The Elk Mountain pilot., 1917-02-01

could do when one of them comes down in its
midst" he says.
There would be nothing to hurt If you did hap
pen to hit her. and she could fire all the torpe-
does she wants to at you. One of young Off
GERS recommended vessel of that type. Natural
conservatism the part of the older men who
control the upper end of NIL services-nnd 1t is
the natural conservatism of large bodies that con-
troll government-stands In the way of just
such proposition; those men do not quite like
the radical idea. But just the same one of those
novel craft will pop up one Of these days; and
for all we know 1t will come out of Wilhelmshaven
before this war is over"
1t is well-known fact that the destroyer has
proved the submarines worst enemy, and for two
reasons: First because of Its speed combined
with effective gun power; and, second, owing to
the difficulties OF retaliation through torpedo
attnck, the submarines only sufficient answer to
the destroyer's rapid frers. More often than 9TH
erwise the underwater boats principal weapon has
sped harmlessly under the destroyer without scor-
ing, simply because the destroyer draws far less
water than the submarines intended quarry. the
big vessel.
The torpedo is ordinarily set to run deep enough
TO strike well below n large ships nrmor belt,
and therefore is apt to pass without hitting below
the keel of destroyer. 1t was this idea that
Captain Sims had in mind when he said that the
novel battle craft to be built so that moth
ing could get under It,"
There is another advantage. too In this arrange
ment. A ship constructed would be able to
operate in waters where ordinarily only light
gunboats destroyers could maneuver in safety.
Accordingly 1t would be easy for craft of this
character either to hide where least expected or
to to cover when the odds offered by nrmored
ships too heavy against her.
Great Britain has found is necessary to utilize
monitors. especially modified for the work. in her
offensive operations against the German positions
the coast of Belgium. Shallow draft ana fairly
heavy armaments have made these vessels reason
ably effective. However. the monitors have not
been able to destroy the German naval station
at Zeebrugge and the. kaser's designers have no
doubt long been busy devistng naval foil TO the
British attack.
This probability in part is warrant for Cap
tain Sims assumption that something out of the
ordinary likely to issue from Wilhelmshaven
before the end of the present struggle. 1t Is taxes
the form suggested the ship will not be formd-
able foe only for Englands monitors, but 1t would
certainly prove very dangerous antagonist Tor
wenigh any of Great Brtans heavy fighting
ships.
As with so many things concerning our national
defences no secret has been made here of this
proposed order of craft. Captain Sims has
said:
at has been before our people for long while
1t has been discussed at the War college and pa
pers have been written on It,"
Foreigners have undoubtedly made themselves
familiar with everything that has been given out
about the ship and certainly the type would go
long way toward offsettng the disadvantage in
numbers under which the German fleet labors.
Moreover, there economic reasons why Il
fighting ship of this peculiar type would coihinehu
itself especially to people circumstanced as are
the Germans now.
As Captain Sims says: 81 have always believed
that vessel could be designed in that way with
out any necessity for n waste of side armor, be-
cause she would have nothing above her water
line to protect that is, substantially nothing She
would have no turrets which cost so much In
weight and she would have no big guns, which
cost In the weight of the gun, ammunition, etc.
"She would carry two towers, from either OF
which the ship could be controlled: One TO be
used In case the other was knocked out. They
would be of sufficient size to hold the people who
maneuver the craft. Her smoke pipe would be
armored so that 1t could not be shot away so
close to her deck to do any particular damage.
She could be armed with eight torpedo tubes on
her side and she could carry great many tor
pedoes for each one of those tubes"
At the Naval War college strategic experts have
given this suggestion numerous theoretical tests