Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-04
TORPEDO EQUIPMENT
OF NAVY NOT. DEFECTIVE
Popular Exaggerationn onn of short.
comings Subject Of State-,
ment by Daniels.
CARRIES REPORT BY STRAUSS
Issued Particularly to Prove Mislead-
ing Declaration by Representative
Gardner Concerning Lack of Long
Range Missiles on New Battleships.

WASHINGTON, December s.-what
officials regard as popular exaggera-
ton of admitted defects In the Amer
ican nnvy's torpedo equipment was the
subject Of a statement Issued tonight
by Secretary Daniels. embodying n spe-
cial, report from Rear-hdmiral Strauss,
chief of the Bureau of Ordnance. Spe-
cifically, the statement was prepared
to prove misleading n declaration that,
OF iong-range torpedoes. there are
only fifty eight In the navy" quoted
from speech BY Representative Gard
ner, of Massachusetts, who is urging
the administration to support his res
olution for an investigation OF the
nations military preparedness.
STATEMENT FURNISHED
ny ORDNANCE. CHIEF
This statement standing by itself
Is calculated to leave a false impress
sion.' said Mr.. Daniels. "In view Of
repeated statements that the navy
has only .fifty-eight long-rangc tor
pedoes, the chief of the Bureau of Ord
nance has been asked to furnish n
statement concerning the torpedo
situation and has complied rs fol-
lows:
THE ffty-eight long-range tor
pedoes SO often referred to as the
only ones the navy possesses are of
the twenty-one-inch. twenty-one-foot
type. and there is no ship In the
United States Navy yet in commission
that is prepared to take them. They
were manufactured for new ships yun-
der construction. beginning with the
Nevada and the oklahoma. and the
two ships will not go into commission
until about the end of next year.
beginning with the Virginia class,
which went into commission principally
in 1906. and up to aud including Texas,
which went into commission this year,
all the battleships are provided with
twenty-one-inch. seyenteen-foot tubes.
Within the last two years 1T was found
possible to Improve Athe twenty one
inch seventeen-foot torpedo as to prac-
tically, double its range, and. steps were
taken atlonce to construct new tor
pedoes having the increased range. We
already, have. sufficient number OF
these longer range torpedoes to outft
the eight most recent Dreadnoughts In
commission, and that is the equipment
that they Will have on board s.tss
LoNG-RANGEs sTORPEDOES
FOR ALL BATTEE;sIIIPS
"'In addition to the aboye, there are
being manufactured at the government
works, at Newport. and the Bliss
works. at Brooklyn, Il sufficient number
to provide all OF the battleships of the
United States Navy with the long
range torpedo.
four and all OF the oiderSdcstroyers are
provided with ninetceninch tubes. All
OF the cruisers and all OF tho destroyers
subsequent to destroyer No. % are pro-
yided with torpedoes that were up-to-
date In range and speed ono year ago.
Since then scheme has been developed
for: increasing the, range of the eigh-
teen-inch torpedo, and there now are
In process Of construction eighteen
inch torpedoes of the newer type which
VIII outfit all destroyers from No. 2s
With tho long range weapon.
Long range torpcdoes neither are
required nor desired for submarines.
Submarine warfare is OF such n char
ncter as to make 1t advisable to use
short-range, high-speed. torpedoes. and
that Is the class that submarines are
being furnished with. The Aboukir,
Cressy and Hogue were torpedocd re-
Gently. IL will DO recalled. at range
of 500 yards.." ~