Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1914-07-05
NOT A WINNER
OF SEA FIGHTS
If All Naval Craft Were
Torpedo Boats Conflicts
Between Nations Could
Not Be Brought to a
Conclusion

PARIS, July Admiral Sir Percy
SCOTS contention that the day of big
battleships has passed in favor of
submarines is regretted in naval cir.
cles here The fact is that France
has experimental all eady in the abo-
lition of the big unit in favor of the
! underwater fleet and has suffered
greatly in consequence.
The school which believed that the
doom of the battleship was definitely
sealed by the advent of the torpedo
| first came into official existence in
France during the tenure of office
as Minister of Marine of Admiral
| Aube in the sos. At that time the
| torpedo boat had not reached its
present state of efficiency, but at
least it possessed the saving grace
of comparative invisbility, thanks to
| its small size. When the size of the
craft was increased, it defeated its
own objects and brought into exis-
tence the destroyer specially designed
to fight it. The Aube school was
succeeded by the Fournier school.
which found its official and eloquent
mouthpiece in NJ. Camille Pelletan,
| who became minister of marine. I'm
der his unfortunate administration
| France for time lost her naval
position and took rank after the great
| powers instead of leading in the
wake of England.
| Admiral Fourier was sensationallv
successful in theoretically torpedoing
! battleships and liners by the use of
| the submarine. He then came to the
! conclusion that the underwater boat
| was the arm of the future This was
| readily seized upon by a party in
the state as an admirable excuse for
economy by suspending the constitute
ton of large units and devoting the
reduced credits entirely to light cruis-
ers and flotllas.
| Since that time. nearly ten years
| ago, submarines have become more
precise machines. The periscope en-
ables them to see farther than before
ana their size and equipment have
made them formidable French sub
marines often carry forty men with
three officers and are as large as
500 tons. Experienced sailors believe
that further improvements will be
| made in this type of vessel. but at
the same time it can never replace
the battleship as the naval unit as
| long as there is no general entente
on the subject.
one of the most qualified experts
observed that battleships now pro-
tect themselves against their under
water enemy by the provision of an
inner shell. Unless the nations sim
Iultaneously stop building battleships
it would be obvious folly to take the
initiative for one underwater craft
will fight another just as one aero
plane will neutralize another, but
neither instrument could win battles
A distinguished admiral was of the
opinion that the perfected submarine
was the torpedo craft of the future
as 1t travelled on the surface and
plunged when required and was now
capable, without the support of q
mother ship. of navigation in the
high seas in any weather Moreover
the plea of economy, which made the
theory of "guerre decourse" so seduc.
tive, was in reality illusory France
said the admiral. had lost a great
deal of money as well as naval pres
tige in initiating the policy of flo
tillas. 1t was relatively more expen-
sive to build a quantity of small
craft than one large construction
On this head he considered that tn.
top of the curve had now beer
reached and that no superdread
nought in France would surpass
10000 tons.