The Washington times., 1909-12-13
WarshipS, Including Aus
tria's, Almost equal to
British Navy.
ENGLAND BEHIND
ON TORPEDO BOATS
United States Building Heavier
Battleships Than Any
Other Nation.
BY JOHN SNURE.

By JOHN SNURE.
That Germany ana Austria. If in the
hard and fast alliance which has been
50 much discussed. would be able to put
on the seas a naval force that would be
highly formidable is indicated by the
new navy yearbook which has just
been issued.
This force by no means would be
equivalent TO England's, but at the
same time il would be so great that il
might well cause even the powerful
British navy 10 pause before trying to
wipe il out.
II the currents OF international pol
itics are being rightly sounded, in case
the collision between England and Ger
many so widely mootel should come
about. the Austrian navy would be at
the disposal of the Kaiser. IL rs, there
fore. OF interest TO see What this would
mean and how the combined navies of
Austria and Germany compare with the
navy of England.
England Outstrips Both.
Considering battleships and armored
cruisers which are built, building and
provided for. the showing is as follows:
Great Britain. g. battleships and 40
armored cruisers. with d total tonnage
OF 1,4S0s $50.
Germany. 81 battleships and Il armored
cruisers, with a total tonnage Of 674,SS4.
Austria, 10 battleship5 and armored
cruisers, with total tonnage or lf4,a1O.
Germany and Austria combined would
have "A battleships and 10 armored
cruisers, with q total tonnage or SZH,bo4.
This is much below inc British force
Of s. battleships and 80 ar1nored cruisers
with tonnage Of l,4SJ,oS0. Al the same
time 10 is a naval force of vast strength.
Moreover, the fact the British navy
To guard than the combined nayics Of
Germany and Austria should be taken
into account.
Large Gun Strength About Equal.
Another interesting fact is that when
IL comes to large guns. which many be-
Iieve 10 be the real basis of the tests
OF naval strength. Great Britain has
built. building and projected total OF
2qf while Germany and Austria COM
bined have Z60 Germany has ZH OF
these great guns and Austria s.
The Austrian building program con-
slsts Of seven powerful battleshlps.
Three OF these are TO be Of l4.tNO tons
each. and would stand small show
alongside one Of the magnificent Eng
lish Dreadnaughts- But four OF them
which are projected are Of Z0@@ tons
each. armed with ten tvelve-inch suns
apiece and twenty A1-inch guns. These
viii compare favOrably with the most
powerful oattleships I'm the world
Torpedo Fleets Compared.
These statistics do not take account
Of the torpedo boat destroyers, torpedo
boats. submarines. and other small
fighting craft of the three countries
concerned. Here. It appears that Great
Britain, considering craft built build
ing and projected, is much aheaI of
Germany and Austria combined An eN-
ception must be made of torpedo boats.
Germany and Austria combined have
more Of them than Great Britain has.
The statistics show that Great Britain
has les torpedo boat destrOyers, ~ TOR
peco boats and 81 submarines.
Germany has 90 destrCyers, g torpedo
boats and S submarines
Austria he's y dCstroycrs. % torpedo
boats. and submarines
Combined. German End Austria would
have lu9 dcstrOyerS against ll- ui Great
Britains q torpedo boats against So
Of Great Fritains, and - subu aTines
against g o. Great Eritains. To con-
sidera bile extent these are intended for
defensive purposes.
Why English Would Strike Now.
The figures as 10 naval force built.
building. and projected. make much
more favorable showing Tor Germany
and Austria than do the figures OF eight
ing craft actually constructed and IN
commission. That IS 10 say. If there
should be an immediate or early col
lisiOn between England and Germany
the English naval force would be over
Whelmng. This explains why 10 Is
there are unquestiOnahly many think
ing Englishmen who rfeiicVc their coun-
try should strike a blow now and not
wait for the German and Austrian
navies 90 be built up.
Many other statistics Of the utmost
interest are % be found IN the navy
Year Book. For Instance. il is shown
that France has the greatest force Of
torpedo boats and submarines Of any
country ln the . world fier torpedo
boats are go. nearly four times pc many
as Englandg. and she has ninety-siN
submarines. or about half as many
more as England
Uncle Sans Big Fighters.
The United States leads the world
IN heavy construction, having under
way two 26,0f0-t0n battieships the
Arkansas and the wyoming The Year
Book shows no other craft building
which hold rank with these. Germany
and Russia arc the closest 90 &c. Rus
STA rs building four 23 nU-rel lighting
monsters. and Germany r. n-.i'.-E s.v
Of - GO tons each The l1rrf- British
vessels building. HCn"-ri.r- 90 t".- pub
iication, are p ON TONS faDue. cate ur-
official reports indicate .I4t the British
have vessels projected which win CONF
pare with the most powerful Dread
naughts Of the United States
Japan IS credited with fifteen battle
Sims and fifteen armorei cruisers
thirfy-threc battleshius and twelve aT-
r1ored cruisers ror tHs Omitted States.
This cOuntry's h1t'ls-hia and armgr.d
cruiser tonnage ls rt-'t. aeaIu.' fs.'t1
great guns against us for Japan.
Japan now ranks as the iftb naval
power.