The Washington times., 1915-04-14
A GREAT NAVAL BATTLE2 ?

There is reason, at least, to give
serious consideration to the rumors
which come from Norway and Den
mark, that a part of the German
fleet has escaped through the line of
the British North Sea blockade and
go out into the North Atlantic, bent,
of course, on trouble and'complicat-
ing the war situation. The season
has arrived when it will be increas-
ingly difficult for the German fleet to
remain within the waters behind
Helgoland, secure against attempts
of the British fighters to come in
after them.
In those far northern latitudes,
everything has fought for the Ger
mans during the last half year. The
night has been long, the day very
short. The season of heavy fogs and
rough waters has been all to the
advantage of the Germans.
But things are changing now. The
naval commanders face the season
in which daylight will fill the greater
part of the twenty-four hours, and
when the atmosphere wilDbe gener-
ally clear; when the nights are bril-
liant, and, during the moonlighted
part of the month, naval operations
will be conducted under circum-
stances utterly different than those
of the last six months.
This, then, is the season when, if
the German fleet persists in it's pol
icy of hiding, it may expect that the
allied warships will insist on forcing
the issue. 1t would have been rare
foolhardiness for the fleet to attempt
to 60 into the narrow waters,
strewn with mines, defended by sub
marines, and oppose an enemy
equipped with thorough knowledge
and detailed charts of these danger
Gus regions, and backed by land bat
teries. But today conditions are diff
ferent. The Germans must either
take their chance in such a fight, or
else attempt to get their fleet out
side. If they have not yet made the
effort, it is to be expected they can
not delay it much longer. And if
their fleet or any important section
of it gets out into the open sea, the
war will right suddenly enter on a
new phase.
With 5000 to 5000 vessels, of all
classes, entering and leaving the
ports of the British islands weekly
it is difficult to overestimate the
damage that the German fleet might
perpetrate for a time, if turned out
to run amuck the thick -strewn wa
ters surrounding the United King
dom. Presumably, the damage would
have to be done in rather a brief
time, for the combined power of the
British and French fleets would
hopelessly overmatch the German ar
mament. Nobody can guess, today
what the comparative forces may be
but it is known that the British
shipyards have finished and the navy
has commissioned several new bat
tleships since the war began, includ.
ing two and possibly as many as five
of the Queen Elizabeth class. Fur.
ther, it is stated officially, that they
are turning out, and can continue tc
turn out new dreadnaughts at the
rate of one a month indefinitely. Ir
other words, British naval power is
probably greater today than it was
when the war started, despite the
losses that have been sustained.
| There could be but one logica
fate then for the German fleet, once
it got away from it's home waters: il
would never get back. 1t might be
scattered and forced in part to in
tern; in part it would be destroyed
but its escape would make possible
the complete blockade of Germany
and would in time open up the pos
sibilities of grand joint attack OF
the German flank, by land and b,
sea, that might force the retiremen
of the German lines now held in tn,
north of France and in Belgium.
The war is likely to see more O.
great naval activity, in the thre,
months that will pivot on June 81
the day of longest daylight-thal
at any other period,