The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-06-02
ENGLAND AND GERMANY PRE-.
PAIRING FOR MANEUVERS.
Neither European Power viii At.
tempt to Send Fleet on a Trip
Like That Our Ships Have
Undertaken.

naval mancuvers In the next few
weeks in emulation Of at least a por-
! ton of the famous cruise of the
American battleships around the
world. Neither OF these European
powers will attempt to send its
ships on any world girdliug excur.
sion, prcferring instead TO gather
their naval fighting forces in home
waters for great fleet maneuyers
and drills such as have been held
/ by the American ships on the At
lantic coast in past years.
I'm England orders have been is
sued to the officers concerned for
assembling Of the combined sea
strength for the maneuycrs, which
will be carried out in July. Sim
| liar orders have also been issued in
Germany The ships engaged will be
considerably more than 100, includ-
ing many battleships and cruisers,
and the flags Of nearly dozen ad-
mirals will be flying.
An instructive comparison may be
drawn between the display of naval
might in the vessels of the United
States fleet. which were reviewed by
Secretary Metcalf on May s, and the
! fleets which Britain and Germany,
respectively, are putting out for their
manuevors during the next few
weeks At San Francisco there were
present forty-four vessels, including
eighteen battleships, eight armored
cruisers, as well as protected cruisers,
destroyers and auxiliary vessels.
These furty-fOur vessels carried 22-
$40 officers and men and 592 guns of
and above the size of fourinch,
the heaviest gun being of twelve
inch caliber, OF which there are forty
eight.
The British fleet, which, under
Lord Charles Beresford, will assem-
bic in the North sea, will consist
of 1Ol vessels, including twenty
two battleships, fourteen armored
cruisers, as well as protected cruls-
ers. destroyers and auxiliary vessels.
These l0i vessels carry 255,592 Off
GERS and men and 63l guns of and
above the size of fourinch the
heaviest gun being of thirteen-inch
caliber, of which there are eighty
six.
The German high sea fleet will
consist Of fortyfour vessels, of which
eighteen are battlships, four are al
mored cruisers and protected cruis-
ers and destroyers. These forty-four
vessels carry 17,413 officers and men
and $50 guns of and above the size
of four-nch, the heaviest gun being
Of eleven-inch caliber, of which there
are thirty-two.
Such comparison is, however,
incomplete unless It Is also pointed
out that the United States has In
Pacific waters in addition 20 the
fleet reviewed at San Francisco, a
number of useful vessel including
small squadron of cruisers and a
second flotilla of destroyers.
In regard also to the British fleet
the strength of this will be dimin-
ished by the dispatch of a greater
I portion OF the Atlantic fleet and
some fine armored cruisers to Can
I ada with the Prince Of Wales Nor
2 have the reserves Of the home fleet
been taken into consideration. al
! though II may well be that these
will be added TO the force under
r Lord Charles Beresford and will
4 form very formidable accession
> to his strength in battleships, cruis-
ers and destroyers,
On the other hand Germany has
some fifty additional torpedo craft
5 in reserve, but very little else in
the shape of heavier vessels which
'' would be of value outside her de.
e Tended ports until a decisive action
e had taken place between the main
u fleets.
/ It is interesting to note how with
) in the last few years England has
concentrated the main portion Of her
= naval force In and about home wa
. ters. The Mediterranean fleet is
y now reduced to six battleships, while
on all other foreign stations there
are merely small squadrons OF cruis
e ers.