New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-02
Naval Expert Says Loss
Is Hard Blow to Britain

Iondon. Jan 2-"Ihe Daily News
naval expert says: at would be IDLE
20 pretend that the loss Of the For
midable is not a serious blow 10 US.
The shin herself. . sister TO the I'M
fortunate Bulwark, was not an lmpor-
tant factor in our naval strength, al
though, as she displaced 1000 tons mare
than any Of Germany's pre-dread,
nought battleships, even the materia!
loss is not negligible.
while the Formidable Would nave
been helpless against dreadnought' II
is plain that she was match lor any
German pre-dTeadnought, and there
fore II is 10 be hoped that the ID
rniralty will not again aitront the IN
telligence of the country by tel!lng Us
that the loss OF the Formidable IS OF
no Importance and the ship herself OF
no fighting value. We do not employ
on war service warships which are OF
no fighting value.
an any case, whatever the value
az the ship, her loss is OF lar less
Importance than that OF the 400 OIL
GERS and men who seem to have gone
down with her. They were all picked
men, and most Of them long and eX-
pensively trained, and, apart from the
human aspect Of the matter, they can
not be adequately replaced IN twice
the time it takes TO build a ship the
size of the Formidable.
"Tbere is no indication in the official
report as 10 either the scene or the
manner Of the Formidable's destruc'
ton. We are simply told she sank IN
the Channel and that either mine or
a Submarine may have been responsible
for the loss. although the British mine
Geld north Of the Straits Of Dover was
laid down with the intention OF pre-
venting German submarines from get
ting into the Channel. We have al
ready had evidence that IL failed IN IT;
purpose. and that these vessels, either
bv diving under the mines or circum-
venting them by skirting the British
coast or by risking q dash across tht
field, succeeded in penetrating INTO th'
Channel.
"The first indication Of this was thu
torpedoing Of the refugee ship hdmlra
Canteaume. Then came the sinking %
the cruiser Hermes, October 81, an,
the gunbcat Niger, November H. loii
lowed in the last week OF that mohtI
by the sinking Of the merchah'inei
Nalacbite and Primo of Havre, wei
over 100 miles down the Channel ant
opposite Portsmouth. That the enemy
submarines succeeded In getuhI
through the straits once is lot sur
prising, but 10 is plain they are nam
tanning a constant patrol there, wnlci
necessitates frequent return 70 thel
bases. as no vessel Of this class coul'
remain indepently at sea from the enc
Of October until the beginning OF Jan
uary.
"Taken in conjunction " IN the fire.
and immune passage OF German SQUAD
rons Of big ships across the Nortl
SeN on November and Dece nber i
and with the successful tnd saie ols
match of g large British ilOtilla &
Helgoland on Christmas, tae fact
seem 20 suggest the idea Of the Nortl
Sea az an area thick with mines 8
being erroneous"
"The Morning Post naval CORE
epondent says: at is useless 20 pre-
fend that the loss is a small matter. al
though IL is true that there are othe
,hips which are more valuable, and ]
Is Also true that such incidental losse
DO not affect the main issue OF th'
campaign. But each Of these sue
sessiye disasters brings more neari!
home the question Of the future desigl
and use Of the capital ship. There arr
people who maintain that the battle
ship will be driven from the seas anC
superseded by the submarine.
"The same prophecy was made whef
The swift torpedo carrying vessel was
Invented Il was said that the torpedo
boat would supersede the battleship
but nothing Of the sort occurred. The
iorpedo boat was sup, seeded by the de-
stroyer, which in turn AS expee ed K
pupersede the battleship. That fore
east was so far justified that II became
-...<o 40 kaap hatfleShina 81 night
fithin reach Of destroyers.
"But in these cases no war had oc-
rurred in which theories could be
brought 20 the test In the case under
consideration the experiences OF the
%ar have proved that battleahips car
only navigate mine-strewn and sub
parine-haunted waters at great haz-
ard"
: The first definite expression Of pro-
fessionsl naval opinion on the subject
70 be published is the view Of the Naval