The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-11
MORE SPEED URGED
FOR US. WARSHIPS
Engineer Tells Daniels Navy
Should Have Iron Bottoms
Electroplated With Copper.
OLD WAY MEANS \ LOSS

william Russell Hinsdale. a consulting
engineer and metallurgist AZ so Broad
way, has written n letter TO the secre-
,ary OF the Navy setting forth practical
reasons why the cruisers and battleships
Of the United States navy should be built
with iron bottoms electroplated with
copper.
Mr.. Hnsdale contends hat II II a
great waste of money and "A great loss In
efficiency to construct warships whose
bottom sheathings inevitably become cor
roded with barnacles. necessitating fire.
ouen' visits H. drydocks aud expensive
cleaning and painting, and whose speed
Is inevitably reduced at times. perhaps,
when they might be most needed for the
fastest OF defensive or offensive opera
tions.
To cling to the old fashioned iron Or
steel bottumlug when experience has
shown that there ~ no adequate substi-
ute for copper sheathing IL tho falsest
of ecotomy. Mr.. Hinsdale writes to Sec
Rotary Daniels, and IL certainly not in
line with the policy Of preparedness
which now demands perfect efficiency for
American fighting ships.
The records of the United States and
fSTltlSn ndNltS HhN' bttn W
Mr.. Hinsdalo with the result hat he IL
able 10 adduce numerous examples of the
money waste and time waste resulting
from iron or steel bottoms. He quotes
some OF the best known of American and
British naval commanders In support of
his contention that w%arships without
copper sheathed bottoms rapidly lose
| their speed and so become undepeIlda bic
| after "A few months OF cruising,
The one great aim in the construction
Of our navy" Mr.. Hinsdale writes.
should be superiority over similar ves-
sells built or In course Of construction by
| foreign alton and no means should be
left untried 10 gain this end. Tho vessels
to be built under contract or at our
navy yards will he designed con-
structed with an estimated speed per
! hour. Such speed will doubtless be Sc
cured on the trial trips and maintained
while the bottoms are clean. but II Is
still an und' sputed fact that II stationed
for "A short time in tropical waters the
bottoms would become so foul as TO cause
a decrease OF three or four knots with
the same consumption of coal and the
same development of horsepower.
Speed Is one of the essential qualities
of the modern vessel and every effort
should he made to secure AT all times its
maximum development for the impor-
taINe of superiority in this particular has
| been many times demonstrated In naval
engagements Enormous sums of money
| are being expended for costly ships Of
war. Great speed is demanded on a few
hours trial. which cannot be maintained
under ordinary conditions of service.
Such vessels would he practically useless
for employment on foreign stations when
they could not frequently be placed in
dock. cleaned and repainted. Not only
Is II exceedingly expensive at all times.
hut II Is particularly veXatious and
perilous in time Of war 10 send our ships
into dock, and II involves In money ex
penditure an absolutely reprehensible
waste
Mr.. Hinsdale reasoned that, with our
few naval stations in foreign water.
commanders of warships are apt to find
in peace or war that they are command
ing steel hunks. and that they would NJ
forced to beg permission 10 Use docks
and delay Tor cleaning until orders could
be obeyed. no matter what the emer-
gency. Such delay. he argues might he
fatal.
notwithstanding all the elaborate ap-
pliaIkces of the modern battleship," Mr..
Hinsdale writes. land previous drill In
squadron or otherwise. when il comes to
the actual test In "A sea fight, each YES
sci must practically operate independent
~ of the other vessels Of the fleet. They
will not fight en masse. but as floating
mobs. After the first onset the feet
commander will lose all immediate con-
troll and the fight will be waEed to Its
eventual conclusion by the commanders
of the individual ships. It follows,
therefore. that the ship which can be
most quickly handled for position will
he the winner. II, then. the individual
ships are fairly well matched in all the
modern appliances and In the skin oi
officers and men, such even conditions
when the crucial test comes, will be over
balanced to the certain defeat and
destruction OF the vessel with a barnaclod
and fouled bottom contending against 9
] Nassal with claan slrfacaan