Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-05
NAVAL STRENGTH
TRIPLED in YEAR
$4,000 Men Now in Sea
Service Of United
States
WARRING ON SUBMARINES
Navy Quick TO Cooperate
With Allied Fleets in Pro-
tecting Shipping

"hshlngtDn. NDih o.
IN twelve months the navy has in
creased its personnel strength 10 moro
than three times what II was on Anrl
/ 6, 1917, the increase in officers gnd men
being from $1,000 20 $4,000
\ goodly portion Of the American
navy has worked IN close cooperation
with tho British and French neets In
sealing up the German navy and COM
batting the U-boats white navy srnners
and guns arc on every American mer-
chant ship to protect It from attack by
tho guns and torpedoes Of the German
uudcrsca monsters.
on April 6. 1917, when war wap de-
c,ared, tho navy and marine corps con-
listed Of A792 officers and 1895 en-
listed men. Today there are 20,664 o7i-
GERS I'm the regular navy, naval reserve
force. marine corps national naval vol
uutecrs and coast guard and 32o,33S
enlisted men.
In less than thirty days after the dec
laration Of war, American destroyers
arrived in England TO assist in patrollinG
European waters The following day
Admiral Sims. in charge Of the Arerl-
can fleet in Europe, attended an Allied
war conference at Paris.
The first contingent OF the expedition
airy forces, transported and conveyed by
tho navy. had been landed in France
on July ..
The navy's task Of protecting Amerl-
can lives and property on the high seas
from attack by German submarines be-
clared, when, on March 10, the Admin
is,rstion announced that American mcr-
chantmcn would be armed with naval
guns and Euuuers against submarine at
tacks American naval gun crews were
serving on merchant ships in the war
zone before war was declared, and the
first enlisted man lost In service, John
Espolucci, had been killed on April I,
when the Aztec was sunk
The navy continued TO increase the
strength of the fleets as rapidly as the
ships could be constructed. When war
was declared the navy had under CON
struction fifteen battlcships, SIX battle
cruisers, eseveu scout cruisers, twenty
seven dcstroyers. siXty-one submarines
and several auxiliary ships. Since then
contracts have been placed for $50 ves-
sells, including 100 submarine chasers
for the navy OF one of our Allies. More
than 700 privately owned vessels have
nr al rta nd
up for naval use.
The navy has made marked progress
in developing its aviation service. Large
orders have been given for seaplanes
flying boats, dlrigibles and balloons. In
addition, many aircraft are being con-
structed at the Naval Aircraft Factory
In Philadelphia, authorized by Congress
on July %, 1917 The navy has en-
larged it's schools for aviators, and now
has several thousand officers and men
training for the flying service.
II is not a generally known fact
but 1t is true nevertheless that the
American battleships are the largest in
the world. Tho Arizona and Pennsyl-
yania arc OF $1,000 tons the Idaho,
Mississippi and New Mexico, $4,000 tons I;
california and Tennessee, $4,000; Color
ado, Maryland, Washington and West
Virginia, 80 500 tons, while six new
battleships authorized are designed to
be $1,000 tons. Compared with these
vessels the largest British battleship
is Of only 27,5OO tons the largest Ger
man. 2S,500 tons, and the largest Japa-
nese vessel about 81 900 tons.
Some idea of the activity of the navy
can be obtained from the comparative
expenditures of the year preceding the
war, when the cost Of the naVy's uplteep
was sac 10000 and that of the next
fiscal year, which is estimated to be over
100000.
The marine corps, which comes under
the supervision of the Navy Department,
has grown since war was declared from
total of 1886 enlisted men and 426
officers to its present strength Of 1889
officers and 36,629 enlisted men. The
strength Of the marine corps has been
Increased by voluntary enlistment, serv-
ice In this branch being considered SO
desirable that there is a waiting list
of applicants for the service.