converse
on the fighting ships of the American
navy, called forth by many criticisms
recently published in magazines and
Otherwise. This report was prepared
primarily to satisfy the President as
to the exact state of our navy ships
compared with those of other navies,
and its publication is authorized with
the design to reassure the American
sailors as to the quality of weapons
with which they must go into battle.
Admiral Converse characteriZes the
criticisms as prepared by persons
whose knowledge of the subjects dis
cussed was limited and incorrect"
There was, he says, ample justification
for the adoption of the battleship de-
signs which have been followed.
1T is not claimed that mistakes have
not been made" he adds, or that our
ships are without faults, but in view
of the then state of the art of battle
ship building this fact is not to be
wondered at. 1t is remarkable that
the mistakes were so few and that
none were really serious. In this re-
ably with that of foreign services"
In the ninety-one pages which the
admiral devotes to the defense of the
navy. the subjects dealt with include
battle drills, freeboard of American
ships. height of gun positions, torpedo
defense guns, battleship armor, turret
designs, ammunition hoists. in and out
turning screws, the Kearsarge and
Kentucky and general notes. His en-
phatic conclusion is:
Our ships are not inferior to those
in foreign services"
I'VE have" he SAYS made COM
promises in our designs of battleships,
because it is impossible to construct
perfect battleship: such comprom-
ises have, perhaps detracted from the
desired perfect ships in some respects.
but at the same time have made it pos
sible to improve upon some other ex-
isting disadvantage. and, on the whole,
the compromises, each and all, have
tended towards a nearer approach TO
the desired perfect finality. Other ma
tions have labored and will. like our
selves, continue to labor, under this
same difficulty in endeavoring to ap-
proach as near as possible to that i'm
possibility-a perfect battleship.
THE quality of the material of our
navy is inferior to none; in quantity
of vessels alone are we lacking. With
an increase in number of ships the Am
erican navy will have been supplied
the only feature necessary to make it
second to none in all that tends to-
ward fighting efficiency. And when
the stress of actual combat. If such
should ever unfortunately come. brings
I hA nnl
try need have no misgivings or fears,
but that our battleships will give an
excellent account of themselves, and
prove themselves all that we have de-
signed them for and know them to be-"
The admiral says in treating our
battle drills that it was not until the
spring of 1903 that our new navy"
achieved the size of a squadron
eight battleships; and not until last
spring that We acquired a fleet-two
sQuadrons. II then for the first time
became possible to carry out fleet tao
tics. These were begun in July, were
interrupted for target practice and re-
sumed again in the present voyage to
the Pacific coast. In this connection
the admiral remarks:
THE personnel of our navy, in ambi-
tion and professional knowledge, is
second to none in the world"
1t is admitted by the admiral that
the Indiana and Kearsarge classes (the
first battleships Of the navy are too
low forward for efficient fighting at
sea in fairly heavy weather. but the
remainder Of our battleships could
without doubt give a good account of
themselves in fght at sea In any
weather in which 1t is at all likely for
fleet to engage"
The question presents the choice Of
being we'll armed and consequently
weighted lower in the water. or being
lightly armed and setting high out. It
Is stated to be the policy of the AM
erican navy ito always have our ves-
sells armed better than our opponents" /"