The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-01
NEW COMMANDER OF BRITISH
NAVY IDOL OF THE FLEET
Lord Fisher Recognized
England's Sea Forces
and Prepared Them for
Present War With Ger.
many.

w .,unrJI feeling mat the British
admiralty Board should have
,o .tn.G. ut the counsel of John Ar
Nutrnut Fisher Baron Fisher Of Kilvcr-
stone. \Jwr, OF the Fleet at the time
o, his retirement in 1911. That CON
sumna,.v na, now been brought about
by his appointment ms First Sea Lord OF
the Admiralty 10 succeed Admiral Prince
Louis ul ldttcubcrg whose resignation
was caused by popular clamor aroused
by tlo TACT that hc is Of German birth
and paruuaEc. though British subject
rs naturalization.
That there shDuld be- a call for Lord
Fishers service, at this crisis in the
affairs NJ Great britain is natural. 1t
has been said that he stands in the same
relation to- the British navy that Lord
Kitchener docs To- the army. Hut the
comparison Is not entirely adequate. 1t
:a..s short of doing Justice IL the ex-
tent Of l.1rd Fishers achievements.
More than 80 any other ono man, the
present efficiency OF Tho British navy is
due 90 HIM. lie planned the ships. he
trained the officers. he inspired the strait
egy which is now holding command of
me North Sea. Even more. England
for years looked to him to win a great
naval victory some day against "a foe
presumably Germany. which should
,rown him a second Nelson.
For man Nho has done - much he
8 curious'y unknown to his follow coun-
,rym"n Eut.r,1s the navy At 1s. he
I'D good sorry .ca Ike many another OFF,
Ger. but attr 'c''j attention almost ex-
C.uSlvely from his superors His gren
opportunity Gli not como until he was
over 60. Thop came n day when there
was offered - IN the highest prize OF
10 sailors AMBITION I'm time OF pcace--thc
position Of b st Sea Lord.
But even that honor he would only
AXE ON terms. lie carried in his brain
full scheme of reorganization. lie be-
lieved the training and the distribution
u the navy To be perilously out Of date.
He had watched the change from wooden
walls To iron citadels packed with tre-
mendous and exquisite machinery. Yet
here had been no fundamental change
since Nelson's time in the method OF
training officers for their profession.
There had been n revolution in Eng
lands political relations, and IL was
clear 20 him that tlNs struggle OF life
and Death in the future would be fought
IN tho North Sea and no other where
Yet Engiands fleets were still organized
as though the Mediterranean would he.
a. In tn" eighteenth century. the chief
scene NJ crisis british ships were
stationed anywhere but where they
would probably have 10 figh.
Sir John Fisher--as nc was then: his
creation IA first Baron Fisher OF Kr-
verstone dates from 1909 - clearly
stated his intentions. They we're ap-
proved. He went into the Admiralty 10
carry them out. His activities were
revolutionary though constructive. He
was denounced for the sheer daring and
resolution Of the changes he introduced,
Bl' h" was commissioned from the out
'ei to effect them Tha, was what he
was there for To the foreign mind
ne appeared like nothing so much as an
ncarnatcd torpedo waiting for its war
mead to be fixed on it.
And what did ne accomplish? At o.
borne he trained no officers of to-day
10 handle he grim machines which have
superseded forever the old vision of
masis and sails. He vastly increased
"hciency while reducing expense. He
struck out OF the estimates every penny
which did not yield real fighting value.
lie morcIlessly strapped scores OF weak
.e'Scls hat could neither attack nor
run. lie transferred the men 20 real
lighting ships lie created with the in
,p.ratlon OF nothing less than genius
me system of nucleus crews, by which
every ship In the reserve can he mobil-
Zcd for war in few hours. Above all,
ne swung the whole fleet as II were,
Hoan round 10 face the tasks OF the
future.
lie recognized that In the twentieth
century as in the seventeenth the Brit
sh Empire will be saved or lost not In
he Mediterranean but in the North
Sea. Quietly he massed British strength
n the narrow seas until, in Admiral
AlAhan's words, 80 per cent. of the
British battleship strength was con-
centra'e1 in or near homo waters"
When Fisher was appointed First Sea
Lord IN 1904 Unionist Government WAS
IN power, with Lord Selborne as First
Lord Of the Admiralty. Within two
months Fishers influence was evidenced
ny Lord Selbornes issue OF a memo
rdndum and circular letter dealing in
drastic fashion with the distribution
and mobilization of the fleet. Existing
arrangements were cancelled and the
effective war fleet divided into two.
one In commission at sea and the other
commission In reserve.
Only month later Fisher made HIS
next departure, which was OF kind
more calculated to attract general at
IGNITION. lie then showed that his prac-
NcaI, as apart from his strategic, policy
was TO scrap every naval vessel that
was not absolutely up to date. In the
hrst three months OF 1905 no fewer
han 100 OF such vessels were removed
from the ports to mooring stations
round the coast ss obsolete.
All his life he had been hard
worker and he was untiring at the Adj
m,ral'y. He was constantly planning
and preparing for the war which has
nov come In measure he IL the
Won Moltke OF the British navy, and
WHOM the storm broke the men and
ships Of England were, thanks to his
work OF organization, as ready for war
A. tho German soldiers were In 1870.
H.4 knowledge OF naval affairs was all
embracing. He knew where each ship
was and all about IT, whether the com
handler was good officer. whether no
drank, whether he was a flop, whether
Doc was liked by his crew--in fact every
thng about him.
-. AJ