Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-05-27
HOW RED" INVADERS
WON NAVAL WAR GAME
In Position to Establish Base in
Chesapeake Bay When Ma
neuvers Close.
FLETCHER's DEFENSE FAILS
His Campaign Described as Good, but
He Is Handicapped by Weather
and Lack Of Speedy Scouts With
Long-Range Guns.

WASHINGTON. May 26.-superiority
OF the enemy in units presenting fas-
ter and moro heavily arrnoted battle
cruisers. coupled with weather condi-
| lions favorable for an attack, brought
failure of Admiral Fletcher's defen-e
of the Atlantic seaboard in the naval
war game which closed yesterday with
Rear Admiral Beatty's invaders in A
position to establish a base in Chesa
peake Bay.
The story Of the game as told in
reports of the commanding officers to
! the Navy Department to-day revealed
that Admiral Beatty, with a theoretic-
ally stronger force. engaged the main
body of the defending fleet last Thurs
| day. and destroyed about half OF Ad-
| miral Fletcher's scouts while easily
| eludinE the supporting Dreadnoughts
Then. when Admiral Fletcher drew off
to guard against a movement against
New England or New York, the enemy"
swept southwark. prepared to estab-
lish q base of operations by landing
an expedition from his transports and
| at the same time faced northward with
sufficient force to deal with any squad
rons the defenders might send against
him.
Admiral Fletchcr's defensive cam
naign Was described as n good one. but
he was handicapped not only by the
weather and lack OF speedy scouts with
long range guns. but by inability to
have submarines on the scene when the
final test against the enemy came
The department tonight issued a
statement summarizing reports on the
mancuvers.
The war problem which has just been
played off the Atlantic coast had for
its purpose the training of the officers
Of the feet. The problem on the part
OF the Atlantic Fleet was. in brief, TO
prevent more powerful fleet than
ours from establishing a base at some
point between Eastport, Maine. and
| Cape Hatteras. from which to invade
! the country. When Admiral Fletcher
moved out from New York at noon of
May Is, with the Blue feet, he faced
! the difficult problem of meeting an
enemy stronger than his own in every
branch except submarines, and especI-
ally superior in scouts. Admiral
Fletcher's plan of defense was excel
lent, but was not successful. owing to
weather conditions and the marked
superiority of the enemy in scouts
The attacking Red feet under Rear
Admiral Beatty approached at a dis
lance OF several hundred miles by a
line of fast scouts, spaced at inter-
walls. and covering front OF nearly 500
miles; behind this line and ready to
| stiffcn II at my point where necessary
came line of battle cruisers and
armered cruisers. These Red scouts
and cruisers had the problem not only
of locating the Blue feet. but also of
preventing any concentration OF ships
from the Blue feet from breaking
through n weak point in their line,
and attacking the Red transports fol-
| lowing behind the main Red fleet.
These transports were Intended to exact
n foothold on the coast and maintain
, themselves there until endorsements
could be brought TO their support
| The advance forces came in contact
soon after daylight on the 20th. With
in a few hours, about half of the Blue
scouts had been put out OF action, the
most effective work against them being
done by the enemy's battle cruisers,
whose high speed and long range en-
able them to pick OFF the slower and
| weaker Blue cruisers almost at will.
at the same time cluding the support
ing DreadnouRhts. Admiral Fletcher
withdrew to the northward using his
remaining scouts 10 search and guard
the area from which he believed the
Red fleet would pass il the contem-
plated landing on the New England
coast This was, as matter OF fact,
Admiral Beatty's plan. although Ad-
miral Fletcher had not actually To-
Gated the Red feet The Blue feet
succeeded in protecting this region and
forcing Admiral Beatty in the end to
seek an opening to the southwark
In the meantime Admiral Beatty was
holding his main force well out TO sea.
and following up every move of the
defending feet with his scouts. Thus
the fleet was able to make every move
with knowledge OF the cnemys where
abouts, while the other was i'm the
dark. When convinced that no openine
was to he expected along the New Eng
land coast. Admiral Beatty turned to-
ward the south and passed around the
! flank OF the defending forces starting
out about noon OF the Path for Chesa-
peake. During the night of the Gath
, Admiral Fletcher left the vicinity Of
Cape Cod. where he had remained for
three days, and moved southwark
! News of this move almost immediately
rca ched Admiral Beatty, who was at
that time heading for Cape Henry, over
100 miles ahead of the Blue feet.
/ At noon on May %. Admiral Beatty
! turned back with his feet to meet the
! enemy. his transports meanwhile con-
| tinuing south with an escort TO the
mouth OF the Chesapeake Bay. AS the
force with which he thus threatened
the Blue feet was decidedly more pow
erful than that Admiral Fletcher could
bring against 1t. and as the subma-
rines OF the defending force were not
near enough to take part in the en-
! gagcment. the umpire decided that Adj
miral Beatty's forces could. without
! difficulty. seize base in or near tho
| Chesapeake. that the Red force had
been successful in Its object and that
the strategical movements were at an
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