Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-07-12

program advised by naval experts of
the United States for the last 20 years,
is the assertion made by George
Dewey, admiral of the navy and presi-
dent of the general board. He asserts
this in an article upon Lessons OF
Skagerrack," which will appear in
Sea Power" the official publication of
the Navy league, and which Will DE or
The press tomorrow. The article fol-
lows.
The most titanic clash of sea forces
IN The history of the world took place
off the mouth of the Skagerrack, on
May 81, between the German and Brit
Ssh fleets. From a naval standpoint.
this is the most interesting event in
The present generation. It's Importance
IS not so much due to the results one
Say on another in advantage to the
contestants as in the lessons it teaches
with relation to the qualifications in
actual contact of those elements that
go to make up the modern fleet.
In the battle of Skagerrack great
armored dreadnaughts came to grips
FOR the first time in the history of the
world. In that fight the battle cruiser
played it's 7 for the first time in a
pitched engagement. Light cruisers
were in the midst of the fighting and
battled and died. Those daredevils of
the sea, the ~destroyers, for the first
time in history closed in on first class
ships in broad daylight to drive home
their t%orpedoes and take their one
chance in 100 of surviving.
In fact, q modern first class fleet
with it's various units went to grips
with an enemy of it's kind tested
its qualifications. All these fighting
machines of the sea have heretofore
been creations of theoretical but some-
what untrSd efficiency. The day of
tbnir fnot yvn Nov g1 HN|n chnu,iNU s
OF that day will have much to do with
the fleets of the future built by all the
nations of the world.
Just what happened at Skagerrack
Ia not yet clear and conclusions drawn
from that fight are made from incom-
set. But two weeks after the fight 1t
Would seem that something like the
following happened:
Fought at Short Range.
The German fleet was feeling it's
way to sea, looking for an opportunity
to strike n blow with conditions to it's
advantage. The British fleet was
spread out over 300 miles of the North
sea. The day was hazy n a ship
could not be made out more than six
miles. -
This necessarily short range was to
h liking of the Germans. Their fleet
was concentrated. They determined to
give battle. go
Destroyers and travellers make up
h advance line that the British draw
across the North sea. Back of these
are the fast cruisers. Still further
back and subject to call are the bat
tleship %.squadrons.
The advance line reported the pres
ence" of the German fleet. The British
erelanxious for a decisive battle. The
battle cruiser squadron Immediately
closed In. II was nnornt. than tho hot
tleships and had 80 knots OF speed
against their 20. so it got into the fight
first. Battle cruisers We're not intended
to fight ba~ttleships, and it was sus-
pected that German dreadnaughts were
ready for action. Admiral Beatty,
hold h German fleet until the British
battleships could come up. He there
fore went in with his battle cruisers.
1t appears hat three of his ships
went to their death early in the fight
because Of this attempt. The Queen
Mary. the interchangeable, the %Invincible,
ms dashing ships as ever put to sea,
~ere sunk. 1t would seem, however,
mat they inflicted losses upon the
enemy that made their sacrifice worth
Uhile. They evidently succeeded ar
TALLY in their purpose. Some of the
British dreadnaughts did get into the
fight.
- tlAS ISSSOH Is llllS. IoaIIIo CTulS-
ers, with the weight Of their armor
sacrificed to speed. with fewer big
guns than ave dreadnaughts, cannot
give and take with the latter class of
ships. In grips with dreadnaughts
they are pretty sure to be sunk. This
has been the theory of naval experts
all along. but that moot question Of
sacrificed to speed has eve before
had any actual experiments upon
v-.hioh to- base It's deductions.
The battle cruiser was crumbled up
and Its unfitness to play a leading role
IN nava dramas was demonstrated.
The Queen Mary. q magnificent ship
of her kind, displacing $4,000 tons,
could not survive the big shells Of the
Germans.
The Oreadnauahts Arrive.
This was the first phase OF the battle.
It seems to have been after III sinking
OF these three ships that the British
battleship squadron. led by the War
spite. arrived. There were four ships in
this squadron and they Immediately
plunged into the midst Of the fight.
They appear to have found a fleet that
greatly outnumbered them. They UNI
~Questionably came in for a tremendous
amount of hammering. Every vessel
was struck many times. The Warspite
and h Marlborough both suffered
many serious hits. The Marlborough
was t~orpedoed. Yet neither OF these
ships sunk. both found their way back
to port and both will soon be back in
the service.
Captain Phiilpots. OF the Warspite,
tells q thrilling tale OF the experience of
his vessel and the punishment she took.
His steering gear went wrong and his
ship got out Of control. She plunged
into the midst Of the enemy fleet. She
drew the concentrated fire OF six enemy