Evening journal., 1914-08-04
NAVAL STRENGTH
OF RIVAL Powers
England'S Fighting Fleet
About Equal to That OF
Triple Alliance
RUSSIA FALLS SHORT
IN SEA EQUIPMENT

German fleet has been making rapid
strides in the last few years and can
send to sea II battleships or battle
cruisers OF the dreadnought class.
She has II more on the way, but not
now available.
Besides this first fleet Germany can
show a second in line in reserve Of
30 other battleships, all built in the
last 20 years. Many Of these. how
ever. need not be taken seriously
In the first place they are not all, by
any means. in full commission and
there is no doub. that it would take
weeks of hard work, at least, to get
them all ready for sea.
In the second place until less than
10 years ago Germany maintained the
remarkable policy Of arming none Of
her ships with guns Of more than
nino-inch calibre and an these ships
belong to that period. Sending them
into action with modern dreadnOughts
with = and l3.5-inch rifles would be
pure slaughter
Italy and Austria.
The second naval power OF the
Triple Alliance is Italy. She can
send out powerful and homogeneous
squadron OF four dreadnoughts
which, designed as they are by the
man who is conceded TO be the ablest
warship 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
commissioning.
With this one contribution, how
ever, ltaly's bolt is shot. She has
eight old battleships, which, although
probably, gun for gun, better than
Germany's 20 old ships, are open to
much the same criticism.
Austria, numerically, Is stronger
than Italy in lighting ships, but their
quality is not comparable. She can
bring into action two ships of the
droadnought class and three others,
which, although older. smaller and
slower, wouldn't compare favorably
with the United States Connecticut
class. Besides these she has three
more which class with Germany's and
ltaly's seoondardy line. All her fleet
is in full commission.
England's Great Fleet.
Against these three fleets Tor the
Triple Entente the backbone, ii not
practically the entire opposing force, is
in England great war fleet. England
has now at sea and ready for action 30
battlcships Of the dreadnought or super
drcadmought type, besides ten others
which, like the Lord Nelson and Aga
mcmnon, class but little below the
drcadnoughi rating.
The ships carry four l2inch guns
I a Il hnl
drcadnouahts. But they carry no less
than ten o.2-inch guns, which make
them far superior TO any other battle
ship not Of the drcadnolgIt rating now
lafoat. and that is aside from the fact
that the British 9.2-inch is a gun OF ter.
rible effectiveness but family shadowed
forth in figures.
Resides. England has 3s smaller and
older battleships, which outclass the 90
older ships OF Germany OF armored
cruisers, England has 10 to Germany's
three. ltaly's four and Austria's none.
France, the second member Of the en-
tente. in battleships can show but two
drcadnoughts, but she has nine ships Of
the Justice. 81. Louis and similar classes
all worthy to be classed, say, with the
Connecticut, and y old craft which
could in emergency 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 fleet need hardly be taken
seriously, though she has four battle
ships on paper one Of which might be
extricatcd from the dock yard in time to
fire shot at ain enemy. This brings
the question down to the really import
ant basis of comparison morale, train
ng. discipline and lighting efficiency.
German and Italian Ships
The German Navy is wonderfully
efficient organization-in typically Ger
mani way. There is no discounting the
thorouehness with which the German
acet has been drilled. the faithiulness
that has gone into its preparation, from
driving the first rivet in each vessels
keel 10 the training Of the turrct point
ers and the drill at maneuvering in
squadron.
The faithfulness Is apt TO produce
results-provided the enemy doesn't
produce some vancouver that wasn't
IN the tactical text books.
The italian Navy has almost none
OF the SNOWY precision Of discipline
OF the German. For one thing, their
ships do not compare with the spot
less decks beneath the banner of the
Fatherland; for another, their drill
and discipline has q rather Latin
spirit OF slapdash in Il that doesn't
impress the eye. But those. who have
had chance TO observe the Italian
ships az sea, or the behavior Of their
men in port. can tell you that they
arc good ships and manned by good,
| Woodworking sailormen For all
around. offhand sea-fghting efficiency
good many competent critics rate
the italian navy. ship for ship, a
notch above the methodical German.
I Ausirians Not Sailors.
In personnel the Austrian fleet is
heavily handicapped at the very start
I by one circumstance-th Austrian
German is no sailorman and never
was. The Hun is no better. AS a
I consequence, the Austrian fleet is
manned entirely by italians and Dali
matians, with the Dalmatian in over
whelming majority.
Now the Dalmatian, while a good
sailorman radically, is a Serb He is
pure Siav. with as much love for the
Germans as any OF his race. He IS
Serb in language, sympathies aud
very largely in religion. II is likely
to be an anxious question for Austria.
with how much spirit the men of her
feet may go into this war.
Russian Navy Third Rate.
On the side of the Triple Entente,
TO use the terms morale or discipline
fr.