The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-11
Col0s al Mistakes in Their Constr aLction Have Never
 B .en Remedied
CAPT SIMS BEFORE
 FlOUSE COMMITTEE
Says sabm arines Cannot Defend the Coast That Power Which Con- trois Surface Is Supreme. 
 sys GlInnery of Navy Is Poor

K m, March 10.-America's pre- q, .adl iauei fleet would go over like nine pins af r against foreign craft of the same -. Capt. w. F. Sims, command CT of the new superdreadnaught Nevada told the House naval committee today, because "colossal mistakes" in construc- tion have never been rectified. Other countries he said, had spent millions in improving the older ships.
 Illustrating his point, Captain Sims, who as lieutenant went over the heads or his superiors to obtain President Roose- velt's support in his campaign to improve methods of target practice in the navy, said the battleship Oregon probably was the worst naval design ever put afloat Her unbalanced turrets heeled her down on broadside fire, he said, until her hull below the armor belt no thicker than mans hand, was exposed to gunfire
 TURRETS ARE FAULTY
 The turrets of the Kentucky and the Kearsarge were so designed, he declared, that four 12-inch shells could enter the gun ports at one time; the slopng roofs of the Connecticut class turrets were no better than paper against modern plung- ing fire; the back of the turrets of the Illinois type had a gap in the armor SIX to eight feet wide, directly in line with the ammunition hoists inside.
 All these defects, Captain Sims attrib- uted to the organization of the depart ment that prevailed for years. He insist ed that general staff would have rem dered them impossible, and told the com mittee that with the general board deter mining characteristics of ships modern American battle craft were well built.
 Under the old system, the captain said, the criticisms of sea officers came to the men who designed the ships and were shelved by them.
 SLUMP IN GUNNERY
 When the short range target practice was abandoned in 1909 by the department. said Captain Sims, the gunnery slumped and continued to go down until 1913, when the individual practice was restored In 1915 the fleet showed 40 per cent inn provement, but he added that the shoot ing was still bad. The ill effects of the slump were being slowly but surely over- come, he added, and he urged that full information be published as to what the gunners actually did. He insisted that nobody was in ignorance abroad, because every foreign power has definite sys- tenn for finding out such matters prompt fy. He told of one case in his knowledge where one foreign naval attache paid bribe of $70,000 to get information as to the naval secrets of the country to which he was accredited.
 Captain Sims declared submarines could not defend coast and that the defense of New York should be made 1000 miles at sea. He had positive knowledge, he said, that the British fleet spent part of It's time behind nets in sheltered harbors and the rest at sea surrounded by screen fleets and submarine nets when not in rapid mo- tion. The only German submarine that got through the screens, he said, had been rammed by battleship and sunk.
 BATTERIES DEFEND BASE
 The officer said 1t was not sub- marines which defended Helgoland, the great German base on the North sea,
 
 torpedo craft.
 'I do not hesitate to say" he added, that with 100 submarines of the shore service type concentrated around New York a hostile fleet could sail in near enough to shell New York, provided 1t controlled the surface That is nec- essary-to control the surface. If fleet does that it can keep the sub marines out with nets."
 Captain Sims described the British naval mobilization plan and agreed to furnish the committee with mobili- zation plan worked out in the naval war college. He said Secretary Dan iels had realized the vital importance of the war college, after it had ex- isted 25 years with no students. A full complement of officers was kept there now, he said. regardless of whether the sea fleet was short of officers and the result was becoming apparent in that defects in the navy. weaknesses in war plans and vital essentials to any scheme of preparedness were be- ing brought to light. He thought that with the present chief of operations to pass upon the criticisms as to per- sonnel and material, there was little danger that they would go unheeded. He urged, however, that the authority of the chief of operations. under the secretary. be extended over all bureau chiefs.