Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-05-18
Massachusetts Congressman
Again Presses Point of
Efficiency of Fleet
Especial star-BuIetin correspondenceI


Washington. d. C..
May I, 1915.
Hen. William Howard Taft.
New Haven. Connecticut.
My Dear Professor Taft: The
morning papers of May contained
as you know, another memorandum
issued under the approval of Secretary
Daniels. This most recent memoran'
dun is devoted entirely to extolling
the merits of our superb naval 14-inch
guns, whose quality no one questions,
1t has occurred to me, however, that
! ought to send you letter supple
mentary to my effort Of April 90. in
order to point out the errors into
which a casual reader Of this new
navy department statement might
easily fall.
Il am glad to be able to agree with
Secretary Daniels that the broadside
OF the Pennsylvania with it's II IA
inch guns is mightier than the broad
side of the British dreadnought,
Queen Elizabeth, with her battery of
eight 15-inch guns-and this in spite
of the fact that the British PROTECTIVE
is over 500 pounds heavier than ours.
The British projectile weighs 1920
pounds; ours weighs 400 pounds.
But why does the secretary pick
out the Pennsylvania which will not
be complete till next year to compare
with a vessel now bombarding the OAR
danelles forts? Why not take the New
York or the Texas as the standard of
comparison? They are the only two
ships in commission in the United
States navy which carry guns bigger
than ~ inches in diameter. Each of
these ships has a battery of only ten
14-inch guns. In other words, the
weight of their broadsiSes is $4,000
pounds as against a broadside from
the Queen Elizabeth weighing 1880
pounds.
Unless man is wilfully blind, the
explanation of the whole gun question
is perfectly plain. The British ad.
miralty prefers dreadnoughts with
little less tonnage and little greater
speed than ours. Furthermore, the
British admiralty prefers battery Of
a lesser number of 15-inch guns, while
we prefer a battery of a greater num-
Der of 14-inch guns. That is all there
IL to it. But there is deal Of hum
bug going on about these naval guns.
1t is not as if they were land guns.
On land you can build guns of unlimft-
ed size and number. On shipboard
what you gain in one direction you
must cut down in another. Great Brit.
ain, Germany ant Italy are equipping
their newest dreadnoughts with 15-
inch guns, the United States and
Japan prefer 14-inch guns, while
France and Austria prefer IL II guns.
As for dreadnought cruisers, Russia
and Japan equip their newest with Ia
inch guns, while for this type Great
Britain prefers 10 1-2 inch guns and
Germany prefers Pinch guns.
The United States, France, Italy
and Austria have no dreadnought
cruisers. >..<: ...-s
In the diameter of the guns is not
likely to make so much difference as
a little better team play in the work
ing of the guns. In fact, last winter
there was testimony before the com.
mittee on naval affairs in Washington
10 the effect that some people thought
we made a mistake In adopting IA
inch naval gun instead OF a 12-inch
naval gun. -.
After all, 1t is pretty safe to as
sumo that the naval officers of the
various nations have some degree of
sense and that there is pretty strong |
argument in favor of each of the types |
Of big guns. ~
las a matter of fact l have not |
leard of anyone turning up his nose
either at the 1-3 1-2 inch gun or at |
he 14-inch gun or at the 15-inch gun. I
Dur naval guns would be all right il
We had enough of them and enough of |
he right sort of ships on which to |
Mount them. Unfortunately, so of our |
zig guns are mounted on pre-dread- 7
loughts, a type of battleship about as
much up to date as two-cylinder au- I
omobile. Likewise, is other of our
zig guns are mounted on the two near
Ireadnoughts, Michigan and South
which were relegated on
Iarch 8, 1915, to the second line or
r.: '.-..
IF you want to know how our big
,uns compare in number with those
# foreign nations, turn to page $50 Of
he u. S. Navy Year Book for 1914,
senate Document No. 637. You will
md there a table headed Large Guns
which shows the number of guns from
/ inches to Is inches, built and
III ~E @hn