Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-12-11
NAVY BUILDING
PLANS PRESENTED
General Board Urges U. S. Navy
Equal to Any Not Later
Than 1925

Washington. Dec 9.--Recommenda-
tons of the navy general board for
the building program for 1921 include
two battleships. one battle cruiser, 10
scout cruisers. five destroyer flotilla
leaders and six submarines.
The navy of the United States
should ultimately be equal to the most
powerful maintained by any other ma
ton of the world" not later than 1925,
the report adds.
The statement of policy as to the
ultimate strength of the navy and the
time when it should be achieved is a
reiteration of the boards position as
carried in it's report to Secretary
Daniels each year since 1915.
Contrary to his custom for the last
four years, Mr.. Daniels did not make
public the boards recommends tons
when his own annual report was re-
leased. although it was attached to
that document as it went to the Pres
ident, Mr.. Daniels did not himself rec
ommend any building program. with
holding this for later presentation.
In its recommendation made public to-
day at the department, the general board
urged a policy of naval expansion that
will guarantee protection of coast lines
and the rapidly expanding merchant ma
rine against any naval power in the
world. Such protection, the board de-
cared, can be had only by increasing
American sea power to a point where it
Is Second to none and maintaining it
at that level.
The board further asserted that the
war having demonstrated that possess
sion of fleet powerful enough TO pro-
tect its sea-borne commerce Is vital to
any nation i'm time of hostilities, the
maintenance of such navy by the Uni
ted States would be "A great preventive
of war for no nation would lightly pro-
yoke hostilties when her own commerce
would thereby be imperled," The neces-
sary future strength of the American
navy, therefore, must depend, the board
said, upon the naval strength of the
powers in a position to challenge our
legitimate commercial expansion upon
the nigh seas
Declaring the grca test naval lesson of
the war was the immense advantage of
uniformity in speed and armament of
first line ships, the board asserted it al
ready was evident that first line ships
of the American navy must have heavier
armament than the Finch gun of the
first dreadnaughts
These ships, the board said were rapidly
assuming the same relationship to the
navy'S superdreadnaught that the older
batteships bear to the first dreadnaughts
themselves with the time approaching
when they can no longer be considered as
effective first line ships, The German
fleet the board declared in this connec-
ton, was handicapped ana not strength
ened by the presence of pre-dreadnaughts
of slower speed and lighter armament
in the battle of Jutland because they
| reduced the maneuvring and fighting
powers of the entire force"
emphasizing the deficiency of the
American navy in scout cruisers. the
board recommending the construction of
ten of these ships cites The value OF
such craft to the British fleet during
the war and declared them to he essen
tial to amy well-balanced navy" Recon-
mending construction of five ships of the
| superdearoyer type, the board en-
| phasized the usefulness of such IDS
/ in connection with destroyer operations
! As "A means of applying and developing
! the lessons of the war IN submarine con.
struction, the board recommended CON
struction OF six types Of pilot subma-
rincs rather than large building pro-
gram IN present types. one destroyer
and one submarine tender completed the
/ program.
| For development and construction OF
mended an appropriation of s27 600 ooC
with 100000 to be used for experimental
construction,