Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-08-20
Her Own Navy Practically Equals
Those of the Nations in the
Triple Alliance.
GERMAN FLEET FORMIDABLE
Kaiser's seamen Under Remarkable
Discipline, While Those Of Other
Continental Powers Are Slack,
Though Good Flahters

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German feet has been making rapid
strides In the last few years and can
send to sea II battleships or battle
cruisers OF the dreadnaught class.
She has IL more ON the way, but not
now available.
Besides this first fieet Germany
can still show a second line. In re-
serve, of 20 other battleships. all
built in the last 20 years. Many Of
these, however, need not be taken
seriously. In the first place. they are
not all, by any means, in full commits
sion, and there Is no doubt that 1t
would take weeks of hard work, at
least, to get 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. Sending them
into action with modern dreadnaughts,
with IL and 1876 inch rifles, would be
pure slaughter.
ltaIy's Sea Strength.
The second naval power Of the
triple alliance is Italy. She can send
out a powerful and homogeneous
squadron of four dreadnaughts, which,
designed as they we're by the man
who is conceded to be the ablest war
ship designer now living, will have to
be reckoned with In any sea fight.
She has two more fine ships on the
ways, but not within months OF COM
missioning.
With this one contribution, how
ever, Italy's bolt is shot. She has
eight old battleships. which, although
probably, gun for gun, better ships
than Germany's 20 old ships, are open
to much the same criticism.
Austria, numerically, Is stronger
than Italy in fighting ships. but their
quality is not comparable. She can
bring into action two ships Of the
dreadnaught class and three others,
which, although older, smaller and
slower, wouldn't compare unfavorably
with the United States Connecticut
class. Besides these. she has three
more which class with Germany's and
Italys secondary line. All her feet
is in full commission.
Ensland's Mighty Fleet.
Against these three fleets, for the
triple entente the backbone, II not
practically the entire opposing force,
is in England's great war feet. Eng
land has now at sea and ready for
action, 80 battleships of the dread
naught or superdreadnaught type, be-
sides ten others which, like the Lord
Nelson and Agamemnon CLASS but lit
tie below the dreadnaught rating.
The ships carry four 12-inch guns;
therefore they are classed below the
dreadnaughts. But they carry no less
than ten 9.2-inch, which makes them
far superior to any other battleship
not OF dreadnaught rating now afoat.
And that is aside from the fact that
the British 92-inch is a gun Of terri
BILE effectiveness. but family Swallowed
forth In figures
b6blutb, hukldIu ldb 90 DndAACA oAAo
older battleships, which outclass the
20 older ships OF Germany. or ar
mored cruisers, England has 16 to
Germany's three. Italy's four and Aus
tria's none
France, the second member of the
entente, In battleships can show but
two dreadnaughts. but she has nine
ships of the Justice, st. Louis and
similar classes. all worthy to be
classed, say, with the Connecticut.
and ~ old craft which could. in emer-
gency. be hauled out to the firing
line. France has also Is armored
cruisers, and these. though perhaps
not OF tremendous fighting 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 dock
yard In time to fire a shot at an
enemy. This brings the question down
to the really important basis Of COM
parison-morale. training, discipline
and fighting efficiency.
German Discipline.
The German navy is a wonderfully
efficient organization-in a typically
German way. There is no discounting
the thoroughness with which the Ger
man feet has been drilled. the faith
fulness that has gone into its prepare
ton. from driving the first rivet In
each vessels keel to the training OF
the turretpointers and the drill al
maneuvering In squadron.
The faithfulness is apt 10 produce
results-provided the enemy doesn's
produce some maneuver that wash't
In the tactical text books.
The Italian navy has almost nons