New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-23
Washington Welcomes
Britain's War Mission;
Balfour Meets Lansing
What Shall We
Do with Our
Battleship Fleet?
BY NAUTICUS
"a well known naval expertJ

HAVE been asked to state what
would be good war strategy for
our navy. This would be compare
lively simple task if one knew just
exactly what the enemy intended to do
with his own navy. II the past is any
guide TO the future we are justified IN
supposing that the ships of the Central
Powers-that is to say, those of them
that navigate upon the surface of the
sea-will continue for the present at
least to shelter themselves behind the
heavy batteries of the German and
Austrian coast Notifications and the
elaborate protection in the way of nets,
booms and mine fields with which the
approaches to the harbors and naval
bases are screened
We know with close approximation
the strength Of the Teutonic fleets;
we know where they are contained
the Turkish fleet (wnat is left Of it)
at Constantinople, the Austrian feet
at the head of the Adriatic and the
German in the ports of the North Sea
and the Baltic-ano we know that they
are held there by the vast preponder-
ance of power of the Russians in the
Black sea, of the French and Italian
fleets in the Mediterranean and of the
/ British fleet in the North Sea. The
margin of strength in each case is so
great that il the blOekaded fleets is
sued forth to give battle they could
escape overwhelming defeat only by
some totally unlocked for accident or
| by an exhibition of gross incompetence
on the part of the Allied commanders
and crews.
Element of Surprise Always Present
/ There is, of course, always present
! in naval war the element of surprise.
| 1t is remotely conceivable that in this
/ age of scientific marvels the Germans
may have something up their sleeve
which is so revolutionary use a
/ favorlte term with the naval inventor
| that it may upset the preponderance OF
! power of the Allied fleets; but the
history Of naval development IS all
against such a theory. Far more llkely
/ is it that when the German fleet issues
! forth for it's fotlorn hope Won Trlpltz
will seek to win the command OF the
sea by some new and daring strategy
| And that the Germans will steam
forth from the Elbe some day for one
great trial of strength is as certain as
it is that Germany's land forces VIII
fight it out to the last trench and Dug
out.
The great sortie will take place when
she knows that all hope of winning by
undersea tactics alone is gone. When
she realizes that the day for the last
throw of the dice has come, she Will
call in her feet Of U-boats and as
semble and dispose them in the North
Sea for combined surface and sub-sea
! fight, battle of the giants, compared
! with which even the Battle of Jutland
Will be of secondary Importance.
How the Warning Will Come
And the warning that the great trial
| of strength is about to be made Will
come in the form of total cessation
I of the attack on merchant shipping, Que
to the calling home Of the submarine
| feet.
Just what disposition Of the U-boats
will be made is a matter OF conJee-
ture: but it is certain that with sew
eral hundred of these craft available
> she can so dispose them in the area
! in which she elects to fight as TO
: introduce series of tactics that may
we'll prove TO be bewilderlng and fear
( fully perilous to the British battle
/ line.
They might be disposed in three or
four groups Of, say, fifty each. in GER
/ tain definite stations with reference
3 to the course of the German fleet
/ the fleet itself being preceded or fol-
! lowed by another group as the case
might be. Knowing the location OF
/ his submarines, the German admiral
I on getting in touch with the British
: might choose to turn and make run
ming fight of it, steering a course
which would lead :he enemy through
one or other of the groups of waiting
/ submarines.
I And even if the pressure of the enemy
/ diverted him from bis course as laid
down, the probabilities are that, be-
/ ing in wireless touch, he would be
| able to draw one or more Of the sub
marine groups within striking DIS
/ tance of the enemy.
German Victory Possible
II is altogether possible that by such
tactics the British might suffer sucf
heavy losses as to enable the German
admiral TO break through and even VIII
a crushing victory.
Ii is in view Of such a possible dis
aster that we believe the American fee
should make its base upon the othel
side of the Atlantic. in some mine-de
Tended harbor on the Scottish coast
from which, in the event OF a sortle oi
the German fleet, il could issue TO form
a second or reserve line, barring the
escape of the Germans from the North
Sea.
Crippled. as the German battleship:
and cruisers would be, by the first
encounter, even though victorious. they
would fall an easy prey 70 the twelve
powerful dreadnoughts Of our first lire
backed as they would be by the lS-knot
heavily gunned and heavily armoreS
shibs-a dozen in all-of our Michi
gan, Connecticut apd New Jersey
/ classes.
The true strategy for our battleshiT
feet will be to carry the war TO the
enemy and be on hand, every hour Of
J the time. where we can strike him a
once ard with our whole strength.
Should we keep our battleships or
this side. in the event Of British dis
aster. due 70 submarine tactics such a.
have outlined above. the Germans
would have time 20 return. repair anS
reft before coming 10 seek us on oul
own coasts. But IL we make our bas'
somewhere in the North Sea. we car
crush him. even in the very hour o.
victory.