The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-03-11
AMERICAN NAVY IS
ON THE WAY TO
SCRAP HEAP
Experts Declare That Our War.
ships are Faulty.
EVANS FLEET 0VERDRAFT
Armor Belt on American War Vessels
Too Low When Ships Were Prop.
erly Loaded.
EVANS FLEET OvERDRAFT

charged by Captain G. MGR. Winslow.
assistant chief of the bureau of naviga.
ton of the navy department, and Com
mander a. l.. Key, former naval aid &c
President Roosevelt.
The former officer said the ships I'M
der Admiral Evans We're all overdraft
when they left Hampton Roads. lie
defended Admiral Rojestyensky, de
feated by Admiral Togo In the sea OF
Japan, for taking the Russian ships
into battle with full bunkers of GOA,
saving that the Russian commander
could not have done otherwise, for he
did not know how far he would be
compelled to steam.
commander Key attempted to direct
the form of his own testimony and
incurred the displeasnre Of the com
mittee on that account. He criticised
the armor belt aud the gun decks as
being too low and the ammunition
hoiSts unsafe lie attempted 10 dis
pute the testimony of other officers
especially thef Constructor Caps,
but was not permitted TO do so. Final
~ the committee held an executive SEES
sion at which il was decided that Key
should be heard, but that his criticism
should be confined to ships and not d.
rected against officers.
Captain WINSTON in defending the
Russian admiral used the fate of the
Russian fleet as an illustration of the
danger Of going into action with the
armor belt too far under water. At
the same time he said that the ships
should carry AT least two-thirds their
capacity of coal and full ammunition
and stores.
lie said that two-thirds supply of all
stores would make all American bat
tleships too low and therefore the ar.
NOR belt should be raised. He could
not state the exact amount. as he said
1t would vary on the different ships.
There was no need, said Captain
Winslow, for more than four feet Of
armor below the water line.
The witness was asked to compare
certain types of American ships with
the contemporary class Of British ships.
He took the Connecticut and the Lord
Nelson ana In glinnery said the Brit
ish ship has made better records for
rapid shooting with her battery of
81 inch guns than had been made with
the ConnecticutS eight inch guns. He
thought this achievement was due
probably to the hoists.
Theoretically YOU would feel at a
disadvantage If you were compelled TO
take the Connecticut into action
against the Lord Neson." asked Mr..
Tillman.
Il would say that the Lord Ne,soh
is the more powerful ship" said the
captain. He added that the Michigan
and the South Carolina were a great
improvement over the Lord Nelson and
possibly superior to anything in the
British navy"
ION Mhat ships now under COM
mand of Admiral Evans is the armor
belt misplacedY' asked Mr.. Burrows.
"All of them"
misplaced because it is too low?"
because 1t is too low
Continuing. Captain Winslow said
the armor belt extended five feet be-
low water on all of the ships in Ad-
miral Evans feet when it left Hamp-
ton Roads and most Of them showed
less than foot of armor above the
water line He said that with two
thirds supply of coal and two-thirds of
all other stores on board the armor
belt of all the American battleships
would be too far below the water line
''rhis would be the condition in which
| the ships would go into battle" he
| said.
In reply to questions by Mr.. Tillmar
! the witness said he never had writer
the department concerning the defects
he had found in battlcship construc
ton. but that he knew the faults hat
! been pointed out by other officers. Al
to ammunition hoists, Captain Win
slow said that it was not a question o.
direct HOSTS MS against two stage
holsts, but entirely question of safe
| ty.
"Well. have we got ito asked Mr.
Tillman.
The witness replied that we had no
had safety in the past, but that he wa
| not familiar with the new direct hois
with automatic shutters.
Captain Wnslow gave his experience
as member of the board which In
| CURED into the causes of the explosion
on the Massachusetts in 1908. In tina
case it was found that the damage wa
due to the open turret and the ineffec
tiveness of the direct hoist
Naval officers had predicted tina
Just such accidents would occur, ant
the fault should have been correcte,
then" said Captain Wlnslow.
"What officer had pointed out tn
daugerT' asked Mr. Tillman
"In 1902 | received a personal lette
from Commander Sims criticising tn
! Kenrsargc and the Kentucky and say