The Washington herald., 1915-06-04
ASKS EXPOSE Of
NAVAL WEAKNESS
Rear Admiral Fiske Says Pub.
lie Should Realize Country's
Lack of Preparedness.
PICTURES u. S. INVADED
America Fighting Equipment In
ferior in Every Respect. As
serts Official.
PICTURES u. S. INVADED

Annapolis, Md, June ain the PRES
ence OF Secretary Daniels and scores Of
officers Of the naval service. at the Naval
Academy alumni dinner here tonight
Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske delivered
the most convincing statement revealing
the true relation of the United States
navy to the forces OF possible enemies
that has yet been made in the recent dis
cussions of national defcnses.
Responding to the toast of THE Navy"
Admiral Fiske sketched the defects of the
navy in material, personnel. and organi-
cation. He showed the forces now at war
in Europe have surpassed the United
States In the development and use Of the
newer instruments of naval warfare
with superior organization and adequate
personnel. He declared that even in gun
merry. which has been regarded as the
prize feature Of the United States navy,
the forces In Europe have achieved feats
greater than any even attempted by the
United States navy.
Must Realize Defects.
One of the most startling features Of
Admiral Fiske's speech was his state
ment that it was the duty of. naval Of
Ulcers to make laymen realiz8 the facts
of the navy as known to those Of its
service.
In reviewing the situation the United
States would have tomeet in case of an
attack upon it, he said:
An attack by one of the great naval
powers is the only kind we need con-
sider What would be the character of
the attacking force? Clearly the attack
ing force would be as great as the at
lacking power could spare. in order to
insure its SUCCESS and minimize its losses.
This means that the attacking force
would include battle cruisers. Dread
thoughts. pre-Dreadnoughts. scouts, cruis-
ers. destroyers. subma rines. mine depot
ships, mine layers. mine sweepers. air
ships and aeroplanes. all fully manned
and all strategically directed by a gen.
eral staff
What have We with which TO oppose
this force? A smaller number OF Dread
thoughts. pre-Dreadnoughts and destroyers
than the enemy would bring: no battle
cruisers. no effective scouts, one airship
recently contracted for. only ;hr1e good
aeroplanes not yet ready. all embryonic
aeronautical service, two mine depot
ships. one mine layer and twelve mine
sweepers: also about forty-five subma-
rines Of all kinds and ages. distributed
over the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
Panama, Hawaii and the Philippines.
none of which have ever attempted the
feats like those so effectively performed
In foreign navies now. and an inadequate
merchant marine from which to get aux
iliaries. To man even this insufficient
material We have an enlisted force IN
SUFFICIENT even for that in time of peace,
and no trained reserve. and no general
staff or similar agency to direct the
whole.
More War Craft Needed.
This means that. reasoning on the as
sumption that the United States desires
that the navy shall be able to guard our
coast effectively against the only kind Of
attack that would be made. the nav.
must obtain several types Of vessels and
instruments that we do not now possess
Cor possess in only insufficient meas urc,.
must learn TO use them both as units
and as members OF one great unit with
q skill at least equal to that with which
foreign navies already use them: must
enlist and efficiently train as large
force of enlisted men. active and re-
serve as our probable enemy would send.
and must develop a general staff or some
similar agency. as skillful and expert
enced as theirs.
We as naval officers. realize all this.
but this will accomplish nothing unless
we make the laymen realize it, too. If
we fear to do this lest We incur displeas-
ure and spoil our individual careers. we
are unworthy of the uniform We wear
and We fail our country in her hour of
need. just effectually as il we desert
ed her flag in war
LAS to sunners. the news that keeps
coming in of achievements in long-range
firing by European ships shows us that
while We are as good in cunnery as we
have ever been-our competitors have ac
complished feats greater than any that
We have even attempte5"
In responding to the toast The Presi-
dent" Secretary Daniels declared that
President Wilson ranked with Washing
ton and Lincoln in the high qualities he
had brought to his offlce and the gravity
of the problems with which he had had
deal