The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-12-05

Guantanamo of the New Orleans
floating dock and machine tools from
the Algiers yard and from Pensacola.
Key West alone of the Gulf naval sta
tions should be maintained not as a
first-cass station but for the supply
and quick repair Of small gun boats
and torpedo crafts operating in the
caribbean Sea.
Drydocks Are Necessary.
Because the Portsmouth. Boston.
New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk
Yards have accessible dry docks of
which we have too few, it is found i'm
possible to give up any of them. Port
Royal has dry dock unapproachable
for battleships or. even cruisers and
the Charleston dock is likewise useless
az the channel fills in at the-rate of
from three 90 four feet a year
ON the Pacific coast Secretary Meyer
finds the Bremerton yard at a disad-
vantage through its lack of railroad
communication and its distance from
any large supply of labor. But its
further development is regarded as a
necessity in view of the fact that the
feet at some time after the opening
of the Panama canal may be based i'm
the Pacific Ocean.
Criticizes Mare island.
The Mare Island navy yard is very
severely criticised for its inacessibility.
both on account of its great distance
from San Francisco and the shallow
ness of the channel The muddy water
Of the San Fable Bay is also said to
work havoc with the condensers of the
warships. No battleship injured in
action could be taken to Mare Island
even for temporary repairs nor could
the yard be reached by a number Of
the heavy battleships or heavy crui-
sers even when uninjured. But as
S14,000,000 already has been spent on
this yard, the Secretary thinks that in
order to avoid a total loss 1t would be
wise to utilize il for such vessels as
can reach it and also for such manu-
featuring and repairs work for the
larger vessels as can readily be sent
TO the navy yard and returned to the
vessels lying in San Francisco Bay.
Looking to the future he says that IL
will be necessary to establish a dock
ing and repair station for battleships
in San Francisco Bay i'm some locality
yet to be selected and meanwhile the
fleet must depend upon Puget Sound,
although there should be more than
one yard available, If the battleship
fleet is to be based in the Pacific
Ocean.
Pearl Harbor will be made the prin-
cipal insular defense base in the Pa
cifc ocean; Olengapo, in the Phil
pines is to be a small repaid station
and the station at Cavite is TO be dis
posed of, its tools belong transported
to Olongapo.
New Construction.
Following the established policy in
the matter of annual naval construc-
tion. the Secretary recommends the
authorization of two battleships. one
collier. one gunboat, one river gunboat, |
two sea-going tugs. two submarines |
and one submarine tender. He strong |
ly depreciates any break in the es-
tablished policy because of its evil ef- |
feet on the ship yards of the country
upon whose maintenapH the navy
must depend in time ofSwar.
Twenty years is about the effective
life of battleship and even then the
last ten years OF that period should
be spent in the second line of defense.
This short life is rather the result OF
evolution in ship design and ordinance
than of actual decrease in efficiency
In the ship itself To make up for the
Of these obsolete vessels,
there must be authorized after 1912
In addition TO the two ships per year
provided i'm the established program n
sufficient number OF vessels 10 main
tain the fleet at the minimum OF
twenty ships of the first line.
Not Immune From War.
AS IL will be necessary for at least