The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-02-29
Tells Senate Naval Com
mittee of Construc-
ton of Battle
ships.
Says Y e s Sc Is Rarely
Ever Attain Service
Speed Calculated
For Them.

Having heard the Navy Department. s
side OF the case through Rear Admirals
Converse and Capps. the Senate Naval
Committee today took the testimony
Of the officers who, by their lectures
and published writings. are alleged 90
have given information to Henry Reu-
terdahl which he made the basis for
his article criticising the construction
Of American battleships and other fea-
lures.
The first witness was Lieut.. Command
er FRI nix K. Hin, now on duty with the
general board, who was named by the
editor OF McClure's Magazine as an eX-
pert on -rmOr. He said that ne was 2
member OF the first committee of the
general board which had everything TO
do with the fleet. movements Of ships.
strategy, etc
His Specific Duty.
you mean that you make plans IN
preparation for war;" asked TIIlman.
NO, that is the duty Of another com
mittee which prepares plans for possi-
bic hos iliJies. indicates the hrst step 70
be taken. etc. and files them away for
fut ure reference, so that at any moment
theT are available.
Commander Hll said that bis own
special duty aid not require him 20 make
physical examination and inspection Of
the design or construction OF the ships
Of the navy.
His attention being called to the criti-
cisms IN question and asked to make
lis own statement, Commander Hi
said. Il would like 10 state at the out
set that IL IS not for me TO say before
this committee or the public that our
ships are not good. They are very good
ships But / believe there are certain
specific errors in the ships which should
be remedied, and tile location OF The
water liue OF the main armor belt ol
our ships Is in my opinion, one OF these
mistakes
Hin then proposed to submit to the
committee letters from a number Of Of
hcers touching upon this question He
said he had taken these communication
from the files of the department for the
purpose OF prcpgriug a report TO submit
retary Of the Navy expected 10 appoint
TO consider the matter Closely Ques-
toned by Chairman Hale witness ad-
miued that he did not have the permis-
sion Of the Secretary of the Navy to
make these letters public, nor the two
which he himself had written. giving his
views. The committee. therefore. de-
clded u take up in executive session
the question Of receiving these COmmu~
niCatiOns.
Continuing. Hill said that the question
OF the location of the proper water
line was not new one. II had been the
subject Of Inquiry for years. So far as
the thiChn-ss Of the aTmOr belt was
concerned ne believed that il was more
than enough 10 protect our ships.
Error in Belt.
But the location OF the belt was an
other thing, and it was there where the
error lay
He Contended that the method now
employed to determine the normal water
line of the American ships is funda-
mentally wrong. To properly establish
that line Il was necessary that the per
ceEtage O. the coal weight, compared
with the entire displacement should be
the same II each ship, and should be
larger than il is now The weight now
put into ship is not enough TO estab-
iish a proper protective armo- line dis
tT'butcd in such a manner as would be
necessary when the ship went into bat
tie.
Pointing out that in the two newest
battleships, the Delaware and North
Dakota, the normal line only allows
LOCO tons of coal aboard, although the
capacity is 2,500 tons. Hill said that
he would have moro coal in the bunkers
Of the ships when they take their trial
Rarely" said ne. do our ships ever
attain in service the speed reached in
their trial"
We've been paying for speed we
never got exclaimed TiIman. In
other words, the contractors have
got the best of the bargain. If we've
been paying for what we did not get
we've been cheated ~
The fact seems TO be- concurred
Hale, "'that the trial trip does not dis
close the real, actual, practical capacity
Of the ship as she VIII be in actual serv-
ice"
Continuing, Commander Hin said that
the same error had been made in other
navies. but in Germany and England
il had been recognized, and an attempt
had been made to correct it in some
OF the ships.
Water Lines.
In the German navy the normal wa
ter line was calculated with full stores.
full coal, and fun ammunition aboard,
and the armOr belt is placed about mid
ship along the line. In our latest battle
ships of the Delaware type the arn1or
is six inches above the water line and
seven feet six inches below, If loaded
as the German sliFs are.
That is a very great disparity" re-
marked Chairman Hale.
Fiji said that he thought the Ger
mans had gone too far, but he agreed
with the board headed by Admiral
Walker. which recommended that the
normal line of the American ships
should be calculated with at least two
thirds Of their coal, stores AMI ammuni-
tion aboard.
After an action" said Hill 'Ff oDr
ships had only normal ccaI on boaT1I
they would not be able to reap the
Continued on Ninth Page)
Through Parlor Car to Atlantic CITY