Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1917-04-05
MAYO TO COMMAND.
TONNAGE
This Amount Can Be Modified
For Service In the Atlantic.
Big Gun Broad.ide
Of l67 Tons.
laval officers are waiting for or
N ders to mobilize, and as soon
as they are received the feet in

the Atlantic will be increased |
Immediately by all the reserve battle |
ships and many vessels Of other types,
including large feet Of auxiliaries,
the latter ranging in size from the
motorboat submarine chaser to the |
finest Of private steam yachts, such as
J. P. Morgan's Corsair, Vincent Astor's |
Mona and scores Of other noted pleas
ure craft.
The force which will be called into
active service upon mobilization
amounts to about 100000 tons. 1t in
cludes fourteen battleships Of the
dreadnaught type, thirty-two second
line battleships. three armored cruis- |
ers, three scout cruisers, fifty-one de-
stroyers and six divisions of subma-
rines.
The fourteen first line dreadnaughts.
beginning with the fleet flagship Penn
sylvania and ending with the 10000
ton South Carolina, total in displace-
ment 339, $50 tons. In the main batter
les Of these ships, which make up the
four backbone divisions of the Atlantic
feet, are sixty-four fourteen-inch guns
of the latest type. which hurl projec-
tiles weighing 1,4O0 pounds and which,
If necessary, could unite in single
broadside salvo of fourteen inch pro-
jectiles, the combined weight of which
would be $4,000 pounds.
In addition to these fourteen inch
batteries, there is also in the first line
sQuadr0ns the same number of guns Of
the twelve inch type, which, firing in
single broadside, can hurl $3.50
pounds of projectiles, each weighing
$40 pounds, at an enemy fleet This
gives to the first line ships broadside
fire in which the projectiles total in
weight, per broadside, more than sew
enty-two tons. or. to be exact. las, 29O
pounds.
The main batteries of the thirty-four
second line battleships, the total ton
mage Of which is 329,S5S, embrace
twenty eight thirteen-inch and seventy
six twelve-inch guns, the former firing
projectiles of l,130 pounds and the
latter $40 pounds. The thirteen inch
broadside weight is therefore 31,64O
pounds, or little more than fifteen
tons, While thesweight Of the twelve
inch broadside in this second line to-
tails 1890 pounds, or not quite forty
nine tons. If all the big guns in both
the first and second line divisions were
fred at the same time the total weight
of projectiles of the three major cali
bers would be 274,OSO pounds. or ap-
proximately 1877 tons.
Next in fighting strength to the bat
tleships are the three armored cruisers
operating with the active and reserve
Atlantic organizations. Each of these
vessels mounts a main battery of four
ten-inch guns. firing projectiles weigh
ing $40 pounds. and each mounts a
secondary battery of sixteen guns Of
the six inch type.
Fifty-one Destroyers Ready.
The destroyer force ready for instant
service totals fifty-one vessels, OF which
fOrty-nine are in the main torpedo TO-
tillas and two are attached to the sub
marine divisions as tenders. The aver
age speed of these little craft is about
twenty eight knots an hour, and the
average battery consists of four four
inch OF an equal number of three inch
guns and four torpedo tubes.
Each destroyer is manned by about
100 officers and men. These are the
ships which will be relied upon to pro-
tect the dreadnaughts and second line
battleships from submarine attack in
the event of hostiities, in addition to
doing patrol duty along the hansat-
lantic ship lanes leading from the prin-
cipal Atlantic ports.
At present the submarine strength of
the Atlantic feet totals twenty-four
vessels, but in the event of war an
other division of new l. boats could
be made ready for service in few
weeks.
Also in commission or ready to be
called into service are nine small cfuis-
els, three scouts and eighteen gunboats.
To reinforce these ships, which would
be part of the coast patrol, are scores
of private yachts owned by Americans
and the entire fleet of revenue cutters
now in Atlantic waters. which would
add about hundred vessels.
In the event of hostilities the fleet in
the Atlantic which will thus be imme-
diately available for service totals 1874
vessels of all types. Revenue cutters,
private yachts and other craft would
add at least another hundred. while
supply ships. golfers. ammunition ships
and other auxiliaries would number ut
least fifty. making the total strength of
the seagoing feet about 300 vessels of
all classes. s;zEt4
The man who will command this ar
NADIA is Admiral Henry 7. Mayo, com
mander in chief 1.-THE Atlantic fleet
Under hifnaf and exerfsing division
command are Vice ,Adnnifal De Witt
Coffman. Rear Admirals Augustus III.
Fechteler. Il. S. Rodgers. Herbert o.
Dunn and Harry S. Knapp. sfn COM
mand of the reserve divisions is Rear
Admiral John Hood. whose division