Imperial Valley press., 1918-12-14
NAVAL WORK.
lRV Associated Press }

washington, Dec. lZ-One month
before the armistice with Germany
ended the war, the American navy
was operating total of 1859 vessels
of all descriptions, of which 264, car
rying $4,000 men were actively parti-
cipating in the war in European
waters.
These figures were disclosed today
in the annual report of Rear Admiral
Griffin, chief of the bureau of steam
engineering. Daily expenditures of
the bureau during the war year COW
cred by the report exceeded SIT, 900.
Admiral Griffin said the regular
navy on the date of his report con-
sisted of $40 ships, supplemented by
90 vessels from the Coast Guard
Lighthouse Service, Coast and Geo
detic Survey and Fish Commission
In addition the navy was then operat-
ing 937 converted merchant craft,
yachts and the like, and the Naval
Overseas Transport Service, consist
ing of 247 Shipping Board and other
supply vessels. with 112 more about
to be commissioned. Construction
under way for the regular navy at
that time included 376 new ships of all
kinds and 50 tugs.
"Since the United States became a
belligerent," the report states. ''the
magnitude of the engineering work of
tho navy, both mechanical and electri-
cal. not only in its actual amount. but
in the rapid development of facilities
for its execution-has been without
parallel for the same period of time
in the history of the worlds navieS."
To keep up the fleet abroad, three
repair bases were established In
France, one in Great Britain. one at
Gibraltar and two in the Mediterran-
can. These were supplemented by six
repair ships which achieved remark
able results in repairing vessels at
sea.
The report makes the first official
announcement regarding development
of the submarine detection devices ana
shows that American equipment for
this purpose has been placed abroad
both British and French naval craft.
Details are now disclosed. however,
the report in this connection confin-
ing itself to the following paragraph:
"Previous to July l, 1917, there
were two devices for submarine de-
lection in service. One was the Fes-
sender oscillator, primarily intended
for sending and receiving Underwater
Signals; the other was a device de-
veloped by the General Electric CON-
pany. Since .hen eight other devices
for submarine detection hav been de-
veloped and made in quantity, not
~ oFr own navv, but for the
British admiralty and the French Min
istry of Marine. Modified forms of
these devices have also been designed
for use in protection of the Atlantic
coast Of the United States"
Taking up naval radio develop
ment, Admiral TAYLOR shows that
through the new high power plant at
ANNAPOLIS and the station built bv the
,avy in France and nearing compile
ton, provision had been made which
would have kept the United States
government in touch with its force IN
Europe constantly even if every sub
marine cable had been cut. The radio
communication system has been eN-
t.nded vastly, 81 addi+ional N &iH sta
tions having been built during the
year.
Striking achievements are noted in
avelopnent of radio outfits for naval
aircraft. Communication from ma
chimes in flight to shore stations IS
now possible at a distance Of 200
rifles. the report says, while the land
station can communicate with ma
chine in air 50 miles away. Through
tho radio telephone, the aircraft can
talk to stations so miles away and re-
ceiva verbal instructions from station
Is miles distant. Both systems have
been employed with the coastal pa
troll maintained by aircraft.
Tables annexed to the report show
that the battleship Mississippi, II de-
stroyers. eight of which are 25-knot
boats, and IA submarines had been de-
livered prior to the first of last July.
At that time destroyers Nos. 70 to 244
inclusive were under construction, all
but the first two being 35-knot craft.
The chief difficulty to be overcome
in carrying out the huge destroyer
project was building the engines, yst
~ July l the driving plants of the
275 boats then building were well ad-
vanced. MANY of the vessels since
have been delivered.
Of the big ships, engines for five
out of eight new battleships had
passed the 20 per cent mark. No
work beyond preparation of plans ap-
parently had been done on engines for
the six authorized battle cruisers and
work had not much more than started
on plants for three of the six author
lied scout cruisers.
Submarines building on July num-
bered 100, and the tables show the
engines for 28 were more than GO
per cent readV: IA of them being well