New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-08
VAR GIVES AMERICA ITS GREATEST OPPORTUNITY

acquire islands near our coasts. where they can
establish military or naval bases from which
they can more easily operate against the
United States in of war Our three thou
sand miles of ocean barrier TO the east and five
thousand to the west are not too wide as
they are.
Having therefore, position vastly greater
in its nsularity TO the rest of the world than
was England's island position in relation to
Europe in the last four hundred years, it is
our plain duty: First, to render position
impregnable so far as possible by maintaining
an adequate navy, and second, to form an ALI
ance with one or two other great naval powers,
by which combination of physical force ire
mendous influence could be exerted in averting
wars or in reducing irrepressible conflicts to
minimum of radius and horror.
That the people of the United States are ex-
ceptionaly qualified to be a maritime nation,
that they have been the most daring and sue
cessful sea fighters and that they have for the
first hundred years of their national existence
taken the lead in developing naval warfare are
clearly shown in history.
We have descended from the greatest sea-
faring races of the world. The British, French
Dutch. Scandinavians (Norsemen), Spaniards
and Portuguese, all at some periods of their
careers have been dominant on the ocean. so
great was the nautical aptitude of the Ameri-
can colonists and successful were they in
their ventures in the merchant marine that II
aroused the jealousy of British shipmasters-
with the result that the navigation acts were
passed especially to repress colonial sea &C
Invites.
After the Revolution our merchant marine
advanced with unprecedented strides, and at
the outbreak of the Civil War it stood second
only to that of Great Britain in quantity, while
in quality it surpassed all rivals. Our clip
per ships" became famous throughout the
maritime world, while even such a conservative
Englishman as Charles Dickens declared that
the packet ships plying between England and
the United States were superior to any afoat
But it was in the development Of naval war
fare that Americans showed their greatest
genius. The first group of frgates of the Con-
stitution class, built after the Revolution, be-
came famous throughout the maritime world.
In these ships American genius concentrated
the offensive and defensive power of ships OF
the line. to such an extent, indeed, that the
English openly declared that they were ships
of the line in disguise" and before the close
Of the War of 1912 the Admiralty cut down
several of their three-deckers for the avowed
nurpose of competing with the American "A
gun frigate.
So obvious was the superiority of these fight
ing craft that the British were compelled to
build in imitation, as will be seen by the fol
lowing extract from "The London Times OF
March II, 1914: "Sir George Collier was to
sail Yesterday from Portsmouth for the Amerl-
can station in the Leander of 81 guns several
more than the Constitution carried. This
shin has been built and fitted out exactly upon
the plan of the large American frigates."
After the War of 1912 the Americans con-
tinued to improve their fighting craft and IN
1920 the Admiralty sent an expert to inspect
our navy and ne reported: THE organization
of the American Naval Department either for
administrative duties or for practical work, is
the best system extant. Their ships are the
hest built and their timber is unsurpassed
Their frigates are competent TO cope with ships
of the line and their ships of the line with
three-deckers."
In fact, every important advance in naval
development in the last hundred years has
emanated from American naval genius-eX-
cepting the recent astounding development OF
the submarine and in that the Americans had
taken the initiative. As early as 1914 Thomas
Gregg. of Pennsylvania, patented war craft
mailed with iron. This was the origin of the
famous Confederate ironclads Of the Merrlmac
type. which played such prominent part in the
naval operations of our Civil War. With the
slanting sides of their classmates protected
with iron, these craft withstood the heaviest
shot that were hurled at them from Union guns
and they brought about that revolution in
naval architecture known as the ironclad, 1864
10 about 1880.
1t was Robert Fulton who first succeeded IN
introducing steam as the propelling power in
war craft, which brought about the gradual
retirement Of sails in favor Of the padde-wheel
frigate But this great advance in naval
architecture lasted only for decade or so, for
American naval genius soon evolved the pro-
peller or submerged screw, which, having most
of the machinery below the waterline, had the
compelling advantage of being safer from hos
tile shot Il was in the spring Of 1887 that
American engineers built the Francis B. Og-
den (named after the American consul then in
Iondon) which performed the remarkable feat
Of steaming up the Thames at ten knots an
hour. But Admiralty experts had their
doubts" refused to accept the "newfangled
u - I'll he A