The sun., 1918-07-12
ALLIES SEARCHING
FOR RUSSIAN NAVY
Ships Have Disappeared and
May Be in Hands Of
Germany.
Special Despatch TO The Sun.

WASHINGTON. July 11.--Persistent at
tempts made by the Allies through their
naval intelligence bureaus and every
other agency at their command to ascer-
tain what has become of the powerful
Russian fleet since the downfall OF the
kerensky Government have to the pres
ent failed.
Not only is the condition of most of
the warships which Russia had at her
command unknown. but even their loca-
ton appears to be a mystery. Inasmuch
IA the Russian fleet at the time OF the
Bolsheviki uprising included super
dreadnoughts and battle cruisers of the
1aetst type, in addition to submarines
and smaller vessels, tine possibility of the
feet having been taken over by German
naval crews and become virtually part
of the German navy il causing consider
able concern to the allied naval powers.
1t was admitted to-day.
Reason for this lies in the fact that
the Russian vessels would add at least
% per cent. to the fighting strength Of
the German fleet, according to naval Of
fcers. and hence would have to be reck-
OF ed with as factor of considerable i'm
portance in any naval offensive UNDER
taken by either side.
Useful II Tactics Change.
sidered at all out of the question now
that Germany's hope Of the submarine
ending the war has been dashed Sir
Eric Goddess statement that the sub
marines are now UNDER control Is ac-
cepted here as being based on the latest
authenticated reports. Hence the impor-
lance now being attached to the ques-
tion of the Russian fleet and its useful
ness to the Germans should they change
their present tactics.
Russia at last accounts had four SUI
perdreadnoughts of $4,000 tons in the
Baltic and four battle cruisers of the
latest type on the building ways. The
latter vessels We're due to be launched
in January OF this year. Strikes had
held back their construction. however.
and 1t Is doubted here IL they could have
been made ready for launching much be-
fore this summer. In addition to these
the Baltic fleet comprised numerous
gunboats and smaller vessels.
The Russian Black Sea fleet COM
prised seven or eight dreadnoughts and
about as many pre-dreadnoughts. to-
gether with at least twenty submarines
and about as many destroyers Russia
following the Japanese war laid out an
ambitious naval programme. which was
actively under way at the time Of the
revolution. The superdreadnoughts and
the battle cruisers were OF the most adj
vanced type and very powerful as fight
ing ships.
The admission to-day that with all the
secret service agencies at their com.
mand the Allies had been unable to
penetrate the veil hanging over Russia
to the extent OF obtaining precise inror-
nation concerning the feet caused con-
siderable surprise. This Government in
operated with the British navy in trying
to get this information, but without
success. Naval officials refused to-day
to discuss the reasons for this beyond
admitting that many difficulties natu-
rally were in the way.
RumOr of sinking by Crews.
Reports. it was explained. are mos
conflicting, some having the vessels
sunk by their crews, while others just
as positively asserting that they are
afoat and in control Of the Germans.
The addition OF the Russian ships Ia
her feet, 1t was admitted to-day. would
put the German navy ahead of the
American, though ship for ship nava
officers are inclined to think we might
have little the better of it. The Ger
mans are known to have been increasing
III tOHCeI-
trated largely upon battle cruisers.
In the Brest-Litovsk negotiations Ger
many stipulated that Russian warships
must either be sent to Russian harbors
or disarmed. But the ships apparently
have not turned up In the Russian har.
bors to which agents of the Allies have
access. This has given rise to the belief
that they are pretty much in the hands
of the Germans. or at least where they
could be readily reached by the Ger
mans IL needed