Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1915-12-08
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
FOR GREATER NAVY.
Always Looked to 1t az Our First and
Chief Line Of Defense.

| The program which will be laid be-
| fore you by the secretary of the navy
is similarly conceived. 1t involves only
shortening of the time within which
plans long matured shall be carried
out, but it does make definite and ex-
plicit program which has heretofore
been only implicit, held in the minds Of
the committees on naval affairs and
| disclosed in the debates Of the two
houses, but nowhere formulated or for
mally adopted. 1t seems to me very
clear that 1T will be to the advantage
of the country for the congress to adopt
comprehensive plan for putting the
navy upon final footing of strength
and efficiency and to press that plan
to completion within the next five
years. We have always looked to the
navy Of the country as our first and
chief line of defense; we have always
seen it to be our manifest course of
prudence to be strong on the seas.
Year by year we have been creating q
navy which now ranks very high in
deed among the navies of the maritime
nations. We should now definitely de-
termine how we shall complete what
we have begun and how soon.
The program to be laid before you
contemplates the construction within
five years of ten battleships. six battle
cruisers, ten scout cruisers. fifty de-
stroyers, fifteen fleet submarines,
eighty-five coast submarines, four gun
boats, one hospital ship, two ammuni-
ton ships, two fuel oil ships and one
repair ship. 1t is proposed that of this
number we shall the first year provide
for the construction Of two battleships,
two battle cruisers, three scout cruisers,
fifteen destroyers, five fleet submarines,
twenty-five coast submarines, two gun
boats and one hospital ship; the second
year two battleships, one scout cruiser,
ten destroyers, four fleet submarines,
fifteen coast submarines, one gunboat
and one fuel oil ship; the third year
two battleships, one battle cruiser, two
scout cruisers, five destroyers, two fleet
submarines and fifteen coast subma-
rines; the fourth year two battleships,
two battle cruisers, two scout cruisers,
ten destroyers, two fleet submarines,
fifteen coast submarines, one ammuni-
ton ship and one fuel oil ship, and
the fifth year two battleships, one bat.
tie cruiser two scout cruisers, ten de-
stroyers, two fleet submarines. fifteen
coast submarines, one gunboat, one am
munition ship and one repair ship.
The secretary Of the navy is asking
also for the immediate addition to the
personnel of the navy of 1900 sailors.
$500 apprentice seamen and 1900 ma
rines. This increase would be sufIi-
cient to care for the ships which are
to be completed within the fiscal year
1917 and also for the number of men
which must be put i'm training to man
the ships which will be completed
early in 1913. 1t is also necessary that
the number of midshipmen at the Ma
val academy at Annapolis should be
increased by at least 800 in order that
the force of officers should be more
rapidly added to, and authority is ask
ed to appoint, for engineering duties
only, approved graduates of engineer
Ing colleges, and for service in the avi
alton corps certain number of men
taken from civil life.
If this fun program should be carried
out we should have built or building in
1871, according to the estimates of sur.
vival and standards of classification
followed by the general board of the