Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-07-12
Admiral Dewey Writes
Graphic Rev5ew of the
Worlds Great Sea Battle
Sea Clash Between German and British Navies Showed All
Glasses of Fighting Ships In Observation-Disclosures
and Destroyers Appeared Best.

armor and big guns.
The Warspite is a vessel readily COM
parable with our w Texas and New
York. She has a similar displacement,
J zi,ooo tons She has eight l5-inch guns
where The American ships have 10 a.
men guns. She is o knot faster
IMAM are the American ships and her
endurance is probably less. What she
dld American drcadnaughts should be
able to do.
The Marlborough is a {, OO0-ton ship,
OF about the class of our Arkansas and
wyoming. She too stood a vast amount
OF punishment. including that of being
torpedoed. h latter test of a modern
battleshlp is very interesting. A num-
per OF fighting ships AVE been SUM
IN the present war by torpedoes but
they We're mostly old vessels and with
out the resistance of the newer ships.
The impression that a torpedo is sure
TO prove the undoing of the dread
haughts has not yet been demonstrated
and the survival of the Marlborough
tends to disprove it.
Destroyers Attack In Daylight.
A third and most interesting phase
of the battle of Skagerrack was tho
attack of destroyers on both sides.
lhese tiny ships, which were intended
10 serve the purpose of a screen, to be
outrlders and scouts of the big ships,
DSShi IlCI cIOlOIC
as being incapable of attacking first
class ships in the daytime. Their meth-
Cd or attack was set down as being one
covered by darkness or by fog. Under
these conditions destroyers are intended
TO creep in on the big ships. unleash
their torpedoes, and attempt to escape
before they are sunk.
lt mad been known that the Germans
mad practiced day attacks with their
destroyers. This was u possible use OF
destroyers that neither American nor
British fleets had given much consider
atlon. IN the North Sea battle, how
ever, before darkness came on, the Ger
man d~estroyers descended upon the
British fleet, got in close, and dis
charged their torpedoes. 1t is believed
that near a dozen of them were sunk,
n 1t is probably true that they did
not succeed in destroying any British
flrst class ship. They unquestionably
came near getting the Marlborough.
however. and 1t is not shown thai such
an attack did not prove ~strategically
advisable.
1t Ia believed that the British fleet
responded by sending Its d%estroyers
into the midst Of the German fleet
under similar circumstances. Certain
1T Is that something near a dozen Brit
ism destroyers were lost. The returns
40 not yet Indicate what destruction
these vessels created in the German
fleet, n 1t Is therefore not possible
to draw conclusions as to whether their
sacrifice should nave been made. The
TACT remains that destroyers played a
very important part in the fighting and
were active throughout the engage
ment. The usefulness of these small
SHIPS IN a great struggle sue as that
which took place off Skagerrack Ia re-
sarded as having been demonstrated.
A point of intense interest to the
general public in this first big sea fight
or modern navies is the high rate Of
loss of life aboard ships sunk. On the
queen Marie. the Indefatigable and the
lnVlncible. there was hardly a man
saved. Already the United States navy
department Is receiving great numbers
or letters from individuals Who have
suggestions to make as to devices that
might be used for saving lives aboard
1ghting ships. These individuals seem
to draw the conclusion tina no precau-
tlon Is taken aboard a battleship for
saving life in case the ship Is sunk in
battle. This is o true. When a bat
tleship is stripped for action there is
certainly no place on her deck for boats
that might be used for life saving. She
mas aboard. however. pneumatic RATS,
and every man has his pneumatic belt
which would keep him afloat.
All Die With Their Ships.
In time of battle, however, there is
~ .iiiic anu no mcmahon TO make use
of these devices. When a battleship is
hit and seriously damaged, there is no
way OF knowing whether or not she is
about to sink. 1t may be possible that
she will remain af1oat for hours. or that
she may not sink at all. Her purpose
Is to continue to damage the enemy to
the greatest possible extent. A single
mai shot from q sinking ship may be
the blow that will turn the tide Of bat
tie and the destiny of empires.
A damaged battleship, therefore. con.
tinues to fight. The men remain in the
fire rooms. in the turrets, at their guns.
Every man continues that particular
job which is his in fighting the ship as
long as she may strike q blow. It there.
happens that when the battleship goes
down there is practically nobody on
deck and there is no man who. NAV
leave his post In time to put on a life
belt or launch a raft. Quite naturally
every man dies with the ship.
The theory Of fighting, the ship until
the last moment seems to have been
exemplified by practically all those that
were sunk in the recent battle.
The battle of Skagerrack seems to
have justified h position which has
long been taken by the experts Of the
general board of the American navy, a
position which has met h approval Of
most American authorities and which
q been c~rystallized into the
which America has followed. The gem
eral board has recommended for IL
years that the United States continue
the policy Of placing its chief reliance
In big ships. Since III dreadnought
came into being 1t has maintained that
that vessel should be made the back
bone OF the fleet. II appropriations were
sunicient - provide but one class Of
ships, the general board has insisted
that they be dreadnaughts.
American Program Justified.
There is a constant tandency on the
part Of the public to 70 Off at a tam