Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-04-20
|M|NE-LAY|NG SUBS
| BEGAN BEFORE WAR
Rise and Fall of German Power
Remains Dramatic Chap
ter in History.
DIRECTED AT SUPREMACY
impeachment of Great Britain
Was Avowed Object of
Building Program.
DIRECTED AT SUPREMACY
BY HECTOR &. nywArEn.


| LONDON, April Io.--The rise and fall
III German sea power viii forever re-
nam one Of history's most dramatic
haptcrs. In spite OF all that has been
aid and written about 4, during recent
pears. Few people seem to realize how
T"p!d was the development of the in
by which Germany hoped 10
onauer the world and tho wealth
In 1897. when Tirpitz became Naval
ffccrttary, the fleet comprised Il mere
landful OF ironclads and cruisers
MY the torpedo fotilia was numerous
nouIh TO command respect. Three
cars latcr-during the blacklist week
Il the South African War"-he intro
'uced his first big program. the fore
unh"r OF many more ambitious navy
,ilis' whose periodical appearance kept
europe in a fermcnt.
Aimed mt Supremacy:
To tho "Plottengesctz" Of 1900 was
npendcd the famous preamble in which
he Impeachment OF British supremacy
vas frankly avowcd az tho object in
lew IL fixed the strength of the i'm
'erial navy at nineteen battle ships.
we've arm"red and thirty scout
cruisers. Subsequent "amcndmcn,s.'
Eliminating in the act Of 1912. in
,rcascd the future establishment Of
orty-onc battlcships. twenty armorcd
battle cruisers and forty scout
ruisers.
BY tho irony Of fate. the German
loet is doomed TO annihilat!on at the
hipbreak"rs' hands IN the very year
which II was To have attained it's
maximum strength. The amendment
Rct or l3l" made provision Tor naval
hipbulldinE w To and including 1917.
nj the last Of the vessels authorized
vas t" have been commissioned this
cry summer.
HID Germany Waited.
- l, Interesting 10 figure what tho
osttton would have been had Germany
waited another nvc years before draw
uc the sword In 1919 she would have
zen able TO concentrate in the North
Yea Twenty-Five Drcadnoughts eight
,at'lc cruisers and ton older battle
hips. With, in addition. tweniy-hvc
cout cruisers 200 dcstroyers and a,
east seventy submarines.
In tho OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES IL was
damned to have in 1915 strong Ger
Rnan squadron cooperating with the
AUSTRIAN Ncct and based upon Pola-
her. would have been two battle cruis-
RI and four scouts. Another 2quadron.
onsis;inE Of one battle cruiser and
il scouts. wi,h destroyers and sub
narincs, MAS 10 be stationed In China.
When the present war broke out it
col< rs several months to catch tho
ew German cruisers then At large
nd even so the pursuit involved the
vithdrawal OF many ships which could
II b. spared from the grand fleet.
Fnr More DimcuIt.
Five years later the rounding up Of
ierman raiders must have presented
ar greater difficulties. for among them
you'd have been three battle cruisers
the most powerful type. II *
ouhtful whether Great Britain could
aV. sent an adcouat. force in pur-
nit Of these ruarauders without rcduc-
log her Nor,u Sea margin OF superiority
o VANISHING point.
Nor was IL only in the number and
iSposition Of her ships that Germany
would have been so formidable in 1919.
8: then She would have possessed
uge stores OF tho improved mines that
we're adopted in 1912. the deadly nature
which wc discovered to our cost
B'rom 1873 onward she was preparing
o trcbl. her reserve Of mines and to
oubc the supply OF torpcdocs. She
would also have been in a position TO
mploy these inurdcrous weapons with
huch greater effect.
Planned Before War.
Contrary 10 supposition. har first
nine laying submarine was designed
cfore, not after, the outbreak OF war
Il nd ono had been laid down in June.
9l4. Plans were also prepared for
cean- going submarines approNimating
u size and power TO the C-cruisers
hat came later.
In the air Germany would have been
mmeasurably stronger. possessing n
Oxen more Icppclins and thrice the
lumber OF airplancs. All things con-
idercd. therefore. we may congTatu
lte ourselves that the overwhelming
oniidcnce OF the Junkers forced the
Get into action in 1914. instead of in
ol9, which was nearer the date that
y'irpitZ had appointed. \ few weeks
rom now the last of its effective ships
ill be surrendered for demolition;
nd Germany, who five years since
reduced to absolute impotence on
he element she thirSted to command.