Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-02-17
Our Ships Fu|IyUpt to Stand :
ard, Converse Reports.
SAYS Vessels Of Navy Are
as Good as Any Nation.
Tells Of improvements Made and
Others Contemplated.

Of the President, Secretary Metcaif mas
made public the report of Adniral Con
vers on the fighting ships OF the AfA-
erican navy. called forth by many
criticisms recently published IN maya
zines and otherwise. This report was
prepared primarily to satisfy the PreSi-
dent as to the exact state of our nafai
ships. compared with those Of othei
nayies and its publication is authorized
with the design TO assure American
sailors as to the quality OF the WeaP-
ons with which they must go into bat
lie. Another purpose Of the puD!lc"-
lion is to make clear that the oihcer9
who designed cur ships were aware "
many defects in ships in foreign nave"
which haxa BEEN unGuly' praised az
nerfcc, txKnple., of naval architecture
and that in designing our oWa Shii'S
these defects we're taken into acc"un'
and avoided, whilst every EFFORT was
made 10 e.nbody the best anu m"St
modern native ideas as We'll - tH"se
which the experience OF foreign haEic3
have shown to be sound.
In the 81 pages which Admiral Con-
verse deyotes to the defence of the
"a
battle drills, free-board Of American
ships, heights OF gun positions, torre-
10 defence guns. battleship aTnlof tur-
ret designs. ammunition hoista. in ana
out turling screws. kcarsarge and
Kentucky and general notes. Ills en-
phatic conclusion IS:
-'Our ships ere not inferior 20 those
in foreign service.
We have" he says, Made comprp-
misses in our designs of battleShipS. be-
cause it Is impossible To- construct 1t
pcr!ect battleship.
Other nations have lubOred and VIII.
like ourselves, continue TO labor under
this same difficulty in endeavorins to
approach as near as posSibl" to that
impossiblity--a perfect battleShip. IL
making compromises in the building
nf our ships | am satisfied that IL:
"vcrv instance all concerned in tn"
work have acted honestly and patriot
callv and only with the desire 10 pro-
duce the best ship possible AMI the re-
suit has been IN each, ship by ship and
YEAR by year. an improvement upon
all that have preceded. and no ship
has been built BY us inferior to any
nation designed at the same time.
The quantity Of the material of tn"
navy is inferior to none; in quantity
nj vessels alone are "" lacking. With
an increase in number of ships the
hnIeri an navy will have been supplied
the only feature necessary to make it
second TO none in all that tends to-
wards lighting efficiency and Wien tha
q ,n1 OH
unfortunately come brings TIE only
really practical test. our country neai
have 10 niSGivIngS or fears. but that
nrr battleships will give an cxcellnr:
account Of themselves and prove them
~etves all that we have designed them
far and know them to be"
battle drills training to meet The
enemy under conditions probably or
liable 10 occur have been given much
attention in recent years, he says. al
though carried out with the limited
number Of ships available. In this con-
nectIou the admiral remarks: THE
personnel Of tho navy in ambition aad
professional knowledge Is second trI
none in the world"
Considerable space is devoted 10 he
ican fighting ships do not set az hien
out Of the water as those Of foreign
navies. 1t is admitted by the admiral
that the Indiana and Kearsarge class
-. Uhe first battleships nf the navy,
are too low forward for efficient fight
ing ut sea in fairly heavy weather.
hut the remainder of our battleship4
could without doubt give good ac-
count of themselves in a fight AT sal
in any weather in which il is at all
likely for Il fleet to engage"
Attention is called to four Of the
Russian battleships which We're cap
sized or sunk in the battle Of the Sea
Of Japan, all of which rose - feet out
Of the water-higher than any of our
ships. The question presents the choice
N being lightly armed and setting
high ont. II is stated to be the policy
Of the American navy always to hav"
our vessels armed better than our OPP
porents."
1T may not be amiss. the report
adds. while dealing with the subject
of gun heights and free board. to add
that the Japanese in their most re-
Gently designed ships. have. notWith-
standing an increase q: speed and
length OF vessel, not raised their gun
positions nor the freeboard, which
is one of the results gained from their
experience from their recent war. and
which seems to uphold the good idea
Of our system Of building ships with
out the excessive heights deemed to be
necessary by some critics
II is explained in the report that Fin
the heights above water u guns firing
an the hoardSiac we are noticeably in
the lead I" Finally il may
be added 10 officers who have COM
mauded our hattleshipS there seems
unaniminiiy of opinion that they can
with the possible exception of the
Indiana and kearsargc classes. fight
their batteries in any Sca in whish
naval sections arc At all likely to take
place"
1t is noted that one Of the lessons
learned from the Russo japanese Wa
WAS ;hat the three and SiX-pounier
guns were not heavy enough 10 rere, :.
torpedo boat. IS 4 result. all of our
hattleshi2s carry heavier batteries for
such service
In answering the criticism OF the 20.
sitton of the armored belt intended t.
protect the vitals of 4 battlcship. tnt
admirai again refers to the Russo
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