The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1915-05-14
english navy
SAVES ALLIES
illustrates Portective Pow
er of Great Vessels.
When Properly Directed These
Fighting Machines Can Ac-
( complish Much.

After nine months of the most san
culinary. most devastating and most
e,stly war of all human history. its
most noteworthy achievement is still
that OF the British fleet. 1t took the
British navy of century ago sixteen
years to accomplish what the navy of
today has accomplished in half as
many months. While German armies
were advancing into France and Rus
STA. the German fleet, without striking
a blow. left the seas in possession OF
the enemy. relinquishing all the ad-
vantages which sea command confers.
To appreciate the military signif-
canoe of such a movement we must
imagine its counterpart in terms
of land warfare. Had the German
and Austrian Armies retired within
a few fortified positions. leaving the
armies OF France, Russia. Belgium
and Great Britain to march thru
their territories. seizing private and
public property. and exercising every
possible proprietorial right. no one
would have questioned on which side
lay the balance Of advantage In the
war. But such a situation would
have offered an exact parallel to
that which has happened at sea. The
two navies-German and Austro-
Hungarian--have retreated into
strongly defended ports, while the
British and French fsets have exer-
clsed all the rights over the great
sea routes. History records no more
remarkable illustration OF the value
oHnaval power; and altho there is
still a possibility that the German
navy may succeed in striking the
kind of blow which was contemplate
ed by its creators. the possibility de-
crs1ases with every week added to
the duration Of the war, were It only
because the relative superiority OF
the British navy Is constantly in
creating. There never was much IL
fusion about the kind Of service
which the German navy was capable
of rendering. It may be that Grand
Admiral Won Tirpitz conjectured.
when he prepared his memorandum
of 1900, that as the British feet was
then, SO Il would be found to be In
1914. II 50, he must have been
quickly disabused Of any such no
ton. But In this very memoran-
dunn the admiral contemplates the
possibility OF the greatest naval pow
ar being able to concentrate against
Germany with considerable superior
nv of strength as q very remote one.
Yet, even so. he argued: "The de-
feat of a strong German feet would
so substantially weaken the enemy
that, in spite of the victory he might
have obtained his own position In the
world would no longer be secured by
an adequate feet" Until the strong
German feet has elected to stake its
destruction on the possibility OF be-
ing able to cost the enemy dear II
will be impossible to pass on the cor
rectness of that conclusion.
a. one point the German Grand
Admiral was manifesty In error
namely, as to the improbability OF
the great naval power being able to
concentrate all its striking forces at
one point. Owing to the much de-
nounced principles Of strategy ad-
opted by Sir John Fisher, when First
Sea Lord of the Admiralty, no at
tempt was made to maintain a ma
val patrol of the outer seas by no
tillas of ineffective small cruisers,
and every effort was bent to the ere
alton or q grand feet ready In over
towering strength TO neutralize the
main forces of the enemy. Owing
also TO an arrangement which France
the greatest naval power was able
soon after the opening Of the war;
10 entrust to Vice Admiral Boue de
Lapeyrers the defense Of British In
terests in the Mediterranean. Thus
the British were in . position to hold
the North sea with practically all
thor strensth.ss they do today, while
FrSncs held the Mediterranean with
all her strength. a. she continues to
40. 20 that the basis upon which the
expansipp, OF the German nsst had
been planned was swept away even