The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-06-11
HOW ABOUT OUR NAVY?
Our Experts Say It Would Have Been AnnihiIated in the
North Sea Battle.

With the details at hand respect
Ing the North @ battle. the United
States naval experts tell US that had
n" United States been one of tho
COmbatants against either OF the two
ilc"tg engaged It would have been
annihilatcd. The reasons are given
in the New York Sun. OF which these
are 4 part:
Winston :. Churchill refers to the
armored cruisers Black Prince, De
Tense and Warrior as belonging to tho
third order Of ships They were
vessels which the British admiralty
regarded as practically obsolete. Sc
far as fighting with the most modern
typo or craft is concerned. Churchill
does not consider them oven in the
same class with the second line Of
British cruisers.
Blu, these armored cruisers. praC-
tically OF no value as far as a mod
"rr battle. such as the North Sea
'.'' '- -r-~-' wore ]gunoriOr in
armament and speed to the most
! states navy possesses.
T"st arworcd cruisers are the
Tennessee. Washington. Montana and
North carolina They arc equipped
with foul ton inch guns. which is rc-
Cardcd by ordinance officers as infer
Tor to the armament OF the Defence.
Black Prince or Warrior, which car
ricd six 90 inch guns. In point OF
speed. none Of the American armorcd
cruisers has ever cQuallcd the 23.G5
knots made by the Black Prince. the
23.l knots made by the Warrior. or
the Pa knots made by the Defense.
United Statrs'S Ships OutclaSSCSI.
In brief the drWorcd British cruis-
ers. which the British admiralty con-
sidcrcd UNFIT for effective service in
tho North Sea fight. outClassed the
best armored cruisers Of II navy.
From German official sources
the news that the German admiralty
does not regard the loss OF the bat
tlcship Westfalcn with deep concern.
because Of the fact that this ship
n not In the same class with tn"
first line lighters Of the imperial
fleet. II was n second line ship.
according 10 Berlin, and naval cN-
perts here agree. But they add that
the Westfalcn far outclasscd many OF
the battlcships OF the American fleet.
which certain members OF Congress
have pointed to with pride.
The Wcstfalen. with a displace-
mcnt OF 1850 tons and a speed Of
20.4 knots and carrying twelve clcv-
en-inch guns, was superior to such
American battleships as the New Jer-
sey. Rhode Island. Virginia. Ncbras-
ka. Georgia. Louisiana. Connecticut.
Kansas Minnesota Vermont. New
Hapshirc. Idaho. Mississippi. MichI-
gan and South Carolina. None of
these ships. in point OF armament or
other chief characteristics. could
equal the Wcstfalen. The nearest
approach to this second line ship
among the vessels mentioned Is the
Michigan or South Carolina. which
are equipped with eight twelyc-lnch
guns and are capable OF a speed OF
1875, as compared with 2o.i knots. OF
which the Wcstialen was capable.
Need Of American Fleet.
Naval experts emphasize this TO
show the necessity for rc-enforcinG
the feet with at least two Of the
most modern types OF super dread
noughts. The general board already
has plans drawn up for two or four
OF these hghtinG monsters OF approx.
mHte'y $4,000 tons displacement aud
equipped with fOurteen-lnch OF six
,cca-. .ch guns, II Ia the big ships
that count aud not the number OF III.