The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-30
1E
Daniels Goes Abroad for British Views
=, While Naval Authorities at Home
Point to Defensive Needs So We'll
80 Served by Type of Craft He
Is Disposed to Abandon

| England's battieships could not pre-
vent them. none of them having
speed enough 10 catch n battle
cruiser"
What happened to the British battle
cruisers and some OF the German ships
of the same type Is q matter of record.
The fact that they wero blown TO bits,
sunk or very gravely damaged made II
plain just how vulnerable the class
was when they got within the COM
paratively close range of 1000 or 5000
yards. Their armor plating was not
Of sufficient thickness to keep out the
enemy's arnor piercing projectiles. As
has been admitted by no less an au-
thority than Admiral Henry Mayo, the
battle of Jutland was fought with
battle cruisers in position which
battle cruisers were never intended to
occupy.
Purpose of the Hattie Cruiser.
The reason for being of the battle
\ cruiser is first and foremost to break
through n foes strongly guarded
SCREEN SO as to discover and to keep
touch with the enemys main force Of
very ably explained by Admiral Mayo,
and It Is important that We should
understand the question from the angle
Of domestic application. As he tells
US:
| The experience We got in the
| fleet for q number of consecutive
years In our fleet maneuvres
showed the absolute necessity that
We had for having scout cruisers
or ships that would enable us to get
! information OF the enemy
| Most Of our man9uvres were in
tended to obtain Information or as
much information as we could in
regard 10 what would happen il a
European nation would attempt to
| make a landing on our coast For
| that reason II was necessary in
| formulating a strategy to adopt the
plan OF endeavoring to meet such
| a hostile force we'll at sea and to
| operate against them by means Of
| destroyers and surprise night at
| tacks. &c.
ITO do that successfully meant
that we would not only find an
| enemy on the way over-depending
| OF course on our having informa-
ton OF u start. but not knowing
| the route--but would have TO find
him, The first thing that We
would probably meet would be q
strong screen OF enemy cruisers
thrown out we'll in advance Of their
main force--not directly in advance
necessarily, but possibly on either
flank, or anyway ahead OF the main
force.
ut would be necessary to get
through that screen; hence the
need for the United States to pos
sess n very fast ship that could
find this screen by rapid movement,
break through 1t, have force enough
TO break through II, and determine
the position and movement OF the
main body. our summer rnanoeu-
vres brought the demand for tho
\ armored cruiser or battle cruiser"
Problems of Our Long Coast Line.
These details should be kept clearly
before us because the vast length OF
our seaboards, whether on the Attain
tic or Pacific SIDE Of 'the continent,
makes it imperative that we have at
our disposal scouting cruisers Of great
speed. high offensive powers. notable
radius Of action and the capacity to
make fine Roadway under all sorts Of
conditions OF the sea.
These we're the characteristics which
our experts kept continually before
them when planning the scout cruisers
which Mr.. Daniels Is now disposed TO
abandon. Ships that would answer ad-
mirably in the waters, one might reas-
onably say the narrow waters, con-
tiguous 10 the British Isles would not
necessarily suffico to. meet the circum-
stances peculiar to our far flung coast
line and the very wide avenues OF ap-
proach. Indeed, aerial scouting main
tained from shore bases along the lit
toral OF England. Scotland and ireland
was able to play defensive function
that 1t would be well-nigh prohibitive
for US 10 duplicate here.
While We shall certainly look to air.
craft to guard the offng for n hundred
or more miles in time of an impending
attack from the sea, the dominating
purpose of our naval stratesists will
be to bring the foe to battle or IA
turn him aside way out In the middle
OF the ocean. We cannot do this un-
| less we nave odttie CRUISERS OF type
OF craft, call 1t what one may, capable
OF doing those several things which
Admiral Mayo and others have de.
scribed.
To this end. our experts evolved q
vessel Of $4,000 tons displacement, SEC
feet long. with a beam just one inch
short OF ,ninety-one feet. and capable
OF making thirty-fiye knots an hour
let full speed. They planned the shiI