The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1914-08-15
NAVAL STRENGTH
IN WAR CRISIS
Britain'S Sea Fighters Equal
to Those Of Triple Alliance.
AUSTRIAN SHIPS On DANUBE

For Ship, Germany, Italy and Austria
Can Muster Same Tonnage, but Eng
land ExceIs In Training.
The Danube river. which forms the
boundary between Servia and Austria
affords room for maneuvering a re
spectacle feet bHt Servia has never
put an armed vessel on the river. Aus
trias Qp the other hand, has long main
tanned a aotilla on the upper Danube
and within the last two years-sincf
the last two Balkan wars revealed
Servia's military strength-she has in
creased her naval forces on the river,
d She has In commission on the Dan
ube six little monitors and two more
building None of them amount to
much in fighting value as against 9th
er ships, but on the Danube and
against shore batteries or field artil
lery they would prove formidable
When 1t comes to comparison OF
the navies of the triple alliance and
the triple entente, the figures come
much nearer to balance. In the
triple alliance the most formidable
naval power is Germany. The Ger
man feet can send to sea seventeen
battleships or battle cruisers of the
DreadnOught class.
Besides this first feet, Germany can
still show a second line In reserve Of
twenty other battleships, all built in
the last twenty years. Many Of these,
however, need not be taken seriously
In the first place they are not all, by
any means, In full commission, and
there is no doubt that 1t would tsAke
them all ready for sea.
In the second place, until less than
ten years ago. Germany maintained
the remarkable policy of arming none
Of her ships with guns of more than
nine inch caliber, and all these ships
belong to that period
The second naval power Of the triple
alliance is Italy. She can send out
powerful and homogeneous squadron
of four Dreadnoughts, which would
have to be reckoned with in any sea
fight.
With this one contribution, however,
Italys bolt is shot She has eight old
battleships, which although probably.
gun for gun, better ships than Ger
many's twenty old ships, are open to
much the same criticism.
Austria, numerically, is stronger than
Italy in fighting ships, but their quail.
ity is not comparable. She can bring
into action two ships of the Dread
nought class and three others Besides
these she has three more which class
with Germanys and Etaly's secondary
line. -.4.,
GE Englands Mighty Fleet.
Against these three fleets for the
triple entente the backbone, if not
practically the entire opposing force
is in England's war fleet England
has ready for action thirty battleships
of the Dreadnought or superb Dread
nought type. besides ten others which
like the Lord Nelson and Agamemnon
class but little below the Dreadnought
rating
The ships carry four twelyeinch
guns, therefore they are classed below
the Dreadnoughts But they carry no
less than ten 90 inch. which make
them far superior to any other battle
ship not of Dreadnought rating now
adoat.
Besides, England has thirty eight
smaller and older battleships, which
outclass the twenty older ships of Ger
many. OF armored cruisers England
has sixteen to Germany's three, ltalys
four and AuStrias none,
France. the second member of the
entente, in battleships can show but
two Dreadnoughts, but she has nine
ships of the Justice, st. Louis and
similar classes, all worthy to be class
ed, say, with the Connecticut, and
twelve old craft which could in emer
gency be hauled out to the firing line
France has also fifteen armored cruiS
ers, and these, though perhaps not of
tremendous lighting value. are really
fine ships
The Russian feet need hardly be
taken seriously, though she has four
battleships-on paper-one of which
might be extricated from the dockyard
in time to fire a shot at an enemy
This brings the question down TO the
really important basis of comparison
morale, training, discipline and fight
ing efficiency.
There is no discounting the thorough
ness with which the German feet has
been drilled In personnel the Aus
trian feet is heavily handicapped by
one circumstance-the Austrian Ger
man is no sailorman and never was
The Hun is no better. AS conse-
Quence the Austrian feet is manned en-
tirely by Italians and Dalmatians. with
The Dalmatian in overwhelming ma
jority.
Now. the Dalmatian, while good
sailorman. racially is Serb. He is
pure Slav, with as little love for the
Germans as any of his race. He Is