The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1908-12-17
Mission
Of leet
Is Good
Metcalf Says the Trip Has
Created a Very Friend
ly Feeling.
TWO VICE ADMIRALs
For the Navy at Once Are
Urged by Him in His
Annual Report.

WASHINGTON. ID. G.. Dec. IL
Secretary Metcalf of the Navy De-
partment in his annual report, dis
cusses the most notable naval event
OF the last year. the voyage OF the
battieship fleet (which has proven
an epoch-making cruise"
Late in the spring OF 1907 It was
decided to send the Atlantic fleet on
practice cruise to the Pacific.
When the purpose of giving this as
semblage of sixteen batticships such
n practice cruise, under severe con-
ditions. was announced, he states,
criticism from high technical quar-
tcrs was heard. The undertaking.
1t was said. was too monumental;
dangers more than multiplied with
numbers in such a case: battleshlps
should not be sent around the globe
or any ordinary occasion: the skele-
tons of some of them would doubt
less be left In the Straits of Magel-
J ian: and. II the ships should round
/ South America, they would. one By
one, arrive with machinery loose and
rnserviceable. and with crews re-
fleeing tho condition of the mater
inl.
The facts are, Secretary Metcalf
says. that the ships maintained
scheduled time, and have practically
taken care of their own repairs oil
the cruise. Tho repair lists sent III
at the naval station. Cavitc. p. L.,
have just been received. and are sig
nificant. They show that after ths
voyage to the distant borders OF the
Pacific. the needed repairs are neg
iigihie. The performance of the Or
egon in 1898 has. it seems. been sub
stantially repeated
This cruise. as yet hardly half
over. he declares has given us Il
opportunity to get better acquainted
with the Republics to the south OF
us. with our own island possessions,
with the new vigorous branch of the
English empire in Australia. and
particularly with Japan; and has
given to those countries better ops
! portunity to get better acquainted
with us. 1t has been everywhere
understood and accepted. as 1t was
intended. as the reaching out of u
strong hand in friendly greeting on
the part of America. and the cordi-
al Inequalities extended to our fleet
will be long remembered and have
powerfully influenced feeling in this
country. Between the United States
and every country visited there is a
feeling of deeper interest and friend
ship than existed before the fleet
sailed.
Passing to certain recent criticism
of the new and larger battleships
now building, the secretary says that
Mt the conference. convened and
opened by the President in Newport.
the general matter of design of these
ships was approved. after forty
three days consideration, by this as.
lsemblage of the best authorities
available in the navy, consisting OF
about sixty officers. all but seven of
whom We're line officers of the sea-
going branch of the service.
Workmanship he says, has i'm
proved on the practice cruise. With
respect to the assertion that our L.
inch guns are inferior to those of
other powers. the facts are found to
be- that the actual muzzle energy of
these 12-inch guns, which form the
main armament of our eight latest
battleships in commission. is some
what greater than that of any gun
atloat in any other navy.
As the officer In command Of the
American fleet now in the Far East
holds the rank of rear admiral only,
he Is in nosiaion of subordination
to foreign naval officers. This IL
true because foreign powers have, on
important naval stations, representa-
tives of the rank of vice-admiral.
The secretary urges that the navy
should, without delay, be provided
with two vice-admirals.
1t Is desirable, the secretary states
to lengthen the dry dock. authorized
by congress to be constructed at
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. from $50 to
1,1140 feet, to reder. II capable Of
two or more ves-
sells at once.
Secretary Mctcaif recommends
that tho navy-yards at New York,
Philadelphia, Norfolk, Puget Sound
and Mare Island be developed to
their full capacity for the repair and
maintenance of ships, but say it is
not further desirable to develop 9th
er navy yards, at least. until that at
Guantanamo shall have been equip
ped. the last. named station being
regarded as of the first military i'm
iportance and as a natural strategetic
base
II is deemed highly desirable to
acquire by purchase or to construct
a dock in San Francisco Harbor.
With the acquisition of such dock
and the bringing up TO high efTicien-
cy of the yards at Bremerton and
Mare Island, another navy yard or
the Pacific coast will not be neccs-
sary for some time TO come.