Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1915-01-21
ST|RS UP THE NAVY
Battle in South Pacific Opens Up
Controversy.
Efficiency of Big Guns in Rough Sea
Is Subject Naval Officers Must
Give Their Attention
to Soon.
BY EDWARD 8. CLARK.

staff Correspondent Western Newspaper
Union)
Washing ton.-American naval off,
GERS are showing a deep interest in
the fairly complete report just re-
ceived of the fight between the Ger
man and English squadroEs in the
South Pacific, fight which ended in
the defeat of the British and in the
sinking with loss of all on board of
the cruiser Good Hope. There is
reason for the sharp interest of the
American officers.
This first fight in the South seas be-
tween German and English vessels
took place while a gale of wind was
blowing and the sea was running
high. German reports as we'll as
those from smaller English cruisers
which escaped from the combat, were
to the effect that the Good Hope could
not use its big guns because of the
pitch of the ship in the high seas.
During the latter days of the Roose-
welt administration a writer on naval
affairs said that some of the American
cruisers, ships of much the same type
as that of the English Good Hope, al
though the latter vessel was not men
toned or thought of at the time, were
so constructed that in high sea they
could not use their big guns efficient
ly. This criticism aroused a lot of at
tention and some naval officers said
that it was not well based and others
said that it was entirely well based
One American ship which was men
toned by the critic was the West Vir-
gina, of which it was said with a
sea running a more stable enemy's
ship with the same armament and the
same guns could knock the American
to pieces because the latter would
pitch SO that her guns could not be
sighted accurately.
One curious thing in connection
with this criticism was that just be-
fore the article appeared President
Roosevelt had taken a trip on the
West Virginia from the Mississippi
river below New Orleans around
Florida to Hampton roads. While on
the journey gale came up and Ad-
miral BrownsOn, who was in COM
mand of the West Virginia, took the
president on the bridge and said to
him: II want to show you how the
vessel behaves in high sea anG also
to show you that with conditions as
they are we can make good use of our
guns"
It was accounted singular that the
very ship which had been singled out
as a type of those which would be in
efficient in high sea was the ship on
which the president had sailed and
had seen under the conditions out
lined. Moreover, it was accounted a
coincidence that Admiral Brownson,
without knowing anything of the
forthcoming criticism, should have
made an answer to it in advance
1t seems likely that a complete
study of the possibility of the deficient
use of the big guns on our warships
of a certain type will be tested before
very long, in order that a point of
controversy may be settled. If it
should prove true that some of our
ships cannot give a good account of
themselves, even with a moderate sea
running, there probably will be a
change of construction methods in
volving a readjustment of weights.
The navy just now is studying this
matter with a good deal of interest,
attention, as has been said, having
been drawn to it by the predicament
which the English ship Good Hope
found herself in when the more stable
German vessels met it on the high
seas in a gale Of wind.