New-York tribune., 1916-07-31

the causes OF inc sinhiht va WV
cruisers" and Captain Sims is OF course
at liberty TO conclude that some important
facts have been suppressed. He is like
wise at liberty TO assume that the Germans
were not seeking general fleet action
but that their object was "thc trapping
and pounding of the British battle-cruisers
before they could be supported by tho
British main body" This is a quite un-
derstandabe assumption, and was, indeed,
the first assumption Of at least one Brit
ish student of naval strategy, Admiral
Penrose FitzGerald. But the conclusion
that the Germans accomplished what
they intended" IS hardly borne out by
any of the accounts we have of the battle,
whether German or English.
If we are to accept the account on
which Captain Sims lays so much empha-
sis the interchangeable and Queen Mary
were sunk at very early stage IN the
engagement and half an hour before the
German Battle Fleet was even reported
AS 10 llit llilu VI iilN AihPBNN 'N'Nr'~
cruisers. Captain Sims is of course aware
that this was the flagship of Hoods squad
ron. which was not brought into action till
at least two hours and half later. No
doubt it is possible to assume that Mr..
Pollen, anticipating the official report
published a month after his own, invented
his facts, and that in reality Hood was
caught in the same trap as Sir David
Beatty. In that case, however, we are al
most compelled to assume that the Ger
mans are in the same conspiracy, for re-
ports they have published seem to bear out
the English account in this respect.
Supposing, however, that the position of
the Third Battle-cruiser Squadron was not
it is evident that Sir David
Beatty was able at the cost of two battle
cruisers to hold the German fleet for a
considerable time. The First Battle
Cruiser Squadron went into action at 3:4S
o'clock, according to the official report. 1t
was 4:42 when the German Battle Fleet
was sighted About quarter of an hour
later the Queen Elizabeths-whom Cap
tair Sims seems to have forgotten-first
came under its fire, and it was an hour
and half later that the ill-fated In
vincible appeared upon the scene. If this
account is even Approximately correct the
trap theory is an impossible one to sus-
tain.
Apparently, then, Captain Sims's be
lief is that the published accounts of the
battle are wholly fictitious, and it is per
naps merely out of courtesy that he
refrains from making any reference to-
the official dispatches. His theory is
BASED however, on very extraordinary
opinion. namely that the military situa
ion did not require the British fleet to
fight decisive action, or any action at
all. because they already had practically
as complete control of the sea as would
have resulted from the defeat of the en-
emy fleet"
In short, he does not think the British
would have fought at all unless they had
Been obliged to do so. They would rather
nave run away. The masking of the
fleet was quite enough, and why should
any risk be run in trying to annihilate
il? "The German fleet" Captain Sims
argues, "has been contained since the be-
ginning of the war, is now contained, and
will remain So" In short, with
a virtual control of the sea why should
any one ask for absolute control, or for
the destruction of an enemy that could do
no harm as long as he was watched?
1t would be overpresumptuous to ques-
ton Captain Sims's authority as a strate-
cist, but in point Of psychological insight
and reason it is little difficult to accept
his conclusions.