The Cape weekly tribune. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1914, 1914-10-30
SUBMARINE TO TAKE
BATTLESHIP'S PLACE
Effective Work of Diving Battlers
In Present War Is Lesson
To Uncle Sam.

battleship to extinction; nor do they
agree with those who would warn the
nations against putting "too many
eggs in one basket" In their opinion
the great battleship still holds the
seas as the supreme arbiter of the des
tiny Of maritime powers. This after
two months of naval warfarce, during
the course Of which the submarine has
achieved no slight success! The work
which the British Navy is doing-and
homes to do-in calculating naval
problems leaves the Americans cold.
Orders have been placed for two
battleships, just as though the sub
marine had never been heard of. The
construction of these two vessels with
one other to be paid for partly out of
the money paid by Greece for the two
obsolescent ships she acquired this
spring, was, it is true, authorized in
the last session of Congress. 1t was
anticipated however, that the placing
of the contracts would be delayed until
the constructors now in Europe study
ing naval eVents-or rather awaiting
naval events really worth study-had
gained all the information obtainable
on matters of design. Not at all. The
naval authorities have decided to forge
ahead and put in hand at once the
building of all three battleships for
wbic hthey have received authority;
the third is to be laid down in a gov
ernment yard. They have determined
not to wait for the longanticipated
battle in the North Sea, convinced, APP
parently, that when it does come it
will still leave the battleship matters
Of the sea-despite destroyers, sub
marines, Zeppelins, and seaplanes-all
of them carrying deadly ornaments.
But even more remarkable than this
decision is the fact that the new bat
tleships are to Click creation" in size
and power, but not in speed. They will
displace something approaching twice
| the amount Of water of our original
dreadnaught, completed only eight
years ago the tonnage Of each of these
mastodons will be no less than $4,000
whereas our name ship of the new era
was of only 10000 tons. This one
comparison will convey some ideas of
what American naval officers think of
the arguments advanced in favor of
ships of "miderate dimensions"
They have built battleships small
and battleships big, and they declare
Give US battleships bigger, submarine
or no submarine"
The increase in displacement on the
other side of the Atlantic has far out
stripped anything that our own naval
authorities, who have the credit of in
Producing the dreadnaught have pro-
posed. It was only by sheer good for
development was inevitable, had had a
tune that we got the first dTeadnaught
afloat. The Americans had realized the
designe prepared and We're waiting for
Congress to say eyes" when Lord
Fisher sailed in, laid down four ships,
built them with great secrecy, and
thus obtained a lead which we have
never lost. Thank God for our food
cheap food and the British Navy.
Credit ought to be paid to the Amer
lean Navy Department for its fore
sight. 1t Just missed the distinction
of being first in Dreadnaught con-
struction.
This, however, is to wander away
from the subject, which is the increase
in size of American dreadnaughts
though America knows as much about
submarines as we do and a great deaI
more than the Germans. They will not
listen to the arguments based on the
danger of placing too many eggs II
one basket. The upward movement OF
| us LJldCtIilCllI Oll IllC OIilCi 0iNN VI NA->
Atlantic has, indeed been very re-
markable.
At the first the Americans were sat
isfed with an 11-inch armOred belt
now they are satisfied with nothing
less than 16-inch. There were only
two torpedo tubes in the earlier ships
and some naval officers urged that
there should be more, now there are
four-all submerged-for the dis
charge of the 21-inch torpedo. with
800 pounds of high explosive. and
range of about 5000 yards.
Possibly the most remarkable fea,
ture of the new battleships-whict
will closely resemble the Pennsylvania
and her sister, now on the stocks-ls
that, in spite of the doubling of the
displacement, there has been little OF
no advance in speed; though triple ex,
pansion engines have been displaced
by turbines, the rate of steaming OF
the newest ships is calculated to be
Nv