The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-08-04
PLANS FOR BIGGER NAVY;
WILL BUILD MANY SHIPS

WILL BUILD MANY SHIPS
Large Submarine F1otillas for Both
Coasts Aeroplane to be
Developed.
From authoritative sources The
| New York World has obtained gen.
eral outline of the reports that Sec
retary Daniels and Secretary Garrison
| will present to President Wilson re-
garding a definite program for a
| larger army and navy. It is upon
these reports, as finally approved by
the president, that the two secretaries
will base their estimates of expendi-
lures which congress will be asked
to provide. The navy program is:
l. The construction of at least four
superdreadnoughts and probably two
battle cruisers of the British Queen
Elizabeth type. The United States
navy at the beginning Of the year was
ten frst-line ships behind the number
required by the policy laid down by
the navy general board in 1913.
! 9. The construction Of large
number of destroyers. The navy, on
the basis Of its present number OF
big ships, built and building, was
ninety two destroyers short Of the
complement determined upon by the
general board Of four destroyers to
each batt1eship The navy now has
forty battleships of all types and only
sixty-eight destroyers.
8. The construction of upward o!
100 submarines, furnishing a compile
ment of fifty for each coast.
4. The construction in the aero
nautical base at Pensacola, Fla, of a
plant for the construction of hydro
aeroplanes, capable of turning out at
| least three machines week, or as
| fast as officers can be trained to oper-
ate them.
5. Increase in enlistment authori-
cations to bring the enlisted person
mel Immediately up to full strength
for all ships, built and building
which might be utilized in time OF
war-an increase Of about $4,000
men.
6. Enlargement Of the capacity OF
the naval academy at Annapolis with
a view of overcoming at the earliest
possible moment the existing short
age of 900 officers, on the basis OF
the ships built and building, to say
| nothing of the needed Increases
through extensions in the aeronauti-
| cal and submersib1e branches of the
naval establishment.
7. Authorization for the expendi-
ture of large lump sum at the di-
rection of the secretary Of the navy,
| with view of taking advantage OF
improvements and desirable innova-
tions Immediately upon their discoV-
cry.
s. Legislation giving the board OF
civilian inventors, which Secretary
Daniels recently created status be-
| fore the law.
Secretary Josephus Daniels tele-
graphed The World from a point in
North Carolina as follows:
eve are now studying what has
been learned by the European war
that will constitute the best guide for
the larger naval program. The out
standing lessons are three:
81. The value of the submarine
The last congress authorized twice as
many submarines as any previous
congress and also authorized the
building of three seagoing subma-
rines larger than any nation has yet
constructed. We are building one
submarine in the navy yard at Ports
mouth, n. H., and must build others
| in navy yards, thus securing compe-
tition between government plants and
private construction companies. We
are expecting to get better batteries.
Two have already been ordered from
Edison and will be shortly installed,
one in an old and one in a new sub
marine. Naval experts and civilians
are trying to improve the motors
which are now difficult to obtain. We
are planning for new submarine bases
ashore and for new tenders for sub
marines. The perfection Of the sub
marine and the construction of a
large number of additional ones may
be said to be receiving most earnest
consideration by naval experts and
naval statesmen
"2. The European war has empha-
sized the value Of aircraft as a naval
aid. The last congress recognized
the Importance of aircraft and gave
US s1,000,000 to begin fleet OF
scouts in the air. We have establish
ed at the abandoned navy yard at
Pensacola an aeroplane station with
school for instruction and shops to
repair machines, and the construction
of our aeroplanes at Pensacola. I'm
portant experiments are being made
at the Washington avy yard! I had
made contracts to buy hydroaero-
planes in Germany and in France just
before war was declared. These can
not be secured now. But we have
placed orders also with home COM
panies and are buying all types that
are suitable for our service made by
American manufacturing concerns.
Almost daily we are assigning young
officers to the Pensacola school, so
we will have trained men to fly in
the new craft ordered.
"3. The need of fast. cruisers has
been emphasized. The general board
and construction officers are now
busy discussing the character Of fast
cruisers and battle cruisers. Our
policy in the navy hitherto has been
to sacrifice speed to armor and guns.
Now we see the need, if necessary, OF
sacrificing armor to speed. We must
have ships that in heavy seas can
make forty knots. The types are yet
to be determined upon.
"These are the big things the big
war has emphasized as the immediate
need in our naval program.
Have We need to change our pol
icy as to torpedo destroyers and
dreadnoughts and armor? These are
matters our ablest experts at home
and abroad are studying and discuss
;,o Tho oonora1 hoarS ic ho1dino