Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-02-28
more VIGOROUS SEA
POLICY ANTICIPATED
Retirement of Jelicoe Expected
to Result in Change of Ma
val Tactics.
BY x. Waiter.

L%cndon-(by mali, = Although the
change AT the British admiralty came
unexpectedly to the public and a sec
ton OF the press. it had been anticipated
ia naval circles for sometime, and it
is useless to pretend that it will he
received otherwise than with delight
by q very large number of men in re.
sponsiblc naval positions. Ever since
the battle of jutland, Sir John Jellicoe's
popularity i'll the nav has been on
the Mane. He achieved a half victory
mnder circumstances which many be-
iieVe Could have been turned into IL
smasiiipg defeat of the Germans. The
welcome appointment OF Beatty as
commander in chief was not followed
by MI the reforms that it promised, but
oplnion Was slow to ascribe this dis
appointment to one or the other re-
everyone did see was that Beatty re-
tanned ~joiiicoe's men in high staff posi-
tions under him, and before long it be-
came current gossip that in this II
In other ways Beatty's command of the
rand fleet was restricted by Je;licoe
at the admiralty.
A great deal was accomplished, how
ever. to the immense satisfaction Of the
spirits Of the new school of naval
warfare. More attention was paid to
those tactics which superior forces
must be prepared to adopt in dealing
with an enemy whose constant object
must be to avoid. an open battle, Of
withdrawing before the full power of
tho superior forces can come int ac-
ton and laying every imaginable trap
devised by modern science in the path
of their pursuit. The elaboration of
these tactics. I have reason to believe,
was never seriously undertaken by
h battle Of Jutland, and it was said
1t was for lack of these that a large
portion of the German fleet made good
it's escape. It is impossible to go into
details in these matters but a little
intelligent Imagination will bring 1t
OF the sea that a navy which had not
tested Its full resources for more than
100 years would need some very thor
0ugh revision OF tactics and personnel
In order to bring its fighting efficiency
into line with modern inventions.
I recently gave some hints Of these
changes when I was permitted to say
that the British navy was SO per cent
more efficient than at the time Of the
battle Of Jutland. Forecasts l was
given at the same time prophesied that
with the right man at the head of
things at The admiralty an increase Of
200 per cent in efficiency would be
very soon o~btainable.
From all accounts. Sir Rosslyn
WemysA the new first sea lord. is the
right a He is n Of the few adj
mfralS known to be in full sympathy
with h men of the new school. He Is
experienced in all branches of naval
administration and for some time has
been for all practical purposes chief of
operations at the admiralty. Some of
the London papers connected the re-
tirement OF Jellicoe with the loss of
two conveys in the North sea. This is
a very trivial way Of looking at the
matter. When q hundred v sail.
one may still be lost without any re-
Election on the protecting navy Prob
ably no people except the British, ac-
customed to regard British naval pow
ier as unassailable. would make a fuss
over such slight losses.
There is no disgrace whatever at
.tached to J%ellicoe's retirement. 1t Is
the passing of the grand old school, a
change Inevitable in the development
of new fighting methods at sea. With
him will probably go the prestige of
many other men who have held to the
old British theory that navigation was
the sum and substance of naval war
fare. n their places will he taken by
men whose conception of sea fight
ing includes all the complex uses to
which modern instruments of destruc-
ton a be put. The allies owe a debt
Of gratitude to Sir Brio Geddes, first
ord of the admiralty. for his business
seriously restricting the full develop
ment of British sea power and was
only made the more difficult to
meet ny the popularity Of Jellicoe at
home.
Old and New Germany.
From the New York Times.