The sun., 1916-11-19

vVI naval dTCnlteCtS nave In
w store for the world?
Is it possible to modify radically o..
sting types OF battle craft?
Has the naval strategist anything in
mind that will be totally unlike present
warships-something that will unset
the prevailing order Of battle tactics
upon the sea?
Experts answe yes TO question: two
and three. One OF the foremost Of
American naval officers said not long
ago.
Il believe we can build a shin here
that will make the whole world sit up
and take notice II we want TO do so."
This assertion was brought out bv
q debate ON the subject Of naval in
crease, when the genesis Of the modern
treadnought was discussed. An inter-
esting light was thrown upon the
origin and reason for being Of that
era making type Of heavy ship Of the
line. The disclosure illustrates how
kindred forces may be at work in call
ing into being another and no less
startling departure In naval architec.
turc. According to the officer in ques-
ton:
England has been criticised for in
venting the ~dreadnought type on the
ground that II she had not done 10 she
would have maintained a greater pre-
ponderance over every other navy in
her peterborough types. and as the
d~readnought type In far more efficient
she therefore had to start even with
other nations again. The reply to that
Is that she did not invent the type, but
1t vas absolutely forced upon her.
In the days when We were firing AT
each other at 1000 or 5000 yards a
d~readnought was not a logical thing at
oil, because at those ranges You could
use an 5 inch gun with great effect or a
inch gun But as soon as Admiral
Sir Percy Scott showed us how to
train gun pointers with his new device
It changed the situation materially.
His whole invention was a method of
training gun pointers.
We applied 1t on our side and we
talked to people on this side and to
people on the other side OF the Atlantic
about IT. l went over to England and
talked to the gun people there and we
finally, Tentatively going from one
range to another. found out that we
could hit a target at 5000 or 5000
yards, which were considered enormous
ranges In those days.
You cannot hit anything with a G
inch gun at those distances. Il was
therefore perfectly illogical for them
TO build any more battleships except
VIII all big guns. Accordingly. the
oil big gun ship had to be built.
We would have built the first one
on this side II the authorities here
had listened to Us. England did not
inveH: the all big gun ship. 1t was
Admiral Sir Percy Scott who thought
OUT how to shoe at long range, and
the other fellows followed as Il nat
ural consequence. Big guns are the
only ones that will DO any particular
damage at long range.
The present conflict has made Il
plain that in actual warfare the ma
ton with initiative will have a great
advantage. and Germany has undoubt-
edly kept her foes guessing. No one
knows what she Is likely to spring
next upon her antagonists. but past
performances hint at certain posi-
b!l!ties."
Capt. William 8. Sims thus describes
. thoroughly practicable. novel order
Of battle craft. Its theoretical advan-
tages arc SO evident to the experts
that the likelihood Of its appearing
before long Ia more than n possibility.
III you build n ship Of 5000 tons
that has nothing but n protective deck,
and so nat that nothing could get
under il, that only has two towers.
one forward and M aft. to control the
ship. and no guns at all. but armed
With eight or ten torpedo tubes on n
side, and capable Of making 35 knots,
would like to know what a feet could
DO when one Of them comes down In
hc midst" he says.
There would be nothing to hurt II
you did happen to hit her. and she
could Are all the torpedoes she wants
to at you. Ono OF our young officers
recommended a vessel OF that type.
Natural conservatism oil the part OF
the older men who control the upper
end OF all serviccs-and II Is the nat
pral conservatism OF large bodies that
controls our Government-sta in the
way Of just such a proposition: those
men do not quite like the radical idea,
craft will pop up one OF these days:
and for all we know II will come on,
Of Wilhelmshaven before this war Is
over"
1t Is a we'll known fact that the de-
stroyer has proved the submarines
worst enemy. and for two reasons