The Washington herald., 1917-02-05
Army and Navy News
Best Service csiumn IN City.

In the event of actual warfare be-
tween this country and Germany, the
United States would enter the. connict
almost totally unprepared aeronauticaily.
with an almost infinitessimal number OF
machines, the United States would face
q roe possessing more than 5000 airplanes
ana more than 5000 trained aviators.
according to Alan r. Hawley. Henry
Woodhouse. Howard Huntington and
mintary men qualified to know whereof
they speak, the United States needs at
once 2ooo trained pilots with a ratio Of
tnree machines to each pilot, which pro-
portion has been found most practical In
Europe. OF course, this is to obyiate
delays caused by breakages and over
hauling
AT present the United States has not
b single dirigible in operation. Few peo-
pie here have ever seen a dirigible and
cannot conceive any idea of its size and
efficiency. Even though the army and
navy are willing to cooperate with pri-
Vate concerns for the building of diri-
gioies, it is impossible for these concerns
10 estimate the cost of building a large
balloon and of doing the amount of ex-
perimental work necessary to develop
ment America Is not. however. without
patriotism among her ayiators and ship
builders, and several patriotic concerns
f'SSSSo thSlT wihluSHCso " uboci-
take the work at cost. Among these con-
Germs are ship builders. used to hurry
orders, and with nearly all the necessary
factors at their command
AT the first Pan-American Aeroplare
Exhibition. which will be opened in New
York City this week. there viii be ex-
nipits OF the application of radio ap-
paratus and wireless signalling devices
for aircraft communicating with artillery
~ tat n
with wireless are the only known effec-
tive anudotes for the submarine These
sea planes launched from battleship or
from shore can soar into the air and
sight a submarine plainly from a height
OF ZOO feet. According to Henry Wood
house. there are two ways in which a
submarine can be detected from the
plane. When 1t is under water it leaves
visible foamy wake, and II going very
slowly or IL stationary. there is an oil
patch 100 feet In diameter or more spre1d
by tho submarine which Is also easily
visible to an aviator on a clear day.
The United States is in a position to
place in service, in most cases imrne-
| diately, 2s4 fighting ships of various
types, together with all the various
units needed by a irst-class navy. such
J as hospital, supply and repair ships,
or the fighting force there are eleven
battleships of the first line, including d
| few of the most powerful sea fighters
| afloat. twenty-five battleships OF the
| second line. ten armored cruisers, twenty
| four cruisers, nine monitors, fifty-seven
destroyers, sixteen coast torpedo vessels.
twenty torpedo boats. seventy-five sub
marines. thirty gunboast and others OF
| various types.
| None of these Is obsolete. All but four
the battleships Iowa, Indiana, Massachu-
setts and Oregon, have been built since
1900 and the oldest Of the four named
the Indiana. dates from but five years
earlier. Included among ships OF the frs;
| line are such Dreadnoughts as the Penn
sylvania. acclaimed the most powerful
| battleship in the world, and the Okla
| homa. Nevada, Texas and New York, al
most as powerful.
4 There are now building the Arizona,
sister ship to the Pennsylvania, and the
New Mexico, Mississippi, Idaho, Tennes-
see and California, all even more power
full, and these will be dwarfed by the
other monsters the construction of which
Is authorized in the naval program for
the next three years.
As to personnel. there are Sr156 officers
and 74,7oo enlisted men authorized, al
though this is not the actual present
strength. The navy at present lacks suf-
ncient men to man its imposing dee'
| completely.