Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-23

Even at the present moment tits pos
sible to say unqualifedly that, naval
power has achieved all that was ex-
pected of it-more than many expected
it could achieve. SO far it has supplied
the single decisive element in the whole
struggle. British sea power-and it is
not necessary now to discuss the rela-
lively minor part played by Russian,
Italian or even French navies-won
the war, so far as the water was con-
cerned, in the first days of the conflict,
and without battle.
With tile declaration of war Germany
became an isolated nation. so far as
The sea was concerned. save only for
the. baltic. FIRST of ali her merchant
marine was swept from the seas or in
termed in neutral ports. Almost with
the first note of the call to arms Ham
burg and Bremen We're paralyZed; they
have been paralyZed ever since.
Next, within a time that was brief.
however long it seemed at the moment,
there were swept from the sea the few
German warships which were in for
eign stations when the struggle began.
The Emden and the koenigSberg won
momentary success and lasting glorN.
but only for the first feT i"onths. Ad-
miral Won Specs squadron. after one
SUGGESTIVE greatest. by the way, in
German naval history-was destroyed.
and allied commerce-c!oSed to the
German flag
Never had a victory been SO ap-.'-i.s-a.
Even in the Napoleonic ann earlier
conflicts the merchant vessel and the
Warships of Britain's enemies kept the
sea. and some sea borne trade per-
sisted. Napoleon took an army to
Egypt and escaped home, despite Brit
ish command of the water. and Vile
neuEc eluded Nelson on a famous occa-
> cam navigation sea power has be-
come. IN fact, absolute in its command
The Navy and the Armies.
The first result of the victory OF sea
power of the demonstration that Bgit-
ssh sea power was supreme, was the
transportation TO France OF the expe
dictionary army, which contributed ma
man invasion, aided materially in
blocking the FIRST great German bid
for, d decision Oh land. and was the de-
r1sipc factor, perhaps. in hating the
second German advance-that directed
at the channel. 80
Fru,n that dar TO this thanks to
British sea power. hundreds Of thou
50 ndS of troops have been carried TO
France fram Great Britain and from
for France, amounting to 1,000, 600 now.
have made the deadlock in the west
absolute and abolished all apparent
nope of decision in this field.
In the same fashion sea power has
made it possible to transport armies
to Egypt and roll back the Turks in
defeat. to send armies to Gallipoli,
which. ta be sure failed, but 10 more
sienally than several expeditions di-
rected against Napoleon. But beyond
all else, sea power has enabled unpre-
pared Britain, partially unready
France. TO turn to their own uses the
whole Industrial machinery of neutral
nations. Of America in particular, to
equip, armies, To mGnitlon and supply
them as neither France nor Britain
could have done.
Half the advantage of superior Ger
man preparedness was swept away
when the British fleet made il possible
TO transform America into the factory
and granarS of the allies; not i'm
possibly. if Germany is finally beaten.
it will be the verdict. of history that