Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-02-01

-HA@r HAT is the next surprise thar naval
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architects have in store for the
x world?
~~ Is IL possible to modify radically
existing types Of battle craft:
( Has the naval stratcsist any
thing in mind that will be totally
unlike present warships-some-
thing that will upset the prevailing
order Of battle tactics upon tho sea! lhese lues>
ttons ARE asked by Robert G. Skcrrctt In the New
York sun, and he gees on to say that experts an
swer yns 10 questions two ami three. oile OF 'h1
foremost Of American naval officers said not long
ago:
~ believe we can build n ship here that VIII
make The whole world sit up and take notice IL
we want 10 do So"
This assertion was brought out by q debate on
the subject Of naval Increase, when the genesis
Of the modern 1realnaught was discussed. An
Interesting light was thrown upon the origin ana
reason for being of that era-inak'ng type or heaVE
ship of The line. The disclosure illustrates how
kindred forces may be at work in calling into
being another and no less startling departure In
naval architecture. According to the officer III
question:
"EngInnd has been criticized for inventing the
drcadnaugNt type on the ground that IL she had
not done so she would have maintained n greater
prepoudernnce over every other navy In her pre-
dreaanansht types. and as the dreatlnaught type
is far more efficient she therefore had to start
even with other nations again. The reply to that
is that she did not invent the type, but 1t was
Absolutely forced upon her.
an tir DAYS when we We're firing at each other
ut 1000 or $500 yards Il dreadnausht was not a
logical thing ut all, because ut those ranges yon
could use an c~ight.inch gun with great effect or Il
siS-incll Gun. But as soon as Admiral Sir Percy
Scott showed rs how TO train gun pointers with
his new device it changed the situation material
~. His whole invention was Il method OF train
ing gun pointers.
ave applied ii on our side and we talked to
people on this side and IL people on the other
side Of the Atlantic about il. ! Went over to Eng
land and talked 10 thc gun people there and we
finally. tentatively going from one range 10 an
Other. found Ont that we could hit a target Mt
5000 or 5000 yards, which We're considered
enormous ranges in those days.
"Yo,, cannnt hit anything with n siy-inch gnn
at those distances. II was therefore perfectly
Illogical for them to build any more battleships
except with all big guns. Accordingly, the all-blg
gun ship had to be built,
ave would have built the first one on this side
II the authorities here had listened TO MS. Eng
land did not invent the all-big gun ship. 1t was
Admiral Sir Percy Scott who thought out how tf
shoot ut long range. aud the other fellows FOL
lowed rs n ma tural consequence. Big guns nre Tho
only ones that will do any particular damage a
long range.
"Thc present conflict has made Il plain that II
nct,al warfare the nation with Initiative VIII nav
n great advantage, and Germany has undo,,bted'!
kept her foes guessing. No one knows what sh
IL likely to spring next upon her antagonists. bu
INST performances hint ut certain possibilities
Cant. william s. Sims thus describes n thor
oughIy practicable, novel order OF bnttlc craft. 1t
theoretical advantages nre 40 evident to the eN
merits that the likelihood Of Its appearing befor
long Is more than Il possibility.
ar YOU build n ship Of 10000 tons that In
oothinr hut n protective deck. and 70 fiat TIM
nothing could get under It, Tint only has Nv
towers, one forward and one aft, to control III
ship, and no guns mt MI, hut armed with eight .
ten torpedo tubes On a side, md capable Of mai
ing 80 knots, ] would like to know wlnt q Nee