The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-05-27
Admiral F!etcher's Fleet Fails
In Effort to Keep Invading
Forces Out of Country
WAR GAME SHOWS
SERIOUS SITUATION
Enemy Equipped With Battle
Cruiser Can Easily Out
maneuver American Fleet of
Slow-moving Battleships

Washington. May 2s.-The EN-
envy has landed a large army on the
shore of Chesapeake Bay. Admiral
Fletcher's fleet, defending the All
lance coast Of the United States, met
the enemy" bat was signally de-
feased. All that now stands between
the invaders and the capital of the
nation is an army hastily organized
ana poorly trained.
! This Is the situation as it might be
described II the Atlantic fleet war
game which has just been conclud-
ed. had been real conflict and the
American navy had been called upon
TO protect the country against an at
tempt to lane an army by navy oe
the nrst class.
StrategistS OF the navy did not
hesitate today to say that the lesson
taught by the war game in the At
larfic is that the naval defenses OF
the United States are inadequate to
prevent the landing of an enemy benz
ON invasion by either the east or west
coast. These games demonstrated
the theory that ii Is entirely practt-
ca hie for at Least two powers of Eu-
rope to defeat the present Atlantic
fleet and land an army on American
soil
= Put 10 Test i'm War Games.
! Ii is the opinion of naval officials
that both Tie speed and gun power
of the Atlantic fleet. in the task that
nigh, at some time be assigned 20 1t
in protecting the United States from
invasion, were put to the test by the
war games just concluded.
The advance forces of the two fleets
! came into contact about daylight on
the Goth Off the New England coast
and within a few hours the battle
I cruisers of the Red, or enemy fleet,
! commanded by Rear Admiral Beatty,
! had succeeded in putting half of the
/ scouts OF the Blue, or defensive fleet,
( in command Of Admiral Fletcher, out
/ of action. The battle cruisers, with
! their high speed and long range. pick
ed off the slower and weaker cruisers
of the Blue feet almost at will. and
at the same time eluded the support
] ing dreadnaughts of the Red fleet The
! Blue fleet, with the scouts that re-
manned with IL, were able to prevent
Admiral Beatty from landing on the
( New England coast, but he suddenly
! turned south. Three days later Adj
miral Fletcher's fleet ventured south,
not certain where the enemy was Ad-
miral Beatty turned. came in contact
/ with the Blue feet and effected its de-
/ feat while his transports. loaded with
soldiers. continued on their way to
/ Chesapeake bay.
Attacking Fleet Superior.
The Red. or attacking feet, was pur-
posely given a superiority In scout and
battle cruisers approximately just such
a force as the American navy might
expect to meet in case OF trouble on
the Atlantic coast.
The defending fleet was beaten prt-
marily because of lack OF scouts and
battle cruisers. The American navy
has no such weapon of war as battle
cruiser and it's three scout cruisers
are out of date. The two leading naval
+. powers of Europe are well equipped
with battle cruisers and scouts. and
nearly all first class naval powers are
| better stocked In this regard than the
! navy of the United states. The Red
| neet was also given greater strength
| In dradnaughts of the type possessed
! by the German navy.
/ Just what service the submarine no.
tia attached to the Blue feet per-
/ formed Is not made Clear in state
ment concerning the games prepared
by Franklin d. Roosevelt, assistant
secretary of the navy. Their efficiency
Z ~.