Evening star., 1917-12-30
JELuCOE WASR|GHT,
THINKS GRAND FLEET
Men on Board Oreadnaughts
Have No Use for Arm
chair Critics.
By ROBERT sLOss.

BIZ ROBERT sLOss.
Especial Correspondence Of The Even
ing Star and Chicago Daily NewsD
WITH THE GRAND FLEET. Novem-
ber 13.-I have now been here long
enough to report confidently what the
grand feet thinks of Admiral Sir John
Jeiiicoe- 1t thinks exactly opposite TO
what a certain London newspaper has
recently been implying that II thinks
and thinks this with absolute unanim-
ity. This is the more significant be-
cause there are not a few subjects upon
which it is possible to find almost as
many opinions in the feet as there are
ships.
During my visit I have lived aboard
three ships and been entertained aboard
half a dozen others. and / can testify
that each ship manifests a subtle ind-
viduality different from that of any
other 1t is like visiting a succession of
London clubs, except that clubs arise
out of avowed dissimiiarities. while
ships companies are gathered together
for a common aim-namely, fighting cf-
ficfency. Yet there Is your young ship.
not necessarily taking that characteris-
tic from the age of the ship OF OF tho
men. but radiating a distinctly youth
full ardor and up-to -dateness In curious
contrast with the sedate and almost
old-fashioned spirit of some other ship.
Between these extremes the differences
ramify confusingly. But all ships are
Of one mind about Jelhcoe-
Jellicoe "Worked Up"
Undoubtedly the facts that JeIlicoe.
following In his fathers footsteps. join
ed the navy forty-five years ago as 4
midshipman, worked his way up with
out being jumped over any numbers and
was wounded severely in action long
before this war. are strong elements in
his popularity with the service. But
they are not the compelling reason for
the confidence the service feels in him.
That reason was put to me by high
officer as follows: with such elements
as he could lay his hands on Jellicoe
created the grand feet for whatever IL
IT,"
Well, even I could see what IL is, al.
though only about half Of it's magnffi-
cent strength is at present in this har.
Dor. 1t is the finest fighting machine
afioat.
s.Low Visibility" Still Topic.
But what OF Jutland? At the grand
fleet they will explain to you that Jut-
land was bit of hard luck: that fncal-
culable weather conditions enabled the
Germans to sneak home during the
their medicine in the morning, as there
was every reasonable expectation they
would have to do. l could write a
chapter on what was told me about the
vagaries of low visibility. Again and
again they would get the range Of
German and open fire on her to find
their target, next moment. biotted out
by a bank of fog. But, personally, 1
was long ago convinced oy a certain
British naval critic (who l understand
has lust been crfticising his own navy
rather severely in the columns OF the
American press) and who Few days
after the battle privately put up to me
and a few others quite irrefutable
argument proving that fntrfnsically
Jutland was better than the glorious
1st of June" when Admiral Lord Howe
defeated the French feet on Ushant. in
1871 capturing seven ships.
Plenty Of Spirit There.
1t is easy enough for armchair critics
to prate vaguely in print OF the spirit
Of Nelson and that sort Of thing.
stood last summer in the still partially
preserved upper room OF an inn at
Exeter, where Drake and his aomirais
used to meet to discuss the strategy OF
the British navy. / was tremendously
impressed until I learned that the lot
Of them were really gentleman farmers
by preference and only went to sea
when there was work to be done Tor
the glory of England. That was clearly
good enough for those early days, and
1 hazard a guess that the spirit OF
these old seadogs and that of Nelson
is in the British navy of today for all
it is wortl But I doubt IL Nelson or
any of them, at Jutland. would have
done differently from Jellicoe.
"Glad to Get Suggestion"
What chiefly gives me this impress
sion is a talk Il have just had, after
luncheon, with an admiral OF the heets
who in this war conducted little ac-
ton which for bravery, precision and
success is admitted to have had In full
measure all the qualities of "the Nell
son touch" He will not talk about 1t
further than to describe 1T as "a bit OF
luck" But he spent some time show
ing me on the chart what the navy
would have to contend with II 1t made
some Of the little excursions into the
Baltic which armchair critics are now
recommending. He exhorted these
critics get down to cases.
Let them tell u.s." he said to me.
..how we are to get there, what we are
to do there and how we are to get
back, without losing most of our ships
at an expense to the Germans OF not
a single shot-which is exactly what
the Germans would like. We are al
ways glad to receive any practical sus-
ooSfiop