The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1914-11-28
WAR THUS FAR HAS
TOLD NOTHING
NEW To NAVAL
ARCHITECTS
Lessons of the submarine and
the AerOplane Taken to
Heart but No Change in Big
Ships Produced.


Washington. D. g., Nov. While
American navy officers have watched
with critical eyes the deadly work OF
iurpcd0es fired from submarines end
81 contact m.ucH bon tbe European
war; nothing has developed as yet
which indicates amy radical change iu
hattlcship constructor tu oner greater
defense against underwater attacks.
The problems presented are NOT
new They haE, been studied by
naval constructor OF every power
since the Russian Japanese war when
many fne ships iell victims Co mines
o. ~tprped0rs. Proposals ct many
sorts have been discussed Some nave
been adopted. H.f the theory OF ware
ship building sII ,Iiugs leo conceu-
uIilou ut offensive power iu terms
600 larger gums. 1isgcr and swift,r
ships and wider .IJising radius. even
at the expense %. defensive atmor.
The heavy lo.-e. sustained ny the
British navy o.. submarine attdcas
uJs nrought up Tor renewed Discus
sion the subject Hf armnrinr the bot
toms 0f Warciai. Recent issues ut
English service Journals have noted
% plan to cover tho nur bottom OF
ID oattleship with Tour inches OF are
NOR plating. D was urged that the
experiment. DE tf ed with an old ship
which should be subjected Co actual
tcst with the explosion against her
huI OF the most powerful modern tor
pcdues. The shIp also would be
driven into contact mines OF various
% pes to determine their effect. u was
said.
American naval cxpdrts believe
there is little doubt col the result.
They Say tour inches OF armor would
resist any known torpedo cor mine
successfully. TO equip a ship IN that
way, however, tua enormous weight
ui the armor WoIld requir. Il iedup-
ton in weight elsewhere and iae onlS
way % could nv accomplished would
Dee 90 reduce the size aud number OF
suns, the thickness OF surface armor,
TIE wclght 81 cuEiucs and coal capac-
iy and Dccaus, ui this hast. the size
ui the ships themselves. with an
mored bottoms uJttleships would be-
come slow, hea. vessels ot small
cruising radius and their usefulness
as instruments u.;h which Co strike
swift. terrible blows at distant points
before word oi .H,ir coming had gone
Qua, would vanish. Cruisers and swift
merchant vessels would take ARE
only &C., keep out of ra1gc OF their
suns The tcrr.he power ot the mod
,rn dreadnausht would Doe % thing OF
,he past.
it i- mot Impossible. however. Cha.
some dtlrr, of protection Tor the
bottoms OF uatuocraft viii be- guusid
cred "a lulure. Heretofore COM
]stguctprs have relied almost wholly
upon increasing numUcrs of water
ilEht ,uWlaIimcHts Go keep ]turpcdo,d
ships aloH,. The loss OF The British
bIttleshlp AgJ.cious. one of the most
modern HsHi.ug machines lu the
world, has shed new light ou the sus-
1rsl. Detail. ui mat disaster ore
lackiua hut many believe tho Auda-
Gus ran into l mine which sent hen
Co the bottom. Her compartments
kept her AIoat unul her crew was
rescued. uut one boy one they gave
way under 600, increasing pressure oi
the water tud nnglly she went down.
Nayy officers are unwilling as set
90 predict what effect on naval con
|stru,tlon that VIII have. They say
is "a question OF balance between
/ ouenso and defense in batticship eou-
-trucuou aud The old axiom that tuo
greatest defense lies In b highest
capacity for oncasivc work .tIl holds
/ good. u appears certain, however.
chat iu planning new ships, the suo-
I Iert OF armurtd utiom or al least
partial atiuur Tor the midships Soc
toms oi tIe bottom. Viii be carefully
weighed.