Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-26
NAVY STRONG RIGHT ARM
OF NATION, SAYS DANIELS
secretary Declares 1t Is Larger, Bet
ter Equipped and in Better Con-
dition Than Ever Before.
MORE EFFICIENT EACH MONTH
Two Years Epoch-hfaking, Marked by
Wise and Progressive Legislation
and More Real Achievement Than
Any Previous Like Period.

~ "aS written 10 president Garfield. OF
williams College. detailing the work
IN tho navy during the last two years
Mr. Daniels wrote in reply TO Mr.. Gar
held's request for material to meet
statements that tho United States Is
unprcpnred for military emergencies.
Tho letter follows:
My Dear President Garfield am
in receipt OF your recent favor asking
Tor an authoritative statement con-
corning tho present status of tho navy
equipment of the United States and
take pleasure in complying with your
request al far as Is compatible.
There are now in active service.
fully commissioned. 225 vessels Of all
characters. which is thirty-s!x more
than were fully commissioned when
became secretary. There are also 10l
vessels OF various types. in reserve and
In ordinary and uncommissioned, ca
pablo of rendering service IN war
"e have under construction and au-
thor.zed scventy-scven vessels (nine
Dreadnoughts. twcntythree destroy
ers, thirty eight submarines and seven
auxiliaries). as compared with fifty
four vessels tlve Dreadnoughts, four
teen destroyers. twenty-three subma-
rines, three gunboats and nine auxil-
ieries). which were under construction
on March J.. 1913.
All - vessels enumerated, those
In active service and those in reserve
arc supplied with munitions of war
No navy makes public the quantity Of
ammunition and torpcdoes. mines and
other implements of naval warfare
which IT keeps ready. II may be said
however. that within the last two years
~ oil
and greatly increased. For example
we have increased the number Of
mines. on hand and in process Of
manufa :turc, by PA per cent With
reference TO torpcdoes. the Increase In
two years has been 30 per cent. BY
tho enlargement OF the naval powder
factory. VIC shall soon be able almost
to double It's former c;f,acity. and
like enlarG ement Of the torpedo works
and tho equipment OF plant to con-
struct mines Will still further increase
at decreased cost. tho quantity OF such
stock. and the possession OF these
plants in times of emergency will
enable tho department to be In better
state of preparedness as regards the
supply OF ammunition than ever before
The personnel OF the navy is at
present composed OF 1855 line. staff
-,
men. Increases in the number OF Of
ficers is dependent almost entirely
upon the output OF the Naval Academy,
admission TO which Is restricted by
statute. The number OF enlisted men
also Is restricted. and the navy is to-
day recruited TO tho maximum strength
allowed. There are now with the
colors 5.S24 more men-an increase OF
IL per ccnt-than there were on March
/. 1914.
My professional training as a journ-
alist has always inclined me to the
conviction that any officer, within the
prescribed limits recognized in the
navy, should feel free TO express his
opinion in regard to matters in the
service: and there is not an officer who
commands a ship to-day who could or
would say that his ship, without or
within, was not as good as II was two
years ago. or that the officers who
command 1t and the crews VINO man II
arc not thoroughly disciplined,
sober. loyal and efficient as they were
two years ago, or as they ever had
been.
FLEET IN MANEUvERS
LARGER THAN EVER BEFORE
The Atlantic Fleet has just returned
from Guantanamo, where It has for
many years held It's annual winter
practices This year more battleships
and destroyers have participated in the
maneuvers and for a longer period.
than ever before.
Under tho direction OF Admiral
Fletcher upon plans evolved TT the
Naval War College and approved by
the department. the feet has been
~ ie1 N n fr,-
fciency and readiness. All reports
ten OF the enthusiasm OF officers and
mon in this practice and the splendid
record made by the ships. The fleet
is now in Tangier Sound and on the
southern drill grounds. where IT Will
he busy in target practice until May,
when il moves to New York for n
weeks wcll-carned leave. Then will
come the review at New York, fol-
lowed by maneuvers in Narragansett
Bay region. and finally the review in
Hampton Roads. prior to sailing
through the Panama Canal to the
Pacific en- route TO the exposition at
San Francisco.
These spring practices followed
close upon tho heels OF valuable ma
neuvers and tactics in October. No
vember and December last This was
lnuecu STRENUOUS pTaCtlCe, Dut IL IS the
way the navy is kept TT and ready,
and the new admiral In command Of
the feet and the department planned
such extensive evolutions. because the
only way that The navy can be always
prepared is by practice and practice
and then more practice. This simple
statement OF tho operations of the
feet since October is ono Of tho best
answers I can give to your question
rs to the navy's preparedness The
necessity of keeping ships in Mexico
last year denied Admiral Badger the
opportunity for as long practice as
he had wisely planned, but the sudden
all for the expedition to Vera Cruz
lemanded and eXactcd unusual service,
to which the fleet responded with an
alacrity and readiness which amply
Justify the faith OF the country that
there exists to-day no more efficient
institution than the United States
Navy. Some critics have said the eff