The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-12-05

careful personal investigation by
Secretary Won L. Meyer Of many III
the navy yards and naval institutions
are apparent in certain sweeping re.
I commentators for the abolition OF
these and the development of others,
1 as set out In the secretary's annual
report just made public.
\ Secretary Meyer recommends giving
up aid dtsposing OF tho raval sta
i items. at New Orleans, Pensacola, San
Juan, Port Royal New London, Sack
/ etts Harbor, culebra and Cavite. He
finds that the average yearly cost Of
/ maintaining these stations for tine
past I'VE years has been s1,672,675,
| while very little useful work has been
| performed therein.
! The secretar: discusses the strong
points and shortcomings of the varl-
!! Gus yards at length and incidentally
/ he po ints out that the United States
I has twice as many navy yards as
! Great Britain with a navy at least
COUPLE the size of ours. Touching this
New Orleans yard, 1t is said that it's
position 100 miles UP the Mississippi
river is such that In time Of war no
large vessels should be sent shcre on
account of the danger of tho passes
being blocked. The Pensacola navy
yard is condemned as impossible for
fertilization and as strageticallr un-
necessary. The secretary thinks that
the gulf and South Atlantic coasts
can best be defended by an effeetive
naval station at Guantanamo, Cuba,
whore the emergency docking and re
pair facilities should be provided at
an expense of about $300,00O or $400-
600. This would involve the transfer
to Guantanamo of The New Orleans
floating dock and machine tools from
the Algiers yard and from Pensacola.
Key West alone of the gulf naval
stations should be maintained: not rs
first-class station but for the sup
ply and quick repair of small gun
koats and torpedo craft operating in
the Caribbean sea. The secretary
predicts that in time of war the cities
of the gulf coast will be from their
natural security, the chilli sources of
supplies and material and the proba-
BILE points from which out troops will
embark either for the Isthmus Of Pan
anna for further transit, or for SER
vice in the Caribbean. as may be re-
CURED
Because the Portsmouth, Boston,
New York Philadelphia and Norfolk
yards have accessible dry docks of
which we have too few, it is found
impossible to give up any Of them
Port Royal has a dry dock unap-
proachable for battleships or even
cruisers and the Charleston dock IL
in at the rate of from three to four
feet a year. But in regard to
final recommendation as to other
yards and auxiliary stations on the
Atlantic coast, save those specifically
named for abandonment, the secre-
tary says he awaits the recommenda-
ton of the joint board of the army
and navy.
On the Pacific coast Secretary Mev-
err finds the Bremerton yard at dis
advantage through its lack of rail-
road communication and it's 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 open
ing of the Panama canal may be based
in the Pacific ocean.
The Mare island navy yard is very
severely criticised for its inaccessible,
ity, both on account of its great dis
lance from San Francisco and the
shallowness of the channel. The mud
dy water of the San Fable bay is
also said to work havoc with the con-
densers of the warships of the war
ships. 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 cruisers
even when uninjured. But as $14.-
100000 already has been spent on this
yard, the secretary thinks that in or
der to avoid total loss it would be
wise to utilize it for such vessels as
can reach it and also for such man
and repair 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 it win be necessary to establish |
q docking and repairing station for /
battleships on San Francisco bay In |
some locality yet to be selected and /
the fleet must depend upon
Puget sound, although there should |
be more than one yard available.
Pearl harbor will be made the prin-
oipal insular defense base in the Pa
cific ocean; Olengape. in the Philip
pines is to be a small repaid station
and the station at Cavite is to be
ported to Olongapo.
Following the established policy in
the matter of annual construction, the
secretary recommends the authorize
ton of two battleships, two golfers, |
one gunboat, one river gunboat, two
a-going tugs, four submarines and |
one submarine tender. He strongly |
deprecates any break in the estab-
lished policy because of it's evil ef-
feet on the ship yards of the country
upon which the navy must depend in |