Evening star., 1919-01-02
Secretary Daniels Tells House
Committee of Electrically
Driven Craft.
NEW MEXICO SPEEDY

SUITS attained by the new dre3Qnaught
New Mexico, equipped with the electric
drive which is to be feature of all
the big ships authorized since 1916.
$1,000 Horsepower Shown.
The New Mexico's turbo electric ma
chinery was designed to develop 26,500
horsepower at full speed and to give
the ship a speed of twenty-one knots.
She actually developed more than
$1,000 horsepower" Mr.. Daniels said,
-and maintained for four hours a
speed of twenty-Cne and one-fourth
knots. and this when running at dis
placement 1000 tons greater than her
design called for.
IF she had been tried at her de-
signed displacement, as it customary
with all new ships, she would have
made 21.5 knots without sny trouble
whatever; and, what is still better,
she could have kept up this speed as
long as her fuel lasted, for, like all
our later dreadnaughts, she is an oil
burner and there would be no reduction
in speed due to the necessity of clear
ing fires, which must be done in coal
burning ships after a run of four
hours at top speed
Fuel Economy Met.
The Secretary said fuel economy at
cruising speed had been one of the
things sought in substituting electric
drive for. the ordinary turbine equip
ment
And am happy to say" he added,
that this requirement also was met.
As a matter of act. the New Mexico will
steam at ten knots on about 25 per cent
less fuel than the best turbine driven
ship that preceded her.
''On the whole, / think the country has
cause to be proud of this achievement in
not alone because of the
success in this particular in
stance, but because of the assurance it
gives of the superiority of our capital
ships to those OF foreign nations"
Advantages Of Type.
The advantages of electrical pro-
pulsion as applied to battleships are.
the official said:
l. A quick shift by merely turning a
switch from a cruising speed OF twelve
knots an hour to high speed of twen-
ty-one knots an hour.
2. Economy IN fuel. sss7.ss,
5. The practicability of running q
ship astern with exactly the same
speed.
4, Saving Of space in the engine
room.
5. Making 1t possible to place differ
ent units in watertight compartments
SO that a torpedo explosion disabling
one part of the machinery would not
cripple the ship.
Members Of the naval affairs COM
- T. L.
proved practicability and efficiency of
electrical propulsion. Secretary Dam
iels testified that it was much cheaper
to equip a vessel with electrical driv-
ing machinery than with turbine en-
gines.
Increase in Marines Asked.
Increase in the permanent enlisted
strength of the Marine Corps from
17.40O to 26 297 men'was recommend
ed. The temporary force now in
cludes $4,000 men.
"The Marine Corps must be kept
to place that is not large" Mr..
Daniels said. 'It would be the worst
possible thing to make the marines
another Army"
Asked whether marines should be
retary Daniels said. "Navy officers
are as proud of the record of the
marines as are the officers and ma
rines themselves. and they would not
have the Roosevelt order put back
in effect"
He recommended that the law of
selection of officers be made to apply
to all those in the Marine Corps rank
ing as captain.
For Retaining Training Camps.
n.+.o%,an ~, +ba ,,ovorDpoent ~
a majority of the twenty-four train
ing camps for instructing the naval
reserve force was advocated by Capt.
Laning, acting chief of navigation,
in a statement submitted to the COM
mittee Capt. Laning said the only
cost to the government would be in
maintenance. and added that this was
1.-The cheapest possible form of naval
preparedness.
All of the training camps will be
required until demobilization is com
pleted. in 1920. Capt. Laning said, but
several of the numerous special
schools at the camps will be sus-
pended before next July.
Guns Made During War.
During the twenty months from the
date of the entry of the United States
into the war to last December 1, 2,S41
guns of medium caliher were manufac-
fured under the direction of the naval
bureau OF ordnance at gun-manufactur-
ing plants, Secretary Daniels told the
committee OF this number, 1887 were
placed in actual service against the
enemy.
Secretary Daniels explained that the
total number of 2,S41 did not include
guns that were on hand and in reserve
on April 5, 1917, nor those of a larger
caliber than five inches. The great ma
jority were manufactured in plants
placed in operation since the beginning
of the war, he said, and every one was
complete with mounts, sights and all
accessories.
When hostilities ceased 5-inch guns
were being delivered at the rate of
thirty month, 4-inch guns at the rate
of seventy a month and 5-inch guns at
the rate of 100 month. During the
twenty days after the signing Of the
armistice SOS guns were delivered to the
Navy.
Strength of japanese Navy.
A report showing the strength of
the Japanese navy was submitted by
the Secretary to fill out the reports
of the comparative strength of the
navies of the six other large powers
which he gave Monday 1t shows
13 battleships and 4 building or pro-
jected, Z battle cruisers. 10 cruisers.
1s light cruisers and more building
or projected. armored coast defense
vessels, &c destroyers and % building