El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-05-06
"
77I''1Tl u TII- U0"I WUUIIIIEW UIII-
itary experts are OF the opinion

ANAI many VI AAAN nNsA NuMAlAlEN mil
itary experts are OF the opinion
that the great European war is rapidly
nearing its end II win leave the
worlds affairs in a disordered state
and some think that a conflict will fol-
low in which we shall be obliged, how
ever unwillingly, to assume the part OF
O belligerent
We're such thing to happen. a very
important role would be played by a
class OF fighting vessels in our navy
which seems recently to have been al
most forgotten. It comprises 10 of the
most formidable armored cruisers
afloat ships comparable to the BIucher.
sunk in the recent North sea encounter.
While very efficient auxiliaries in bat
tie, they could, by reason Of their swift
ness, sweep the seas Of an enemy's COM
merce.
These 10 ships are magnificent war
craft When neW-built they cores
pended in function to the battlecruisers
Of the present time. being designed TO
act as scouts while fully capable Of
taking their place with battleships in
the fighting line. Their speed ga to 25
Erots) was considered extraordinary a
dozen years ago. when is knots was a
fast salt for a battleship.
They might be described as almost
sisters" each Of the 10 being a little
over 500 feet long, with a displacement
Of 1868 10 1880 tons. In respect Of
armament they vary little. the West
virginia for example carving four s.
inch and "a 6-inch guns in her main
battery. while the Montana, North Car
DINA and Tennessee have each Of them
four 10-inch and 16 6-inch guns. Some
Of them have 5-inch and others 6-inch
armOr belts.
First Attempt at Combination Vessel.
The armored cruiser was the first
attempt at a combination Of the bat
tleship and cruiser types. 1t has been
tried out I'm a very thorough way dur
ing the present war. and the showing
it made in the sea fight off the coast
OF Chile (Which the Germans won, in
the subsequent engagement near the
Falkland Islands (where the British
were the victofs), and afterwards in
the North Sea battle, has afforded an
interesting and profitable naval lesson.
In the armored cruiser speed is
prime requisite. Accordingly, our half
score vessels Of the Montana class are
equipped with huge quadruple-expan-
sion engine Of $4,000 horsepower. They
have triple screws. such as Cat the time
they were buil) were possessed, in our
navy. only by the commerce-destroyi
creyhounds Columbia and Minneapolis.
Their coal capacity is so enormous that
they can travel twice across the Allan
tic without replenishing their fuel sup
Was Battle Of Cruisers.
None Of the ships that took part in
the sea fight off the coast Of Chile
was so well armed or otherwise so
formidable as those Of our Montana
class 1t was n battle Of armored cruis-
ers. and the reason the Germans won
was simply that their vessels OF this
type were newer. swifter, and provided
with guns OF longer range. They were
thus enabled to fight at the time they
chose, and to pick their own position
and distance, particularly with refer
ence 60 doing the most damage while
themselves suffering as little as possi-
bic from the enemy's fire.
The British ships were the Monmouth
and Good hope (armOred cruisers), the
Glasgow Ga light cruiser or scou) and
an armed liner, the Otranto. The Non
mouth was OF $500 tons. She carried
"a 6-inch guns. and had a 4-inch armor
belt The Good Hope, Of 14,100 tons,
had 6-inch belt and carried two 9-inch
ana 16 6-inch guns.
Opposed TO them were the Scharn-
herst and Gneisenau, armored cruisers
land sister ships) OF a newer and much
improved type-each OF them Of II 500
tons and carrying eight 8-inch and six
6-inch guns. with a 6-inch belt Of steel.
Three light cruisers-the Leipsig,
Burnberg and Dresden-completed the
little squadron, which for a long time
hao been preying on British commerce
In the Pacific.
The Germans waited until night was
falling, and then took up their posi-
tion between the enemy and the setting
sun. In the fight that followed the
British gunners could hardly see what
they we're shooting at, and their Ships
were soon put out Of action and sunk
by the lonE-range S-inch rifles of the
Gneisenau and Scharnhorst They were