The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-12-11

The United States stands next 10 Great
Britain as a sea power, reckoned by the
number of ships ahoat. but Germany
leads the United States, and becomes
the second nation in naval Importance.
when one considers the number OF ships
NOW building. These are the conclusions
of Pitman Pulsifer. compiler Of the Navy
Yearbook and for many years clerk to
the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs
while Senator Hale. of Maine. was chair
man
Notwithstanding the continued hus-
Ting of Germany to overcome Great
Brtains plan of Il two-power navy. the
United States is nearly. if not quite,
abreast of Germany. weighing all points
which make for efficiency said Mr.. Pull
sifer
In completed tonnage, the United
States is ahead OF Germany; in battle
SHIPS completed, both in number and dis
placement, the United States leads Ger
many, including battle ships completed.
under construction, and provided for. the
number for each country is Identical,
while the United states exceeds Germany
IN total battle-ship tonnage.
Leads ia Armored Cruisers.
'fn armored cruisers. Germany out
numbers the United States in both
built and building. if the classification
OF our Navy Department is followed; but
if the three cruisers. Charleston, MIL
waukee. and ST. Louis. are considered
as armored cruisers, and they are so
reckoned by foreign authorities, then
the United States would be ahead in
number and displacement Of this class
of vessels. The three ships OF the United
States Just named are each of 800 tons
displacement, which is a higher tonnage
than the smaller armOred cruisers Of
Germany. II should be stated, however,
TO Germany's advantage, that the four
armored cruisers now building there are
OF what Is known as the dreadnought
type.
Mr.. Pulsifer adheres TO the opinion
he expressed last year that the best
type of ship is the Michigan and South
Carolina with a tonnage each of TO-
600, and carrying eight twelve-inch
guns. all OF which can be used in
broadsides.
Can Concentrate Fire.
This class of ship has received the
praise of architects abroad" said he.
and the system here installed OF ar
ranging guns on a center line was first
observed in these ships. / notice that
Sir William White, a noted naval ar
chitect Of Great Britain. who for many
years planned her naval ships in d
speech recently in New York. made IA
vOrable reference TO the Michigan class
by saying: Three ships armed on the
Michigan plan could concentrate the
fire of twenty-four twelve-inch guns as
efficiently on a selected position in the
enemys formation as could be done by
two ships Of the Arkansas class-26, 900
tons. with an equal number of guns.
Indeed. under certain conditions the
three ships might have an advantage
When one considers that the larger
ship presents a much larger continuous
target and is less wieldy than the smaller
ship, and would be unable 10 enter the
harbors which would accommodate the
smaller ship. and the increased difficulty
in docking these larger ships. as il APP
pears 10 impress some naval officers. we
should slow up SOM in this unusual
mania for large and still larger ships
The eighth annual edition of PulSifer's
Navy Yearbook has gone to the printer,
and will shortly be distributed, according
20 the provisions of a law passed at the
last session Of Congress- which provided
quotas for the Senate, the House, and the
Navy Department. The book carries leg
islatiOn Of interest 10 the navy and tables
containing information regarding the ships
and personnel 'of our navy and many de-
tails of other great naVies.