The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-02-20
AIMING SHIPS
BIG DRAIN ON NAVY
$4,000 Gunners and 5000 Guns Needed
For 1000 Ships, Says Brit
ish Admiral

WASHINGTON. Feb. 20. ~ In view
of the appeals being made to the govern
ment by shipping interests for guns to
protect their vessels against submarines,
interest is being manifested here in the
views of Admiral Sir Cyprian Bridge
of the British navy, which were recently
made known in England.
It would be of no use to put guns
on board vessel if one did not put
on board her ammunition also and men
sufficiently trained to work the guns
with efliciency,' says the admiral. IF
we take only 1900 ships and give them
each only two guns, the number Of guns
needed would be 5000, plus the number
that must be ready in reserve to make
up for necessary requirements. If we
allow only fifty rounds of ammunition
per gun-by no means generous allow
aucc in these days of quick irers-we
should require 100000 rounds, plus the
quantity to he reserved ready to re-
plenish expenditure for practice or bat
tie. Two sufficiently trained men per
gun would be the smallest number that
II would be prudent to employ. Ere
qucntlv one man might be incapacitated
by illness or accident We should then
have to provide 10000 trained gunners.
All this would be necessary If we were
only TO put two guns on each vessel.
of the recent demand to increase
the number of vessel s guns from two
70 four hc granted - and an increase
from one to two has been demanded
the figures given above would have to be
doubled, and we should have to provide.
over and above the necessary reserves,
$4,000 guns and -, 900 men sufficiently
trained to work them with effect.
" The demand for arming our mer-
chant vessels against hostile submarines
does not seem TO take note OF the I'M
portant fact that British cargoes are
often carried in neutral bottoms. In
none Of our wars have we ever been
able 10 dispense with this assistance
any more than we are at present. II
may be taken for granted that we can
not arrange for the armament of neu
trail vessels which carry British cargoes
The Germans have made il quite plain
to us that neutral flag is no protec
tion against their submarines. Now, II
the arming Of our merchant vessels Is
Ito keep Germany submarines from at
lacking them. those submarines will
take the hint and rcdoublc their efforts
against the neutral vessels which are
.notNafmcd but nevertheless are lader
with British cargoes which, even II
they are not British, are much necdet
i'm the United Kingdom.
IF we carry out vigorous policy
rs true principles of naval strategy II
quire-of hunting doNn hostile subma
rincs or perhaps covering the oeear
with our auti-submarinc craft and using
our fleet properly in support of them
wc shall defend not only our own mer
chant vessels, but also those under neu
tral flags carrying cargoes often owneC
by the people of the United Kingdom.
Commenting on the large number o.
men and guns which would be require,
if Great Britain were to arm all of he
merchant ships, ADMIRAL Bridge said:
THE question Is: Would not tia
great number Of men, who had at leaS
some training, and that greater numbe
of guns hc more ctfectuallv employees
; i'm hunting and attacking the enemy
p submarines. no matter how greatly the
may be increased in size, in speed, an
in radius action! If it is suggested tina
/. We may do both things, namely, pu
A the thousands Of guns and men int
i the classes of men ofwaT suitable 70
? hunting and destroying hostile subms
. rincS and also arm the merchant yc'
j, sells. the reply would be that the otho
3 protection may be better. That pla
= would be to utilize the guns and me
e who might hc put on board merchan
!, men or still further increasing the rec
ular men-of-war occupied as submaril
!. dcstrovers. ~