New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-03-13

| LINK very FULLY appears from ou1
report on the bureaus"
The report then takes I'D in detail
the work of the various bureaus of
! TIE navy department and praises the
| Particular work of each.
The first battle of the war that
against disease, was fought and won
by the medical department of the
navy under Rear Admiral William
BREASTED, the report said.
| Except an occasional outbreak of
those diseases which commonly oc-
! cur among recruits the health of
the navy has been quite as good as
IN time of peace and the health of
| the force af1oat has been even bet
| ter than in peace times in spite of
all the difficulties in the way of rapid
| expansion"
Commencing the efficiency of the
bureau Of construction and repair
and steam engineering the report said
that the skill and inventive genius
of these men had added largely to
the fighting strength of the allied
navies.
The report emphasized that during
1918 'destroyers will be built in from
a third to half the time taken under
pre-War conditions" This makes DOS
sible 1.-The greatest destroyer fleet in
the world before 1872 Chairman
Oliver said in explaining the report.
The destroyers now being built at
such a high rate Of speed will be
equal in every respect and superior in
some to our latest vessels Of that
type" he added. "Our destroyer fleet
in high state of efficiency Navy
yards were fully equipped with materi-
ais for converting merchant ships
taken over into whatever use desired"
The Bureau of Ordnance, it was
said has fully satisfied the demands
made upon it by the vessels operating
in European waters. The bureau has
developed much now material, in
GLIDING depth charges, submarine
bombs, nonricochet shells, bomb drop
ping devices, howitzers guns for
throwing depth charges, smoke screen
apparatus, heavier ordnance on all
craft and many other important
designs that it is unwise to discuss
over LOO vessels have been fur
nished and equipped with guns" the
report states, with ammunition, spare
parts and all their auxiliaries since the
fitting out of the Campagna in Marsh,
1914. Reserves of ammunition have
been acquired.
THE bureau has furnished in ap-
probable quantities the governments
of England, France and Italy with
guns from the largest to the smallest
ca1ibre, together with proper supplies,
and is continuing the supply of such
munitions to our allies, both to regular
navy vessels and some merchantme
The report states that complete in
formation was given to the commit
tee as to the encounters of all Amer
lean vessels with submarines.
'"The record of attacks it said,
"shows com parativeIy small per-
centage of successful attacks and
that the chances of escape when q |
submarine is sighted before she has !
time to fire a torpedo are very high, |
due to the efficiency Of the navy per-
sonnet The unseen torpedo is re- |
sponsible for so per cent. of the |
sinkings."
mittee said:
There are today on the firing lines |
in France no better trained, no brav-
err, no more effective fighting force |
than our own Marines, and we hope !
their number may soon be largely in |
creased. Both officers and men are |
anxious to so. Thoroughly equipped |
and splendidly trained as they are in |
the arduous methods of modern war
fare, we feel that theirs will be a |
of results which the nation |
will always remember with ever in
pride"
MIR. Oliver ends his report as fol-
lows:
Except the general statement that
Vice Admiral Sims has had every
thing called for as promptly as It |