Rocky Ford enterprise., 1908-02-21
, 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 nnvies.
and It's publication is authorized with
the design to reassnra the American
sailors as to the quality OF weapons
with which they must 20 into battle.
Admiral Converse characterizes the
criticisms us 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.
"It In 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 In not 10 be
wondered Mt. II IL remarkable that
the mistakes were 50 few and that
none were really serious. In this re-
spcct our record Will compare favor
ably with that Of foreign services"
In the nincty-one pages which the
admiral devutcs TO the defense of the
navy. the subjects dealt with include
battle drills. frecboard Of American
ships. height of gun positions. torpedo
defense guns. batticsh!p armor. tnrrc'
designs. ammunition hoists. In and out
turning screws. the kcarsarsc and
Kentucky and general notes. His en-
phatic conclusion Is:
~. E..f 40. 4.
In forcien services"
I've have" he says. made COM
promises In our designs Of ba''i.ships.
because II IL impossible to construct
n perfect batticship: such comprom'
iscs have. perhaps dciracicd from III"
desired perfect ships In some respects.
but at the same time have made u pos
sibie to improve upon some other cs.
listing disadvantage. and. on the whole.
the compromises. each and all. have
tended towards nearer approach to
the desired perfect finnii,y. Other m
tions have iabofcd and will. like our.
selves. continue to labor. under this
>samc disicuiiy In cndcavorins To ap'
Dl,Ioach as near rs possible 10 that I'M
possibility purfcc; baiiicrhip.
The quality OF the material of our
navy is Inferior to none: in quantity
Of vessels alone are VIC lacking. Win
an increase In number Of ships the Am.
crican navy will have been supplied
the only feature necessary To make IL
second to none In all that tends to-
ward ash,inE efficiency. And when
the stress of actual combat. II such
should ever unfortunately come. brings
the only real practical test. our coun'
Try need have no missi,inxs or haFs.
bu, that our batt,cshIps will give an
excellent account Of themselves. and
prove themselves all that wc have de-
signed them for and know them TO be. :
Tho admiral says In treating our
battle drills that twas not until the
spring of 1908 that our new navy"
achieved the size Of a squadron
eight bstticships. and not until last
spring tina, wc acquired nccs-sw"
squadrpns. II then for the mrs, time
became possible TO carry out fleet tao
tics. These were begun In July. we're
interrupted for target practice and re-
sumcd again in the present voyage To
the Pacific coast. In this connection
the admiral remarks:
The personnel of our navy. In ambi.
ton aud professional knowledge. IL
second 10 none in the world"
II IL admitted by the admiral tina,
the Indiana aud kcafsarre classes tthc
Hrst battieships OF the navyl are too
low forward for cssicicnt fighting at
sea In fairly heavy weather. but the
remainder of our battieships could
without doubt give good account OF
themselves in a fight ate sea In any
weather In which II 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 hish out. II
is stated TO be the policy Of the Am.
ericsn navy to always have our YES.
sells armed better than our opponents .