Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-09


tleships. battle cruisers, swift cruisers
destroyers. submarines, big or little TOT
coast defense or to accompany the meet.
Add enlisted men, add officers. enlarge
the Naval Academy. build up feet.
But one hears little about preparing
oficers TO take command of that fleet;
vet Admiral B. A Fiske tells the House
naval committee that the most important;
element in a fleet is the strategy which
directs its movements.
The fact is that three years ago the
Navy Department recognized the I'M
perative need of this element. and un-
ostentatiousIy rejuvenated the Naval
War College.
But most persons will ask: What is
the War College and what do they do
there?" And this is the way that ques-
ton was answered by Capt. William A
Sims. L. S. n.
The Navy War College at Newport,
r. L., is where the practical officers are
taken from their ships to study the
very problems in tactics and strategy
which they will be called upon to meet
And determine OF the bat when they
are sent out with the feet on a strictly
business mission.
Secretary Daniels early the
latent possibilities of this institution,
which had been slumbering along for a
quarter of a century; and almost lmme-
diately upon coming into ONCE put he
into the old body by securing the money
for it's support and detailing all the Of
hcers who could be spared from the
service to take part in its very prac-
teal work. There are now in attend
ance at the college. unique in that II
has neither text books nor professors,
thirty-six officers. taking the course,
which is for year. one-haf OF them
entering in January and the other in
July This keeps a steady flow of stu
dents eighteen coming out every six
months and going to sea to put their
ideas, newly learned from the game
board. into practical use on shipboard
There are two popular errors which
] want to correct. The first is on the
part of naval men, that the War Col
leEe is a high-brow institution; the
second. on the part of most intelligent
people. that naval engagements of this
day will be conducted on the tactics of
TrafaIKar where columns of line-of
battleships, without subsidiaries other
than friKates. mauled each other at
close range until the individual ships
struck or were sunk.
Before the operations of the War
College can be really understood I
must make a diversion. which may
seem long. to tell some of the features
of a conflict with modern naval in
struments of warfare-telling IL for
the laymen. and not in technical
way for military men.
Instead of the old sailing. seventy
four-gun ships which constituted the
wooden walls of England. the ships of
the line and some swift frigates form
ing his scouting force. todays fleets
consist of mighty steam-driven dread
naughts to do the heavy fighting. sup
ported by scouts. cruisers. destroyers,
submarines and aeroplanes. all kept in
close touch by the mystic radio.
AT Trafalgar. Nelson lay about NJ
ty miles OF Cadiz waiting for the
allies-French and Spanish-to come
out and meet him. He kept line OF
frigates covering the intervening wa
tsrs to signal out the first indication
of their approach. This was ITO years
ago last October
Twentieth century sea fighting much
more nearly resembles a military cam.
paign on land. There the object Of each