Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-12-23
ENGLAND COPYING
OUR NAVAL POLICY
In Building Her New Monster Warships
She Adopts the American Theory
That the Submarine Cannot Replace
the Superdreadnought.
BrJ. MURRAY WATTS
ispi,r M,nb,r sosi.iy Of Naval Architect.


FTNEIE building by Great Britain of a num-
i Der of monster warships of new type.
carrying ten 15 to 15.5-inch guns, follows the
naval practice Of the United States only on
larger scale.
Although the great superdreadnoughts of
the United States, built on the lines along
which Great Britain intends to build her new
sea1ghters, as far as heavy armor plate,
steaming radius and speed are concerned,
carry only I-lnch guns the largest at the
present time, the construction of such mon
sters with 15-inoh guns is possible, as ex-
periments are now being made with the pos
sibility OF using 16-inch gun in our navy.
As for direct comparison of our
ships with those Of England and other for
eign countries it has always been our bolicy
to mount the heaviest possible guns and give
the greatest amount of protection to those
guns and the vital parts of the ship COM
+ bined with a very large coal capacity and
steaming radius. In this respect the war
ships which Great Britain now proposes to
build, like the Warspite, which will be ready
for action within six months, will follow our
own naval policy.
This policy was first established in the War
OF 1872, when our frigates and sloops- -of-war
by the superior weight of metal carried were
almost universally successful against Eng
lish ships OF the same size. In modern times
the same theory Is shown In our 80 O0O- ton
battleships. with their 14-inch guns as op-
posed to the IL and 12-inch guns OF Germany,
12-inch guns of France and 1S1A-inch guns OF
England, which are the largest used so far.
These heavy ships also carry a more COM
plete and heavier armor belt than existing
foreign ships, and have, generally speaking
a substantially greater radius of action owing
to the large fuel supply of coal or oil, accord
ing to type.
High Price Paid for Speed
This preponderance OF offensive and defen-
sive power (Which Great Britain is now striv-
ing to exceed) is gained by being content
with moderate speed-21 to 21h knots being
considered satisfactory for capital ships. The
English of late years have laid great stress
on speed, owing TO the influence of Lord
Fisher. Their latest battle cruiser, the Tiger,
has a sea speed equal to that OF torpedo
boat destroyer, namely, 80 knots or s4h
miles. But to get this terrific speed they
have to be high powered The turbine engines
on the Tiger develop 10000 horsepower. This
shows what terrific price has to be paid for
speed.
1 suppose that the new battleships to bs
built by England. and which are to have a
speed OF 20 to rs knots. will have TO be
planned with still greater allowance for
horsepower. The Tiger. being only two
knots greater IN speed than the battle cruiser
Lion, necessitates an increase Of about $4,000
horsepower. The weight which has 70 so into
this machinery Is taken away from the armor
and fuel capacity, as compared with United
States battleships OF equal tonnage
The opinion "a this country Is that hghting
efficiency Sc greatly increased by the increase
in size OF the individual ship Not only Is a
to the modern system OF nrs control the eight
or ten l4-ineh guns OF one Of our latest super
dreadnoughts can be sighted from the hre
control station with far srsater chances ot
accuracy than larger number OF II and IL
inch guns on a couple OF smaller ships OF
about 1900 tons apiece Great Britain is
now trying to carry out this theory on a still
larger scale
Owing to the constant training which our
range-nnders and gun-pointers havs had in
maneuvers under battle conditions our gun
merry records are surpassed b. that OF no
other country. But the fact remains that to
emclsncy in nring It Is advisable to add the
most efficient ships Eor a given total Of ton
mage This means large unitz ana the hsav-
lest possible guns II our ships 81 the nrse
lighting line a standard which the United
States alone. Up until today has been abls
to attain, but which Great Britain Is nov try-
ing 70 carry further.
Whsrs the submazine 4 Helpless
The submarine. IL ila present slaBe ~ ds.
Valopmant. cannot q saia 70 nave displaced
the 1altleship in asefulness on the hish seas
and TIE proper Policy 50 pasaae IS q keeD on
building capital shipa van lns aesimum
weight 8 elas anf atnor ana cruising
radius
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