Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-07-03
DUTCH PLAN A
Big INCREASE IN
navy next YEAR
ASSOCIATED Press Correspondence

| ASSOCIATED Press Correspondence
The Hague. Netherlands, June s.
Fast cruisers and submarines are to
form the bulk Of the additions to the
Dutch navy in 1916, according to the
naval budget. The Minister Of Ma
rine obtained the consent Of Parlia-
ment to begin the building Of the two
new cruisers and four submarines Of
the biggest type at once, while he was
hydro-aeroplanes.
The cruisers are to develop a speed
Of 30 knots at their trials and to pos
sess a steaming radius Of 5000 miles
at minimum speed Of IL knots. They
are to displace 5000 tons and to cost
$780, 600 each, and are to be built in
Holland under the supervision of a
foreign firm, which must guarantee
| the quality Of their construction and
! that they attain the requirements laid
down by the government. They are
TO be armed with 10 six-inch quicktir-
/ ing guns, four three-inch semi-autO-
matte quickfrers arranged for use as
anti-airship weapons, and four ma
chine guns. The armor-belt is to be
of three-inch plates and the decks also
are TO be protected all over while their
bridges and ammunition hoists are 20
be reinforced by steel. Turbine en-
gines are to be used and liquid fuel to
/ be burned. Ia
| Each of the four new submarines is
to displace SEQ tons and to possess six
torpedo-tubes. The cost of each is es-
timated at 100000.
| Both cruisers and submarines are to
! he fitted with special ventilation ar
engagements and the accommodation
for the crews is to be Of the most mod
! ern kind so as to make the vessels
comfortable in the tropics.
f, The new hydro -aeroplanes (siX in
rumber) are to cost $500 each and
are to be purchased abroad. Ii had
been intended by the government to
introduce a more extensive program
but the Ministers considered it wiser
to wait till the end of the war SO as
to profit by it's lessons.
The reason big battleshirs were not
provided for was that in case Holland
should be drawn into the war, the
Dutch fleet would be compelled to
duoPl Tic Di IiClplc VI Il StIdlSS'ltCl NS-
fensive, reinforced by an occasional Of
fensive by the submarines. whose pres
ence would make the North Sea peril
Gus for any enemy Warcraft. Holland
coasts contain inlets, each of which
would serve as a base for submarines.
which, with the assistance Of fast
mine layers and the strcwing of the
shallow coast waters with fixed mine
fields, would play the most important
part in Dutch sea operations.
The Dutch colonies in the East In
dies also could be placed in an excel
lent state of defence by means of sub
marines, fast cruisers and destroyers,
and much Of the Dutch navy is sta
toned in colonial waters for this pur-
pose AS a matters of fact, half of
the money voted for this years naval
appropriations Is to be paid by the COL
onies themselves.
It has always been fundamental
idea Of those in charge of the Dutch
naval defence to have the best possible
material at hand even though it should
| be only small in quantity. For this
reason it has been decided to replace
nearly all the present Dutch war-ves-
sells by newly-constructed ships as
soon as possible. The two newest ships
| of the navy are the Jacob van Heems-
kerck, built in 1906 and the Zeven Pro-
vincien, built in 1909 Some of the
others are very old. The Kortenaer.
for instance, is expected to be placed
out of commission after one more trip
to the West Indies. The Koningen Re-
gentes, the De Ruyter and the Hertog
| Hendrix, too. are Is years old. while
four other CRUISERS are old and. al
| though they carry good guns. are not
regarded as Of much fighting value.
The Dutch sailor is universally con-
sidered as among the best. Like the
men of all other navies, he is uniform
ed ir blue. The cut OF his clothes is
similar to that Of the German blue
Jacket and. like him and the fighting
sailors of all other nations, they bear
similar ornaments to those worn by
the men of the British fleet-the three
white stripes on the borders of the fall
down collar which celebrate Nelson's
three victories of the Nile, Copenhagen
and Trafalgar. and the black scarf
worn in a sailors knot below the col
lar in front as a sign Of mourning for
Nelson.
The total number Of sailors regular
ly serving with the vessels of the fleet
Is in round figures 1000 men Of all
ranks, but at the present time some
Of the naval militia taken from the
ranks of the fishermen and the mer-
chant marine have been called up.
This fact has caused the cost of the
Dutch navy to rise to a sum consider
ably higher than is usual and an in
creased appropriation for their main
tenance was necessary.
EvDT nCI0N nECTPOVC