Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-08-18
sv. PROF. WILLIAM L. cArHcARr.

naval academy; member American So
ciety Of Naval Engineers and Society Of
Naval Architects; late OF Columbia uni
versity's staff. and recognized by the
American navy's highest placed officers
as a leading expert on all matters con-
meet with naval warfare.
During the year of war Just ending
naval engagements nave been farf few
er than the magnitude of the vast ar
madas massed for this mighty conflict
ave led a waiting world to expect. And
yet. 1t Is wholly safe to say that no
year since the dawn of history has seen
such unprecedented and spectacular eff
fects in the conduct OF naval war.
Great Britain's grand fleet'-the lar
gcst in number and power h world
has ever ~known-has tugged at its an
chOrs In some secluded port, but it's
eense Quiescence has been that of the
lion %quivering for it's spring. Held at
uay by 1T and under the protection of
submarines. mines, Qualifications. and
stone walls. Germany's great ships
the second in strength of the worlds
navies-have lain inert. their existence
marked only by minor and ~infrequent
raids. all ineffective militarily and
some of them disastrous materially.
The nature of the few actions which
have occurred between capital ships
and Germany's harassing policy of at
SO veal uOWII IlcI LUG NY SUI.
marine warfare. nave had, each In its
own way, momentous effects on the ma
val architecture and fleet tactics Of the
future. These swift changes have beer
startling to sea officers who cherish
the memories of past days. Stately
line of battle ships no longer advance,
slowly and majestically In column for
nation. to grapple fiercely in the end
at point blank range. Instead, enor-
nous ironclads have charged at express
speed In a running and decisive
Tight over wide stretches of sea, firing
effectively at unprecedented distances
from guns which are still below the
sea horizon OF their foe. Under v
Of darkness or fog, or in coast waters,
the submarine has shown-fOr the first
time on an extended scale-its deadly
power against slow or careless ships.
Soaring above. the aeroplane has scout
ed to detect 1t. and. by wireless, the
has guided fast cruisers on
their raids. To meet such results as
these-scme predicted. others unfore-
seen-from the mighty enginery Of ma
val war. the sea officer of u day
must make new applications of tho
principles of strategy, and, to some x
tent. recast his tactics. His recent prob
lems are without precedent.
1.-THE Silent Flssts.
On August l. 1914. three days before
Great Britain declared war against Ger
many; Its home fleet. nov the grand
ileet." sailed for q publicly unknown
Destination. presumably in or near the
az follows: Sky battleships, ~ battle
cruisers. 81 arr1ored and light cruisers,
II mine sweepers and mine layers. 1874
and other torpedo craft, nine
ender and repair and depot ships. a
patrol boats. and So submarines. OPP
posing this vast aggregation were the
composed Of SO battleships. three battle
cruisers. 80 armored and light cruisers,
1So d~estroyers and torpedo boats, %
and various a~uxiliaries,
such, as mine layers ana repair and de-
pot ships-a total Of more than 275 ves-
sells of all classes.
Supporting the British force in the
enamel and the Atlantic, there has
Deen q French fleet Of seven armoured
cruisers. numerous auxiliary cruisers.
ana 14O torpedo craft. The operations
N the Mediterranean, except those ut
the Dardanelles. have been also chiefly
"a the hands Of the French, who. for
~ months with q force Of four dread
tleships. attended by cruisers and de-
y have maintained q close
blockade in the Adriatic sea against the
entire Austrian fleet Of Is battleships.
- cruisers. ~ torpedo craft. n II
submarines.
There has been much adverse and
uninformed comment on the seeming
quiescence OF tho still silent Brftish
Ileet. That the battleshlps Of the
greatest sea power on earth-on whose
navy during the last decade 31,o4O.63l.-
w nave been spent-should lie for q
Of Wal without firing q shot, has
Sselneo. naturally enough. incompre-