The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-01-28
REAR ADMIRAL A

policy. Simply because foreign policy
Indicated that others considered the.
la-tnch gun Il sufficiently powerful.
weapon. some one in authority, it is
impossible to say Just who. changed,
our policy. discarded the more over
full weapon and came TO the one used,
by England as her standard. I claim
mat this was a most serious blunder.
put must in fairness say that it was
done by the sea going line officers OF
II myself pleaded Will. more than
one chief of rdnance to develop the
lS-inch gun instead of the 12-inch,
and go to even larger guns rather than
follow blindly what some one else was
doing.
Imagine a battleship in action
struck by a projectile from each class
of suns-the new l2-inch and the old
i$"inch-concede that both projec-.
tiles penetrate the arlnor and both ex-
ship. Compare the penetration, one
hole being larger than the other, and
the effect of the 4S pounds explosion
of powder in tho case of the 12-inch
ana so pounds i'll the case of the 49,
inch. and L think my point will be
clear
One Not Enough.
Taking lp the bitter controversy over
the water line armor belt md the as
sertion that "a hole upon the water
IlIle VIII Cripple OF SINK the SjlD.' tina
admiral declares: This could not have
been written for professional men ex-,
ccpt to excite their wonde and merri-
ment. That one 12-inch she'll on the
water line will disable or sink a mod
ern battlcship needs no ex-
cept for those who know nothing about
h;lttleshirs. and to them L say thai 1t
will require many such shells on the
water line or in any other place to dis
able or sink such a ship if her officers
and men know their business and
want to fight.
The statement that q wound on a.
turr@t may disable that ~turret's guns is
absolutely inaccurate unless by wound
the writer means penetration. 1t is
more than ~probable-it is almost GER
penetrating a turret will put that tur-
ret out of business whether the she'll
eNplodes or not. Hence most officers
"'ould prefer to receive the shell at the
water line rather than on the turret.
This is tho Worst.
o all the inaccurate and misleading
statements in this wonderful Reuter-
dahl criticism, however. this is the
most incorrect: Within a year after
the Russo-Japanese fight in the Sea of
Japan. our navy awoke to the realiza-
tion of g startling fact; the ba%ttleships
OF the United States are in exactly the
same condition as the Russian ships at
The Sea of Japan-not temporarily but
~per1nanently.'
1T is almost beyond belief that a.
ma of Mr.. Reuterdahl's intelligence.
and who knows the United States navy
as he undoubtedly does. would deliber-
atcly declare that the battle feet of
the United States is in exactly the same
condition as the Russian ships when,
they went into that battle. but he does
say it. and Il declares that they are.
permanently SO.
81 assert. on tho contrary that a.
battle fleet of the United States never
was. and never will be. never car he.
In the condition of that Russian fleet
when it went into action for the last
time.
"If the Russian admiral did not wish
his armor belts beneath the water why
did he load hts ships so deeply with
coal when he had less than 1000 miles
to steam? And. further. what reason
'b'e ground Is there for assuming that
regulate the weights On his ships as to
bring his water line armor lust where
he wanted it to bc?"
Three Features.
There are three leading features in
battleship design, which. Admiral IIvans
concludes. deserve most careful con
s,deration and co,ordination: First.
ton: third. the motive power. ANY
u of these unduly sacrificed in favor
Of the other would weaken the mach;na
II do not for "A nomen claim that
the Indiana II her sister shins ave
equal to the Dreadnaught of the Eng
Iish navy" he asserts, only that she
Is the equal of the English ship de-
signed at the same time. But do
claim that orr latest ships are vasti,,
superior to the Dreadnaught, and 7 no,
lievc that every fair-minded man who
has given the subject intelligent con
sideration vii! agree With me-
James Whitcomb Riley tells or an in
iuisitive lady Who once heard him saw
something on how poorly paid was tn.
profession of literature.
But, Mr.. Riley" said she. surely