Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-02-18
U. S. VESSELS As GOOD As ANY
Admiral Says No Nation Ever Built
Perfect 6attlcship, And We Are
Constantly Improving - Assertions
Of Critics Shown to be False.

takes the form of II letter of Of pages.
with certain blueprint pictures of
guns. turrets and other structural de-
tails or armor and armament, add
dressed, under date of February 6. to
Secretary Metcaif by Rear Admiral
George a. Converse (retired). presl-
dent OF the board OF construction of
the navy department.
In magazines, service papers, the
daily press and ia congressional cir
cies. critics of the navy have alleged
that until last summer there was sub
Stantially no battle tactics" practice
Tor the navy; that the freeboard OF
American battleshlps was too low for
rough seaways; that the gun positions
We're not as high "a they should be:
that torpedo defense was not ade-
quately provided; that the belt armor
was improperly distributed with res
pect to the water line; that turrets in
our ships have up to the present time
not heen built to insure safety: that
certain port holes were too large and
that there are other existing defects
mat should lie corrected.
All Criticisms Considered.
Admiral Converse declares cmphat-
really that NIL criticisms made from
time to time concerning any detail of
The warships which have reached the
BOARD on construction have received
careiul consideration. ITO criticise is
human nature he says. land men in
tcres'ed III 4 subject or its develop
ment are gcnedally much given to
making suggestions regardingschanges
which they think would be improvo-
ments. But where such changes In
volye the expenditure of large SUNG
OF government money responsible Of
hcials must be sure of their ground
oedore such changes are adopted"
If such critics were to investi-
cate he says. they might find that
IN many cases their own ideas were
NOT entirely original, that perhans
s o.mers mad been working along the
same or similar lines and had per-
maps evolved moro completei nro-
yeel, or even. perhaps. that eSperi-
,nent had proved their schemes not
suitable for naval purposes"
ruts Forth His Conclusions
IN concluding his report. which Tho
'uii'irai states. has been made ,f,or
thorough consideration of "tho 40
.ec,s known to exist. as VOL ne
GAINED to exist. in the battIeshin, ~
Nv, navy and using the most re,i.
aoie and authentic data obta;,ah,a
ne holds that the following facts me- o
Sa,a, usarned as established. based on
~ az information given in the body
lows: ''iiieu as iol-
IN recent years the navy has nal,
"u1h attention to war drills ma ex"
erciSes. although these driIls ,nMo
len necessarily restricted hv tbo
.,'h!,ed number of ships avaiIahjo 90
ula, not until recently could the no, ="
aoid battle fleet drills. navy
examination of the plane mn, OH
reilanie data CONCERNING onr OWN
"nu ioreign ships OF the same 49,
"md uesign shows clearly thai IN ,ho
. ..er OF freeboard we comn.ro .,.,
.he exception of the Indiano mn, W, ~lah
sh;n ciasses (the flrst-built battle
naI,o VI the navy which have haer
o ona. 'ne 'soft-end' ships). most fay"
o."o'y with reference to tho Rritish
"hd Japanese battleships. which bara
5 5,., good results under service CON
a'4o"s. our vessels have In tho Mi,
maore lreeboard and In the ins,onon
mnt'e they exceed Us 1t is onl,. hy
nuen rev inches as may he for any
practicai advantages ignored. '
ar. GUNS High Out of Water.
=, excepting the Indiana ana Ko,
sucNy classes, our ships carry ,ha,,.
or na, a .urret guns generally as high
Ia "'sner. above water than sim
ra an SHIPS OF the British and Japanese
,,aS and III the heights above wa
VI guns firing on the broadsiIe
We are noticeably in the lead. Orr
9"I heights are amply sufficient n
,eet me necessities of tattlc. second
~ NOSE OF no other nation in ofrac1
u,chesS and can be used cficientIv i,
any sea fighting in which naval NO
'io.s are ut all likely to take place
comparison of the height of ar
,""r Oelts of our ships with those NJ
,ore'en ships of same date OF do.5cr
SHOWS that in general our armor heI,
"a "a su'ne"hat higher above water. and.
LII ~, .'ic,hore, that the armor on orr
s.lps Is usually thicker and fully nc
wei distributed both above and hc-
~" mo water line. In the matter Of
We main armor belt. about which
n criticism has appeared when
our SHIPS are brought into actual cor,
"a. We have nothing to fear from any
a.csed superiority OF foreign vessels
OIL me same date of design.
No. 'urrets and Powder HOSTS.
me turret designs OF our shios
are IN the main very similar 10 tIIcsc
OF ,he French and to the great mn
lority OF the British and Japanese ma
vies' The general arrangement of n.
magazines about handling room
INTO which the ammunition hoist
leads. is also gimiiar In nj, ,n,.,s