New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-30

thru. PENNSYLVANIA could sink the
whole thirteen. And this estimate does
not consider either the superior speed
OF the dreadnought or the greater
range and rapidity of fire OF its guns.
Secretary Daniels lists for our pro
posed feet In 1921 all Of our armored
cruisers. BY that tine these ten yes
sells will be from thirteen 10 sixteen
wears old. military mistakes from
the day they were laid down, although
stately and noble as ships purely, they
belong 20 type now discredited IN
the navies OF all great powers
They are vessels of 1860 30 l4,5OO
tons displacement and p knots speed,
carving mixed batteries Of four S-lnch
or l0-inch guns in turrets and fourteen
or sixteen G-inch in broads'de. they
have weak belt armor, five or six inches
thick amidships. With such armor and
guns thew can neither fight nor take
punishment in battle line, and in
these days their speed Is too low for
them TO chase or run away.
The aggregate muzzle energy Of the
turret guns of these cruisers is about
that OF the dreadnought Pennsylvania.
A single dreaGnought like the British
Queen Elizabeth would make short
work Of the whole ten. since. although
her muzzle energy is less, her speed
and range are much greater, and she
could with impunity sink them one by
one at will.
Now Homeless Outcasts.
II at the time of their great popu-
larity in all navies there was anything
Of value in the characteristics of these
i . bDs 4trr
OF the seas, the battle-cruiser, haze null
lifted il, and the armcred cruiser IS
now tactically but o homeless Outcast
from a well balanced navy.
We have now u destroyers built,
rebuilding or authorized. OF these, l6
are about 100 tons displacement, 26
about zoo tons, and :he remainder are
between 600 and LOO tons. The ad-
mnistratlon's list for 1921 calls Tor
total of 10S that is, the lG older and
smaller vessels are to be dropped and
so new ones built during the next five
years.
The accepted practice in all great
navies is 10 allow from two to four de-
stroyers for each battleship Of the
fleet as a guard against surface and
submarine attack by torpedoes, TO CO.
operate with the scouts. and, when OPP
portunity presents, 10 make torpedo at
tack themselves. The administration
total Of los, therefore, provides these
guards for only the - first line battle
ships which il lists. The l3 of the sec
ond line would require 81 more.
Further. 26 OF this lOo are from fVO
10 ~ NHKT splaeement. while modern
destroye 'Tare 80 per cent larger ana
often 20 per cent faster
The nited States has-buiit, build
ing or authorized 70 coast and feet
submarines. To these the administra-
ton proposes adding S5 CT the former
and 10 OF the latter making lb7 OF the
coast type and Is feet submarines in
1921 The difference between the two
classes is that the coast boats are small
and operate from a nearby base, while
the feet submarines are 10 be much
larger and faster craft, fit 10 accom-
pany the feet wherever It may go the
world over.
To guard our long coast line and
larger harbOrs, plans under cOnsldera-
ton woIld require not less than 200
coast submarines, stationed in inner
and outer lines. As to fleet sub
marines. II IS stated that the present
tentative plans for these as yet un-
realized craft prescribe two for each
battleship- that is, % instead of tn,
administrations IL for the n first line
battleships of 1921.
Thirty-six Of the coast submarines
are now In commission in Atlantic and
Pacific waters. From their record the
bulk Of them are unquestionsbly un-
trustworthy and dangerous craft. This
is due partly to inherent defects in de-
sign and largely 10 the fact that they
the early stages Of sub
marine development
Twenty-Five Like the f-4.
Finally. take that shameful blot on
American naval history. the loss Of
the submarine FL off Honolulu Har-
Dor. OF this disaster the Secretary
Of the Navy says:
"The primary cause was the corroded
condition Of the lead lining. and, In
(tbe corrosiOn) Of certain