The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-08-11
rules THE Waves
ENGLISH FLEET HAS DONE ITS
WORK in THE WAR
EXPERT REVIEWS fight

LAfLMI ALgALW0 Hull /
American Naval Strategist Compares
Claims Set Forth by German and
English Reviewers as to the Cper.
ations OF Battleships and Subma'
rines in the War.
Some time ago Count Won Revent-
low, of Berlin, a naval expert, review
ed the situation on the sea from a
German standpoint, and the Hon
Balfour presented Great Britain's
side about the same time. After
studying both summaries, an Ameri-
can expert arbitrates between them
He says:
Count Won Reventlow's review OF
the accomplishments Of the German
navy during the first year OF the wal
is mainly an apology for what it has
not done, and Mr.. Balfour's reply
states the situation as well as any
man could. Most naval officers,
viewing the situation impartially
would probably concede that the Brit
ish navy has accomplished all that
Mr.. Balfour claims for IT.
This statement was made to the
New York World by high naval au-
thority when asked for an expression
regarding the respective summaries
of Count Won Reventlow and Mr.. Bal
four, concerning the claims of the
exponents of these enemies. Con-
tinuing, he said:
"Mr. Balfour speaks Of seven
things which fleet may do. Many
naval officers probably would not
state the proposition in that way, and
vet agree with him. The most i'm
portant thing of all is to render i'm
potent or poweriess the fleet Of the
enemy. That the British navy has
bottled up the German navy and rem
dered it practically impotent can
hardly We questioned. All 1t can do
at present is to make submarine at
tacks by stealth on unarmed mer-
chant ships and fishing boats.
"The meaning of Count Reventlow
is not clear when he says: 1T is
plainly the standpoint Of the British
admiralty to avoid serious encounters
with the German fleet except under
specially favorable. conditions. 1t
fears that it would otherwise have
too few ships left and be weaker than
the United States after the war
Count Reventlow is mistaken
when he attempts to state the policy
of the British admiralty. Men who
have followed closely the course of
the war are very confident that the
standpoint of the British admiralty
is to attack the German fleet every
chance it gets.
every time the Germans have
sent a fleet outside of its protected
naval bases and mine fields and at
tempted to do anything the move
ment has been reported by British
scout ships and British fleet has
been on the scene on short notice
prepared for action.
'It is unquestionably true, as stat
ed by Count Reventlow, that 1T is
not correct to say that great armored
ships do not come out and fight for
fear of submarines, for there are
many other reasons to be consider
ed There is no particular reason
now why either the British or the
German great armored ships should
come out and fight. If conditions re-
ouired it and were imperative, how
ever, the submarines would not stop
them.
Where Farragut was entering
Mobile Bay and the flagship OF the
fleet was sunk almost in an instant
by the explosion Of mine he did not
withdraw from the attack. He said,
Damn the mines! Go ahead That
same spirit prevails to-day in naval
circles, and when there is work that
must be done commanding oflcers
are ever ready to take their chances
against submarines, mines or what
not and go ahead and do it.
1.-THE feat of the German suDn1a-
rines in cruising from the North Sea
to the Dardanelles was remarkable
accomplishment in steaming. 1t is
true, also, that after their arrival
they sank some enemy warships-
two British and one French. The
enemy at the Dardanelles was sur
prised.. They were not expecting sub
marine attack. 1t is equally true.
however, that since the sinking OF
these ships at the Dardanelles by the
German submarines nothing more has
been heard from them. They may
have been destroyed and may have
steamed elsewhere. At any rate, the
commanders Of the allied fleet are
now prepared for them and have been
successful in defending their fightns
ships against the submarines.
"Of course, the German navy mas
protected it's own coasts from attack
by the British fleet, and Count Rev
entlow may well remind Great Britain
that the boast of former admiralty
chief that the British dreadnoughts
would be on the German coasts be-
fore the news of the breaking out OF
the war appeared in the German
newspapers was a purely idle one and
has not been made good. On the
other hand, the attacks by German
ships on the English coast, while
daring, accomplished nothing of a
military value They have not been
very numerous and none have been
ATTEMPTED for months.
Nobody can gainsay Mr.. Balfour's
declaration that the British navy has
driven German commerce off the seas
and rendered Germany's navy utterly
impotent to strike blow or to Land
q man in defense Of her colonies.
Neither will anybody question the
proved efficiency of the British navy
in transporting British and Colonial
troops to France and Belgium, de-
spite the proximity Of German sub
marines and naval bases.
81 think it is undoubtedly true also
that from naval standpoint Ger
many was not prepared to have Eng
land enter the war. Count Revent-
low doubtless is correct in saying
that at the outbreak of the war the
German navy was hardly more than