The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-10-07
ALMOST FIVE TIMES MANY NAVY
MEN AND SHIPS AS ON FEB. |

several additional f1otillas, and by
American warships of other types.
| As a result there are several fewer
German submarines.
| On these destroyers have been
| tested out a number of inventions,
and at least three have been so per-
fected that they now offer a posi-
tive arm against the U-boat.
In just two months after the
declaration of war first contingent
| of United States naval f1iers and
hydro aeroplanes arrived in France.
| In the meantime, tremendous work
has been done in arming and man
| ming American merchant vessels for
| self-defense. We have today guns,
and gun crews of from 16 to 80 men
| each on more than 400 merchant
| ships, their effectiveness proved in
| more than a dozen battles with sub
| marines.
Meanwhile organization of a con-
voy and transport system for our
| overseas armies and their supplies
was ready to begin business within
three months after we declared war.
Tens of thousands of men-more
than were in the whole United States
army year ago-have been trans
ported to France and England with
out the loss of single man by
hostile attack.
On the question of materials, the
whole naval establishment has been
speeded up and enlarged.
We needed fast boats of the
Chaser type for inshore work.
More than 300 are now under con-
struction and many already have
been completed.
The destroyer was found to be the
most efficient arm against subma-
rines. Those under way were rushed
to completion, and work begun on
more than $50 more.
With an eye to the future work
was pushed on U-boat fleet of our
own.
Navy yard equipment has been
doubled and quadrupled.
The navy's ordnance factories
have been enlarged and a new pro
jectile plant is being constructed at
Charlestown, w. Va, where an armor
plate plant will be built later. By
April our production of navy guns
and projectiles will be double that
of a year ago.
German liners taken over for naval
service have been repaired and put
in commission.
All these activities, however, would
mean nothing had the navy been un-
able to recruit its strength. But this
the navy has done, wholly by volun-
teer enlistment.
New naval training stations have
been built and old ones enlarged an
til the navy has today 10 canton
l1ents and camps that compare fav-
orably in size with those built for
the army. These navy environments
will handle 900 men. This num-
Der is to be increased to "a.
Every major ship in the fleet also
has become a training ship. The bat
tleship Texas, for instance, which has
a normal complement of about 1000 |
men, now has 1900.
In addition to all these activities, !
the navy has incidentally handled all |
wireless communications and all wire |
less and cable censorship, to say |
nothing of a score of similar side |
lines.
And the whole work has gone
along so smoothly, and with so little !
friction and racket that the average
American has got the idea that the !
navy wasn't doing much of anything
at ALL
Also, in its whole program of de-
velopment, the navy has been getting
its steel, its coal, its oil at prices so !
to 100 per cent cheaper than other !
government departments. When steel
men and coal barons tried to hold Sec
rotary Daniels up, he told them just
what he'd pay and then told them if
they didn't want to produce at that
figure he'd take over their plants
and produce for them. They surren-
dered
In every instance his judgment on
what prices were fair has been corr
firmed by the prices later fixed bv
the Federal Trade Commission and
the President
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