Arizona republican., 1914-09-05
GERMANY UNREADY AT SEA

The part the navies of the powers would play in general European be receiving the anxious attention of Admiral Von Tirpitz whom inspiration and energy Germany owes her modern battle fleet. Our future lies upon the Seas, has been favorite saying of the emperor, his master If the of the strength and efficiency of the fleet is to now, Germany is not ready for it. She has always disclaimed policy of challenging Eng lands supremacy upon the sea Again and again Von Tirpitz has said that the German navy must be strong that any power would have to count the consequences of making war upon the father land
 The grand admiral always has had in mind Eng land the aggressor but if the Triple Alliance is to be ptted against the Triple Entente as we'll on land it is the combined fleets Of England, France and Russia that Germany would have to deal with the North and Baltic seas She could reckon upon any assistance in these waters from her Mediterranean allies. The problem for Ger many would only be to defend her coast and naval stations the North sea- but to guard her Baltic littOral from attack by the reorSanlZed Rus sian navy which if not strong in dreadnoughts, can dispatch from Kronstadt formidable notilla of de- stroyers and submarines
 In the first line of battle Germany would be much inferior to England and France and hopeessly over matched in reserve ships if they were needed But a upon the would be sudden and sharp un- less the German fleet retired to the three harbors of Wihelmshaven and to the naval station of hlel on the Baltic, to which acces can only be had from the North by the Kaiser Wilhelm canal The outpost Hegoland has been well fortified and in it's improved harbor it provides rendezvous and refuge for warships, but it would hardly be the initial policy of the GermaIk admiralty to use Heli- goland except base for torpedoboat attack
 is regarded axiom that a naval cam pagn would be decided by one great conflict between first line of battle ships-that is to say, dread thoughts. Sir Percy Scott would amend by affirming that the torpedoboat fotlas. would play at least an equal part with the battles hips and battle cruisers this point to be settled in the shock of sea powers of the first rank. It is impossible to say exactly how many dreadaoughts of both classes England, Germany and France have in commission fosat cotton at lC m
 A compilation made under the direction of Lieu- tenant c. c. Gill of the United States navy at the beginning of the year assigned to England twenty dreadnoughts Gncluding battle cruisers) Ger many seventeen and France two. France must now be credited with two and both England and Germany approximately stronger than when the estimate made. It is within bounds to say that at the present time England and France could send into the line of battle almost two dreadnoughts to Germany's If the six Dantons. warshps practically in the dreadnought class. for they carry batteries of four 12-nch guns and twelve 91-lnch guns be added to the French fleet the disparity is more marked. battleshps of the second line, of about ten thousand tons more displacement, Great Britain and France have respectively forty and eighteen and Germany twenty
 If Sir Percy Scott is sound in his contention that torpedoboats and submarines will decide the great sea fights of future then Germany is still worse off when comparisons are made. To her avafiapie destroyers hundred and thirty in number. Eng land could oppose 143 and France S1 Germany has neglected torpedoboats but she had "A submarines the beginning of the year Englahu ndu 49 lor- pedoboats and 72 submarines, while France was credited with 139 torpedoboats and 75 submarines However the naval resources of Germany are com- pared with those of England and France, the con- clusion must be that Germany although her per sonnel is well trained, would be match at sea for the great sea powers of the Triple Entente AS to Russia, she must be considered in the reck- oning because she possessed at the end of 1913 93 destroyers, IA torpedoboats and 90 submarines It may be doubted whether she has in commission any of the seven battleships and four cruisers of the dreadnought type that were ordered in 191O-1L
 The failure of Germany to triumph quickly in her land campaign against France and Russia would be disastrous to her naval and mercantile power. If she manages to avoid decisive engage ment with the British and French fleets, her commerce would be destroyed or crippled, with dire consequences to her dependent population But she will probably put her navy to the test relying other combatants inferior in have al- done in the past. upon the efficiency of her rank and file. It is unnecessary at this time consider the bearing of sea power in the Mediter- ranean upon the issue of a widespread European conflict. It is of minor importance.