The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-09
STORY Of NAVY'S
BRILLIANT RECORD
IN WAR DETAILED


Annual Report Of Secretary
Daniels Made Public, Con-
tainS Urgent Recommended
ton for Naval Expansion.
WASHINGTON, Dee. with a story
Of brilliant achievements Of the Ameri-
can navy in the war, Secretary Daniels
couples, in his annual report made pub
lie today, an urgent recommendation
for continued naval expansion to meet
the demands Of peace for national and
International work on the sea.
Through nearly all or l4i printed
pages the secretary tells in brief phrases
Of the navy's part In the war, OF the
doing Of the seemingly impossible
through teamwork. He speaks of the
mighty accomplishment or transporting
two million men to France, without the
loss Of an eastbound troop snip through
enemy action, and he deyotes a graphic
chapter to the marine brigade, which
MS all the world knows, blocked the
last Prussian advance on Paris, and
started the German retreat that ended
This reference to the future concludes
the report:
The day is not far distant when the
world will witness an end Of competitive
building between nations Of mighty
Weapons Of war. In the peace treaty
there will undoubtedly be incorporated
President Wilson's proposal for a re-
duction Of armament to the lowest
point consistent with domestic safety
"Nayies viii stIll be needed as an
international police force TO compel
compliance with the decree Of an in
tcrnational tribunal which will be set
up to decide differences between ma
tons. Naval vessels VIII have large
peace tasks of survey and discovery and
protection in addition to police duty of
IN International AS well as of a ma
tlonal character,
"Inasmuch as the United States is
the richest of the great nations and
&AS suffered less in war than any of
the allied powers, It Will devolve pom
this country to make a contribution to
the navy to preserve the peace of the
world commensurate with Its wealth,
its its growing and expand
ing merchant marine, and its leader
ship In the council of free people, 1t
is therefore, our duty now not, indeed,
to enter upon any new and ambitious
naval program, but to go forward
steadily upou the lines Of naval in
crease to which the country committed
tlNtll Wy VIC dhpIllpH &C NthiH akp
OF the first far-reaching constructive
naval program in the history Of the
republic.
II have recommended to this con-
gress the adoption of another three
year program substantially like the one
authorized in 1915, But the victory OF
the allies and the United States should, |
ANA win. | sincerely trust, within Il few
years make it no longer necessary for
any nation under wnip and spur to
burden its taxpayers to undertake to
build, in competitive construction, big
ger fighting ships and more Of them
than any other nation can construct
1856 New Ships.
Mr. Daniels shows that the new $780,
000, 900 threC-year building program he
has proposed win provide 1856 additional
naval ships, ten OF them dreadnoughts
and six battle cruisers, and the others
to be in such distribution of approved
types as the department may deem
best.
Taking up his story of the navy and
the war, the secretary declares the
service was ready from stem to stern
when the United States entered the
conflict, From the day wnen the first
thrce-year program was adopted In
1916, he adds, congress has given
everything that could be desired to in
sure the effectiveness or the naval
arm"
Teamwork had been the navy's slo-
gan for five years, and It continued to
be the war motto both at nome and
abroad, The striking success of the
navy is ascribed to this fact by Mr.. |
Daniels, who continues,
Apparently there have been times
when n secretary Of the navy seemed
to find friction and lack OF cooperation
among the officers around him. II that
spirit~ever existed in the United States
navy, | can state with confidence and
pride that there Is now no vestige of
it, and | firmly believe, from my FIX
p%crienCc. not only during the last year
hut during the five years preceding. it
will never return"
The report shows that Nice-Admiral |
Sims, who Was on his way to London as
head Of the American naval establish
mcnt in the war zones even before war
was declared. Is soon to be named fun
admiral by the president in recognition
of his services, the high character of
which the secretary says 1t Is yet too
early to give proper place, The sending
of Admiral Sims was the first step in
a program of which the secretary says:
THE outstanding accomplishment Of
the navy abroad In this war, outside OF
rigorous and Nalorous service in the
danger zone, has been the character and
degree Of cooperation and practical |
consolidation for the time being of our
services with those services with which
we have been associated The navy, |
beginning with the arrival OF the first
ship abroad, has stood out for unity of |
command, ever though this in some in
stances involved sacrificing temporarily |
something OF our identity as an indie
pendent service, This has not been an
easy task, II Is believed to be a safe
statement that the degree Of accom-
plishment of our service in this respect
Is without precedent in allied warfare"
As concrete evidence OF what was ac-
compliahed, the report shows that on
oct. l there were 33S United states ma
val ships abroad with 5000 officers and
70. 600 enlisted men, or a greater force
than the total strength Of the navy
when war was declared, while the
American fighting craft has steamed
an average Of 626, 600 miles per month
in the war zone, This did not include
the cruisers and battleships on escort
duty. or the first d]estroyers to go over ,