New-York tribune., 1908-02-18
ADMIRAL CONVERSE on THE NAVY


Rear Admiral Converse's report may not 81
lence unreasonable criticism of American war
ships. but his answer 70 recent charges is com
pIete and effective. Where actual mistakes have
been made the admiral acknowledges the fact,
but be shows that years before the magazine
critic called general attention to them the men
who design the American vessels had per
ceived such mistakes and that they have elm
mated them from their later work. The free
board Of the Indiana and the kearsarge type
WAS too low. The fault was noted and corrected
Eve years ago Their gun ports We're too wide
The vessels since built have been equipped
with shutters or shields. The danger in the
ammunition hoists had been detected, but while
easy TO perceive il is by no means easy 10 obvi-
ate. and the ammunition hoists Of foreign ships
though differing In certain mechanical details,
are no better or safer than ours.
The most serious charges against the AmPri-
can battleShips are met by the fat assertion
that what TO the lay critic in the magazine ap-
pear grave defects are in the minds OF compe-
tent naval experts positive merits. The ships
were deliberately designed as they and
good reasons are given to show why, theoret-
cally at least they should have been so designed
The height of the freeboard was adopted not
in q bIundering fashion. but because in the opin-
ion Of the department that was the height which
most effective and would present the smallest
practical mark 10 the enemy. In tempest the
American guns might be awash, but naval bat
Ties are not fought in tempest. Moreover. in
practice the high freeboard has been seriously
discredlted. for the Russian battleships, with
their guns high above water, sank or were
easily capsized. Nor is the practice of the best
foreign navies in favor of the high freebOard
So of the arInor belt. 1t Is put where in the
opinion of experts it would afford the ships the
greatest protection in battle; and IN battle it
would not be, In relation 10 the water, where II
is when they are loaded for long cruise. When
they are Hghtened for action ii Will rise TO
within g few inches of where it was designed
10 be-
It will be hard for sensational lay writers 70
dispose of such an answer as this. Its frank
ness In admitting mistakes where they have
been made shows that II is not an effort TO
prove infaIlibility for the department. Its
clear explanation of the theoretical reasons why
certain policies OF construction have been
adopted and continued will convince the public
that those policies have sound sense on their
side The perfect battleship has not been built,
SAYS Rear Admiral Converse. Every new ship
is an experiment All, therefore, that can be
expected Is that our naval designers and con
structors should recognize their errors when
they fall into any and make steady progress
toward better and more efficient vessels. The
admiral shows that they have done this and
that they have kept abreast Of the best stand
ards of European nations Despite the sensa-
tional utteraDces Of critics, the practice of our
naval architects does not differ in important
and essential particulars from that Of European
designers. This country does not shut its eyes
to what is being accomplished abroad, OBJ
stinately persisting in error from mere pride Of
opinion. It is progressive and alert and the
men on board our ships have every reason for
confidence that they are as good as the hest