New-York tribune., 1917-12-16
What of Britain's North Sea Fleet?
All Ranks Have De-,
Regard for Jellico.
and Beatty Nav,
More Powerful Than
Ever.

are the trench raids OF the sea. p.
every hundred square miles Of n.
Mans Land IN France there ar. .,.~
sands in the North Sea- Msnv ,.,,.
are attempted, but few succeed. n.
failures are never ehronieled; Tia a..
cesses always.
Nine months out Of twelve a.
weather in the North Sea Is dirty ,
lsndIubber who fears the 'cross-c5,,
mel trip would not consider the o,s,,
clean, especially IL he vas taking ,.,.
sage on trswler which loops the k,,
with consistent regularity. Stin. N,
and little British craft toss and ~,
around in the North Sea 3s5 day, /,
the year. A wind which fairly bIc,.
the buttons off a sno'ty's sleeve hss =.
terrors for the men who 70 far On,
20 sea in search Of enemy sbove-s,S.
below-sea craft. Waves which run a,
high as tho top Of the funnel Of n.
trawler are taken as matter Of coun.
by the shippers Of these mia:-hun.e,,
and information gatherers.
The clubman who complains .bov.
the color of the sugar which is s.o.s
with his tea and the inactivity Of III.
British navy all in the same br,sa
would find there was nothing passiy,
about Scotch trawler bueking nine.
knot tide and a sixty-mile gale.
Between learning the history +,
Yprcs while German shells were bur..
ing all around me and holding on I,
the rail Of the deckhouse OF trsxl..
giving an almost perfect imi,atior Q.
back flip, decided there was litis
choice. The "cheer-o" Of the traxls
skipper seemed too dsrned reassurine
From the downy-cheeked mfdshi,
man to young-old admiral, from q,
marine to the stoker, the men ver.
into the Battle Of Jutland as happy a.
schoolboys on the eve OF the sumner
vacation. They have been back {.
school for eighteen months and thsy
are keen for another holiday. They
have drilled and drilled. old forms.
tions have been rehearsed and new
Cnes mastered. millions OF dollars
worth of cordite and thousands Of
tons of steel projectile5 have beer
used the big guns and the little /.
FOUNDERS have been tried under all
sorts Of conditions: battleships have
manoeuyred defensively while sab
marines and destroyers made realistic
attacks upon them. Never satisfied,
but always improving, the navy hn
gone on preparing.
There Is nothing the navy will not
do if il is asked. An attack on Heleo-
land or the Flanders coast would no,
worry the Grand Fleet, Junior as vel
as senior officers know just what 4
would mean: they know all the OBJ
stacles confronting them; they know
approximately what the cost would et.
But Just as the captain leading tie
first wave, who knows that il viii be a
miracle if he is alive an hour later
goes "over the top" with cheer, tft
officers in the Grand Fleet would sail
into action with the same Joy and IN
concern for their personal safety.
They are strategists in the Grand
Fleet; they are not politicians. They
have q wonderful regard and cont
dence in Jeilicoe and Beatty. SO long
as these men are in command they fee
whatever orders they get are the re-
suit Of careful consideration, that tho
come from men who know snd under.
stand every angle OF the whole nava
game.
Now that crisis in the war has been
reached, it is well to remember that
the British navy is more powerful 10
day than at any time in its hlstoT
that it is geared up tight; that Brtal1
is the most dangerous when the ODDS
against her are greatest; that Germary
cannot win the war while the Grsne
Fleet remains intact and AmertA
stands in support
The Grand Fleet Is worth watching!