Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-23
BEARS THE BRUNT
OF NAVAL BATTLE
Duty of Capital" Ship in Sea
Engagement Described
by Writer.
MANY MISTAKES CORRECTED
Hardest Work of Blockade Is
Carried On by Patrol
Squadrons.
MANY MISTAKES CORRECTED

LONDON. July c2.--When is bat.
tleship a Dreadnought? And when is
"A Dreadnought a cruiser? Also what
is capital ship? n. C. Ferraby, tho
naval writer. clears up some popular
mistakes In answering these questions
In a London newspaper. He says:
I'VE begin with capital ships. point
ing out that the word capital is used
in it's true chronological sense OF head y
of chief and not in the coloquial
sense of excellent. They are the ships
which are intended to hear the brunt
OF the battle; hence they are battle
ships and battle cruisers. Light
cruisers, destroyers and submarines are
not capital ships.
"Battleships Of to-day fall into two
with their journalistic subdivisions of
per-Dreadnoughts and hyper-super-
Dreadnoughts and pre- ghts.
This classification is purely a popular
one, and was brought about by the In
PRODUCTION in 1905 OF an entirely new
design OF battlcship into the navy.
The first ship OF this design was called
the Dreadnought. If it had been called
the Viper or the Loyalty, it is probable
that should talk to-day OF Vlpers
and preVipers or Loyaltys and pre-
Loyaltys just as We speak of Dread:
noughts and pre- Dreadnoughts. Actu-
ally, all ships referred to by these
h1ft lac Inc.
the battle sGuadrons, the main fighting
force of the British grand fleet.
Next in Importance to the battle-
ships come the cruisers. At the same
time as the DreadnouEht type of bat.
tleshir was introduced into the SER
vice we introduced new type OF
cruiser, also bigger. faster. better
armed and better armored than any
previous type of cruiser. These were
called officially battle cruisers but
unOfticially are often referred to as
'Dreadnought cruisers The two
phrases mean the same thinG-eruisers
which are fitted to form a wing OF the
battle squadrons. to take part in 4
battle between the big ships, but also
are fitted to play tho usual part OF
cruisers, to cruise and scout. 49,.
ARMORED CRUISER
DESIGNED FOR SCOUTING
Before the coming of the battle
| cruiser design the principal type of
cruiser was the armored cruiser. This
was not intended to take any promt-
nent part in engagements between
battleships. 1t was simply heavy.
well-armed scouting ship, useful also
for such duties convoy or for tho
patrol OF trade routes to protect mer-
chant ships against attacks by enemy
cruisers. Ships OF this type no longer
are being built for any OF tho naval
| powers.
reference sometimes lis made to
vessels called armed cruisers This
is mistake. y cruiser being a ma n
Of war. is naturally armed. Tho mis-
take arises sometimes from the
Geographic abbreviation 'armd.' for
'armored. hut the term Is more gem
orally applied to merchant ships serv-
ing as warships. The correct name
for these is armed liner, or. better
still. auxiliary cruiser
The bulk OF what we have come to
call the patrol squadrons' in this war
are composed OF these auxiliaries
They are the ships which are doing
the hardest Of the work OF blockade,
the stopping and searching of all mer-
chant ships for conrraband and goods
destined for the enemy. Many of them
also have done good work In dealing
with the type OF warship known as
commerce destroyers.' another phrase
that may lead to confusion.
SUBMARINE WEAKEST
OF ANY WAR CRAFT
Submarines have taken tho place
of the original torpedo-boat, and are
the weakest and smallest of the war
craft OF any navy.
Light cruisers are scouts pure and
simple. though in a fleet action they
work with the destroyers on the out :
skirts of tho battle squadrons, ward i
ing off torpedo attack by the enemy's
small craft.
One other phrase which occurs oc-
casionally in official reports from the
British Admiralty requires expiana
tion-'hotina leaders These are a
hybrid design, midway between a light
cruiser and a destroyer. which act as
the leading ships of hotilla OF de-
stroyers. Just as It would be wrong
to speak D! covey OF geese, so It, Is
wrong to speak OF a squadron Of de-
Stroyers or tlotilla Of battfeships,
Destroyers and submarines work in
houllas: all other warships In squad
ronS.
In English translations Of German
admiralty reports there som etin1es
occurs the phrase ships OF the line
This is literal translation OF the
German 'linienschiff.' the equivalent OF
English 'battleship.' 1t is also possible
now and again to come across that old
J blunder ironclad. There arc no such
| ships to-day. They only existed for q
little while during the Victorian era,
when wooden ships were clad with iron
in the course OF the hrst experiments
in armoring ships" 9.