Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-07-12
NAVY BOARD URGES
30 SUBMARINES.
Higher Efficiency Expected From New
Craft rban Possessed BY Any
Now Afloat.

EldHS lot making the United States
submarine more efficient than that oi
any other power are being worked out
by the navy general board in connec-
tion with the preparation of the next
building program of the navy
That program includes estimates for
nearly double the number OF under-sea
craft appropriated for by the last ses-
sion OF Congress. At least thirty, and
perhaps more, submarines will be ask
ed of the next Congress, il is said.
Some officers, it is asserted, believe
fifty or seyenty-flve submarines would
not be too many.
Secretary Daniels is said to favor a
large building program, and those IA .
miliar with President Wilson's views
would not be surprised if he were to
favor an unusually large program. sn-
formation is being gathered rapidly
abroad by the experts of the Navy
Department concerning the latest in
proyements in the under-w water boats.
One of the reasons why some Euro
pean countries have been able to man
ufacture submarines rapidly has been
because of their development of their
industry of making internal combus-
tion oil-burning engines.
Experiments are being conducted by
the navy for the use of electric bate
ries in pTopelling submarines for sub
merged operations, and il is believed
the number of submarines recomend-
ed viii depend almost entirely on the
number of batteries and engines that
can be supplied.
Greater efficiency than has been
achieved by any foreign navy is conf
IDENTIFY predicted by high officials Cor
the American submarine as the result
of the new batteries which are to be
introduced Already Secretary Daniels
has announced that all submarines
built will be equipped with one or
more disappearing guns for surface ac
tion. A school devoted entirely TO the
training of officers and crews fos sub
marines now is in operation.
While the development of the sub
marine is being worked out, plans for
the two superdreadnaught provided
for by the last Congress are being de
layed pending the results of expert
ments now in progress with defense
against torpedoes. Secretary Daniels
says that Rear ADMIRAL Taylor, chief
of the Bureau of Construction and Re-
pair, was directing the series of ex-
periments, using armored caissons tn
represent battleships
II is said that the thickness of armor
necessary 10 withstand the explosion
of the most modern torpedoes and also
the amount of hull subdivision requir-
ed TO keep a ship afloat after he bot
tom has been torn open by mine or
torpedo rae problems upon which the
navy Officials are working
A point to be determined is whether
the new ships shall carry main bat
teries of enigh 16-inch rifles or of
twelve 14-inch weapons each. The
new 16-inch rifle, the largest ever de-
signed for naval use. has proved en-
tirely satisfactory. it has been stated
although no details of its performance
have been made public.
The big gun has greater range and
striking force than the 15-inch weap-
ons OF the newest battleships OF Tor
eign nations. There is also, however,
tremendous increase in weight, MAX
ing it necessary to reduce the number
of guns carried
Some officers believe the prestent
14-inch gun, which has a range be-
yond the reach of vision at sea, and
tremendous hitting power, should be re-
tanned for the new ships because
twelve can be mounted on each ship
as against eight 1S-inch guns