The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-06-09
NAVY INADEQUATE
ADMIRAL FISKE SAYS WE ARE
NOT ABLE TO FIGHT
TACTICS UNDEYELOPED
This Country Faces Danger of Naval
action in Any War-Efective In
struments of Warfare Used by 9th
er Nations Have Note Been Adopt
ed-Criticism is Destructive.

Rear Admiral Fiske, who attract
ed widespread attention by his state
meut to the House naval committee
on the lack of adequate naval equip
ment and who later retired from the
office of aide for operations in the
navy department, spoke at length on
the unprepareduess Of the fleet at
Annapolis, Md, Thursday night a.
the naval academy alumni dinner.
This was the first alumni dinner
ever held from which wine was ban
ished. Admiral Fiske spoke of the
needs OF the navy and the necessity
of making laymen realize them, and
added:
IF we fear to do this, lest we in
cur displeasure and spoil our indi-
yidual careers, We are unworthy Of
the uniform We wear, and we fail
our country in her hour Of need, just
as efet tualy as if we deserted her
flag in war
Evidently an attack by one of the
great naval powers in the only kind
we need consider. Clearly, the at
tacking force would be as great as
the attacking power could spare in
order to insure its success and mini
mize its losses. This means that it
would include battle cruisers, dread
noughts, pre-dreadnoughts, scouts,
cruisers, destroyers, submarines,
mine depot ships, nine-layers, mine
sweepers, airships and aeroplanes, Ii
fully manned and all strategically di-
rected by a general staff.
What have we with which to op-
pose this force: A smaller number
of dreadnoughts. pre-dreadnoughts
and destroyers than the enemy would
bring; no battle cruisers, no effective
scouts, one airship recently contract
ed for, only three good aeroplanes
not yet ready, an embryonic aeronau
teal service; two mine depot ships
zone mine-layer and twelve mine
sweepers;. also about forty-five sub
{ marines of all kinds and ages, dis
.tributed over the Atlantic and Paci
fic Coasts, Panama, Hawaii and the
S PHILIPPINES, none of which have evel
attempted feats like those so effec
lively performed in foreign navie:
now.
s.To man even this insufficient ma
terial we have an enlisted personne
insufficient even in tithe of peace
s and no trained reserve; and no gen
eral staff, or similar agency to direc
the whole.
ssThis means that, if United State:
desires that the navy shall be able tt
guard our coast effectively agains
the only kind of attack that would b
made, the navy must obtain severa
: types of vessels and instruments tina
we do not now possess (or possess il
only insufficient measured; mus
learn to use them, both as units ant
as members Of one great unit, Will
a skill at least equal to that Will
which foreign navies already ust
them; must enlist and efficientl.
train as large a force Of enlisted
men, active and reserve. as our prob
able enemy would send; and mus
develop a general staff orzseme sim
lar agency as skilful and experienced
as theirs.
sfWe have seen the battle cruiser
the scout, the submarine, the airship
: the aeroplane and the mine bein;
developed by foreign nations into eff
feetiYe instruments of war, but We
( have not developed them ourselves
and our officers and men have no
been trained in their use and tactics
I've have admiringly noted thu
wonderful work of the genere. stats
4 but have, provided no general stat
ourselves. We have no tested wa
plans of mobilization scheme. As K
gunnery. the news hat keeps com
ing in OF achievements in long range
firing by European ships shows u:
that our competitors have accom-
plished feats greater than any VIZ
nave even attempted.
This is destructive criticism, soma
Gay say. Sure, but until destructive
criticism points out faults, construc
( tiyeness viii not be used, and rene
dies will not be applied.
Although the country's sentimen'
is behind the country's navy, yet tha
navy itself is not = matter of senti
: ment. but matter of fact. Have We
g or have we not a navy of such com
position, organization end skill tha
1t could successfully resist q probably
enemy in w.r?
III mo- is the answer then the rea
son and the money of The one hun
dred million people must work upor
the navy. until mo- gives place tt
yes The one hundred million peo
pie of this country, if they will pre-
Yent their own undoing, must builc
navy that can keep her coasts in
violate, guarantee freedom from for
eign interference, and further the as
pirations of America and safeguard
the happiness Of her people"