The Washington times., 1915-12-25
LamentabIe Weakness Claimed
in United States Naval En-
gineering Forces.
MEN OF LIMITED EXPERIENCE
Present System Puts Valuable
Warships in Hands Of Un-
trained /.

I,amenta BILE weakness r tie navy With
respeet to an ndcuuate sUrply - cont
petcnt engineers will In all probability.
be disclosed before the House and Sen
Ate Naval ANairs Committees this
winter
Legislation to remedy condition or
things which is giving much worry and
anxiety to Secretary Daniels aud high
navy officers Is likely 10 resolt. In fact,
one OF the features NJ the legislation to
enhance the preparedness Of the navy
is likely to be a measure TO strengthen
the naval engineering forces.
President Wilson himself Is cognlZant
NJ the need OF tho navy for better en-
gineers. He made this plain in his an
nua1 message when he asked fer au-
thority to appoint competent graduates
Of approved engineering colleges ="
commissions in the navy for engineer
ing duties only.
In other words, the President in or
der 10 remedy present conditions in the
navy, wants to draw engineer officers
from some OF the tor-notch technical
schools Of the country. In this he is
backed by Sccrctnr. Daniels and he
will have strong support in the naval
committees.
Navy Engineer Corps.
II is expected that an effort will re
made to establish an engineer corps in
the may. Back in 1880. the engineer
CORPS was abolished Under the present
system. officers Of the lire are detailed
TO duty In the engine rooms of the
Yarships The result Is, according 10
the evidence OF those who are familiar
with the situation, that the warships are
ir the hands OF engineering officers VINO
IRE indifferent to their duties. That y,
they are net engineering Officers at ell.
but simply line officers. detailed tempo
ra rilv TO engineering duty.
The explosion on the San DIEGO some
months ago. ending in n court martial
Droceediny. is one occurrence which mas
reorinC to which warships ttre some
times subjected. Stories are told OF
hattleships in the hands ot engineer
officers of limited experience which VIII
make an uproar in Congress II aired in
that body.
The result Of the present system.
which leaves the navy without dis
| tinct engineering corps, is felt in that
It often pats valuable warshlps, even
| supe in the hands of en-
eineerinE Officers who arc not highly
trained men iE the eugineerinG he!d' but
| that II tends to deprive the navy ol
crack designing engineers.
Navy Behind Times.
Growing from this lack or an adequate
force OF the best designing engineers, 1t
Is asserted the navy is behind the times
in it's knowledge OF the turbine and
the Diesel engine.
That something is wrong in the navy
engineering force is at least strongly in
dicated by the fact that the department
IL asking Congress for 81, 900. 900 to over
haul the turbines of the North Dakota
and three smaller craft.
That President Wilson has been ap-
prised by Secretary Daniels of the facts
and Of the need of building up a strong
body OF engineers in the service is the
meaning of his recommendation in his
message, that engineer officers he
drawn from engineering schools. II this
is done. II is not doubted the navy will
make drafts on the talent OF the
Country's best technical institutions.
When the naval committees get 10
grinding. they are likely to prod navy
, officials with sharp questions calculated
to bring out whether II Is not true thai
the navy is behind other great navies
in turbine DEVELOPMENT and development
OF engines for submarine and aerial use.