Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-08-13
GERMAN FLEET
TOATTACK U.S..
CAPITAL HEARS
Report in Washington of Teu.
ton Plan to Strike at Max
imum Power

Washington, Aug. 13. - Reports
have reached naval circles here
that the German high seas fleet has
formed a plan whereby it may seek
to elude the British Gordon and
strike with its maximum power in
American waters. Admiral Sims,
commanding the American naval
forces in European waters, has heard
of it and Admiral Sir John r. Jel-
licoe, First Sea Lord and chief of the
British naval staff, has issued what
some naval authorities here regard
as a warning to the United States to
be on its guard from now on against
this contingency.
Admiral Jellicoe says the Germans
calculate to spring their naval of
fensive at a time when the British
grand fleet, they believe, may be off
its guard or when, "at a moment
owing to the absence of ships under
going refits or repairs, the odds were
little if any against them"
Sortie Almost Certainty
Admiral Sims regards the pos
sibility of Germany's attempting to
send her high seas fleet out as by
no means remote, especially now that
the German boats of her submarine
campaign are not being fulfilled AS
last desperate resort the sortie of
the German fleet is looked upon as
almost a certainty.
The German high seas fleet was
not created that it might remain in
active month after month";" Admiral
Jellicoe says, and this idea is gem
orally indorsed. 1t is fully realized
that the German people will demand
that some use be made of it and the
German Admiralty, according to re-
liable information, simply is await
ing the moment when conditions
justify the risk.
The idea of an open clash with the
British grand fleet has not appealed
to the German authorities and. it is
believed, will lead to an effort to
elude the British fleet rather than
meet 1t in battle. The British idea is
to force the Germans to fight once
they come out and prevent If possible
German war craft from getting out
into the open sea. Once the Ger
man feet has escaped the British
naval Gordon, it is pointed out, it
might be next to impossible to force
it into action until it has executed
untold damage on the high seas
Plan to Paralyze Shipping
That the Germans would strike at
some point on the Atlantic coast
and would aim particularly to para
lyze shipping from the United States
to Europe is generally realized. Out
side of the British grand fleet the
only other naval force which could
challenge the German war craft with
any hope of success would be the
American battleship fleet. But IL the
Germans sought to avoid action II
might be extremely difficult for Ad-
miral Mayo to force the issue II
would not be safe for him to divide
his fleet, and any other gatherings
OF naval craft would simply be rid
died at long range by the powerful
guns of the German battleships and
battle cruisers.
1t is because of the potential i'm
portance of the American battleship
fleet in such an emergency as that
created by the German fleet gaining
the open sets that no effort is spared
to keep Admiral Mayo's ships cleared
for action and ready. Secretary
Daniels and his aids have Just com
pleted another inspection trip to the
fleet, where everything is described
as ready for any duty.
Meanwhile word comes from
abroad that the fighting efficiency
of the German high seas fleet must
mot be underestimated. mo greater
mistake could be made than to un-
derestimate its strength" Admiral
Jellicoe warns, at the same time de-
scribing the German fleet as "a great
war machine"
1T is far stronger" he saws. than
the British fleet was ten years ago,
and in the years before the opening
of the war 1t was submitted to
very thorough intensive system of
training"