The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1914-04-30
FEW PEOPLE REALIZE !.
STRENGTH Of FLEET
Americans Are Justly Proud Of Their
Navy Nothing Goes Out of Style
as Quickly as Battleships.

Few of the millions of newspaper
readers who learned through the press
on April II that the entire Atlantic
fleet had been ordered to Tampico, re-
allied the strength of that great organi-
cation or what it ment to get the dread
naughts under way.
Americans justly are proud of their
navy, but how many knew that this is
the greatest offensive naval force the
world has ever seen.
The American navy is outranked by
the British, Germau7and French fleets,
with Japan close behind. But so great
has been the progress in naval cons
truction In the past decade that the
japanese fleet which gave battle to
the Russians in the sea of Japan would
have absolutely helpless against the
force which the United States sent to
Mexico waters to avenge the insults
offered to the stars and stripes. The
battle of the sea of Japan was the
greatest naval engagement in history
inasmuch as the ships engaged therein
were far stronger than any which pre-
viously had fought. Despite. this fact,
however, naval expert recently as
serted that the force which sailed for
Tampico under the command of Rear
Admiral Badger on April Is would not
have had the slightest difficulty in
destroying the Japanese and Russian
fleets combined, as they were at the
+ time of the Russo-Japanese war.
This statement sounds a little i'm
probable" said the naval expert who
has had hand in the increased eff
cienty of the modern battleships, but
moments consideration will show
that it is quite logical.
In the first place there is nothing
which goes out Of style as quickly as
as modern battleship. Five years is
the limit of the their top-notch of eff
cheney and the majority do not last
that long. They are then relegated to
go into reserve, the scrap heap of the
navy.
None of the ships which took part
In the Russo Japanese war would com
pare in any way with those in our secon-
Diary line of battle at the present time.
And our dreadnoughts could stand out
of their range and rake them fore and
aft with their big fourteen-inch shells
while the enemy could be utterly help
less. 1t would be nothing short of
murder.
In course at Annapolis recently
the problem was asked the Senior Glass
at the Naval Academy whether they
would prefer to have fleet of one
hundred vessels of the class OF old
Oregon or single ship of the type of
the New York The majority of the
class chose rightlY-the single New
York would be worth more than one
hundred Oregons in a battle. In the
first place, the New York could hit and
totally disable practically all the
Oregons before the latter could get in
to range. There is no reason why the
gunners on the NeW York or the
Texas could not destroy the entire OPP
posing fleet before any of the hundred
vessels got near enough for the shells
to ricochet anywhere near the dread
nought. This will give you some idea
of the rapidity with which battleships
grow old and have to be discarded.
That is also the reason why it is better
to scrap an old ship or to use her for
target practice for the useful vessels
of the navy than to pay out real money
for her maintenance in some navy
yard where it costs considerable money
to keep her sea-worthy.
'Of course, the vessels which par
ticipated III the battle of the Sea of
Japan were far in advance of the
Oregon, but not so far as are our pre-
sent vessels in advance of those of
twelve years ago. A dozen years spells
the difference between youth and old
age in battleship, and as in other
walks of life, the battle nearly always
is to the strong and youthful. The ex-
ceptions are too infreqnent to affect
the reading of the rule.
Farm for Sale.