The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-11-25

Germany, Japan and France haye
practically four destroyers for each
battleship. We have about one and
a half Some fifty more destroyers
are needed as fast as they can be
built. Surplus battleships are useless
If we do not equip them with destroy
ers
American policy demands far
flung fleet acting on the offensive. But
to fight away from our base REQUIRES
an abundant coal supply. This fleet
can steam on its own coal about five
thousand miles; we have six GOLFERS
with feet speed, and from them the
fleet could get coal for about twenty
days cruising speed, but only for ten
at full speed Should we send the
American fleet against a foreign en-
emy. proposing to maintain 1t for ex.
tended operations, we positively need
Tor a coal supply alone more than
hundred vessels. Should the war be
In the East before the opening of the
Panama canal, we should actually
nave to requisltion hundred more
steamers above the number now un-
der American register. provided that
all the vessels flying our flag could be
obtained for this purpose. This would
mean that over a hundred foreign
ships must be bought or chartered as
auxiliaries. Think what a stupendous
undertaking this would be!
What Is Zeal Fleet?
| In case of war the fleet of n mod.
ern navy strikes at once. If Germany.
| France or England had gone to war
over the Morocco question. their fleets
would have put to sea in a few hours
should a powerful nation decide to
| dispute the integrity of the Monroe
doctrine, 1t would at once dispatch It's
fleet against us. This would be rea,
fleet, composed of fighting ships Chat.
| tleships) and all the auxiliary ves-
sells; its due proportion. of armored
cruisers. speedy protected cruisers act
] ing as scouts, destroyers, mine LAYERS
(of which we have one), mine sweep.
ers (of which we have none), subma-
rlnes, etc. A fleet of an equal num-
Der of battleships sent against this
| force without the protection of the
| necessary cruisers and destroyers
would be promptly crippled. More
over. the foreign fleet would be ac-
! companied by the requisite number
of auxiliarles, supply ships repair
| ships, hospital ships, troopships etc.
plus the colliers. The vessels neces-
sary for such an equipment have long
since been provided by every foreign
country. Germany alone could on
two weeks notice commander the
| use of two hundred ocean liners and
modern cargo steamers, manned by
officers and men all belonging to her
| naval reserve. and as such accustom-
ed to military discipline.
Such vessels do not exist in our
country, and congress has done moth
ing to build up merchant marine
from which they could be recruited
We. the greatest oil-producing
country in the world were the last to
apply oil fuel to warships. This may
be the reason why the navy Is with
out modern oil tankers. Some fifteen
destroyers burning OIL and nothing
else, are In commission. The Are
thusa, the improvised oil ship which
was In the review, could not supply
these vessels with oil for more than
five days steaming at twenty knots;
the tanks, the two colliers which
carry oil. could "oil up" once the
four dreadnoughts, which burn oil as
well as coal. The British navy has
four oil ships. Should we get into
trouble we should have to rely upon
the patriotism of the Standard oil
company for tank steamers.
I'll admit that in case of sudden
furry many ships could be imlpro-
vised for auxiliary duty in a job-lot
way, but they would be wholly insult
ficient in number and equipment. But
naval wars are swift, and by the time
this service could be fully organized, |
and the personnel enlisted, let alone |
trained, the war would be over. For
effective performance in peace and |
war the following types are needed in |
relation to a squadron of eight battle |
ships of an ideal feet armored |
cruisers, s protected cruisers (scouts) |
32 destroyers, 2 destroyer tenders, s
colliers, 1 repal ship, l hospital ship, |
1 supply ship, l transport l ammu-
milton ship.
Wanted, n Naval Reserve.
For these types special appropria- |
tions should be made by congress, and |
this without reducing the general pro-
gram of two battleships a year neces-
sary to replace four of the five battle
ships which will he twenty years old |
in 1914, and as such relegated to the |
second line.
The navy Is short of men.
or the ships in the line of review, |
the battleships alone carried their full |
complement of officers and men; in
deed, not all of the sixteen battlrships
and two armored cruisers had their
full quota. 1t has been necessary to
transfer officers and men from the
big ships to those which have been
taken from the reserve. And fully to
man all the ships built or building
would at present be impossible. The
new ships under way can only be
commissioned by laying up others;
robbng Peter to pay Paul. The fact
Is that the naval committees of con-
gress have not as yet realized the inn
portance of increasing the enlisted
personnel While appropriations have
been made for the new battleshLps
and their equipment, there has never
been added clause in the approprla-