Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-31
NATIONAL DEFENSE
PROBLEMS.
x.-Lessons of the War;.
BattIeships.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

The man on the street is to be treat
| ed to a surprise when the reports
which naval experts are to make to the
President. and upon which the Presi-
dent will base recommendations to
Congress. are made public. This sur
prise will be due to the fact that the
naval authorities of the nations will
say that the submarine is of little i'm
portance and that the dreadnaught still
rules the waves.
This, the experts hold, is one of the
big lessons of the war, burt one that is
not apparent to the casual observer.
The submarine has been one of the
most striking developments of the
great conflict. has attracted more at
tention than any other of the new de-
vices. Yet 1t has failed to materially
interfere with the commerce of Great
Britain or France or to have any effect
upon their dominance of the seas. Ihe
ships of England have gone steadily
about their business despite 1t and the
losses of vessels leaving British ports
has been but two in thousand. The
99S have borne their cargoes to the
ports for which they cleared. The
losses have been accepted as a chance
of war and have not prevented other
ships from putting forth.
A path of the sea has been steadily
kept open between England and France,
soldiers have been freely transported
constant stream The loss of trans
ports or fighting ships has been so
slight as to amount to almost. nothing.
Yet, the experts point out. the condi
lions roundabout England are ideally
ad vantageous
Success of Craft to submarine
Due to Conditions. m manx has had
her own home ports as basis Of oper-
atoms. and the sea lanes leading out
from British harbors have been in easy
reach of the German base. The same Is
true of the Italian ports with rela-
ton to Austria. Yet the submarine
has proved itself but a wasp that could
sting most aggravatingly at times, put
which could inf1ict no mortal wound.
If submarines could not prove them
selves a vital element in war be-
tween European nations situated as
are those engaged in the present con-
fict, it is said that it would deserve
little consideration in any conflict with
any nation that could be considered an
ambitious possible enemy OF the Unlteo
States The distance that lies between
this country and any other that IS at
rine so much less effective than 1t IS
around England that Uncle Sam would
have little to fear from it.
Equally interesting is the expert
opinion upon the part that the dread
naught has played in the present war
and upon its importance in a consider
alton of possibilities that NAV arise
The big fighting craft have made SO
few spectacular appearances that they
have been almost forgotten and the
public has begun to say that the Dig
ships are thing of the past and that
future naval battles Will be fought py
submarines and small, fast cruisers
With this opinion the experts most
strenuously disagree. They state that
the greatest victory of the war so tar
has been won by the battleship. almost
without having fired a shot That VIC
tory is the dominance of the seas. the
battleships of Great Britain have bot
tied up Germany. Their very presence
in hidden Ravens around Scotland or
Ireland, or wherever they are, has pre-
vented the German fleet from leaving
its home ports. They have in this way
made it possible that German merchant
ships should he. driven from the seas
and that German trade should pc en-
tirely cut off.