New-York tribune., 1919-03-11
Daniels Stops
OF
q Big Cruisers
Question as to Whether War
Has Made Them Obsolete
Cause of the Suspension
Going Abroad for Ideas
Benson and Sims Demand
Armor With Speed and
Power in Capital Ships

WASHINGTON, March 10 Possibil
ity that the whole battle cruiser pro-
gramme of the navy, involving an
expenditure of nearly half a billion
dollars, Will be abandoned in favor
Of new type of cruiser battleship
was indicated to-day by an announce
ment that Secretary Daniels had
ordered suspension Of work on the
six thirty y-tive-knot cruisers already
authorized until decision as to the
future type Of capital ship could be
reached
There is a wide difference of opin
ION among American naval officers as
to whether the slow battlcship and
the fast cruiser should not give way
in the future to d ship combining the
power OF the one and nearly the speed
Of the other, and because Of this fact
Congressional committees have de-
ferred action on six additional cruis
ers until full report on new types
can be made by the department.
TO Seek Ideas Abroad
1t is to gather information for this
report that Secretary Daniels and his
three chief technical advisers will sail
Saturday for Europe. They viii be met
overseas by Admiral Benson, chief Of
operations, and Vice Admiral Sims, and
upon their return a general conference
viii be held to decide what types Of
capital ships should be built.
This statement was authorized to-
day by Secretary Danels
"The conclusion relating to the
type OF capital ships, resulting from
close study of naval activities of
the present war, has created such
difference of opinion among naval eX-
perts that the Secretary OF the Navy
has directed the temporary suspen-
sion of the building of the large
battle-cruiscrs.
''Admiral Mayo, the commander in
chief Of the United States Atlantic
fleet. when before the Committee on
Naval Affairs OF the House. stated
that in his opinion the most effec-
tive capital ship to-day Is a high
speed battleship which carries the
great gun power and armor protec-
ton of battleshlp and, as much as
possible, the high speed OF a battle
cruiser
Benson and Sims Favor
Such naval experts as Admiral
Benson and Admiral Sims, as a re
suit of their observations and study
abroad, concur in the opinion OF
Admiral Mayo Many OF the high
ranking officers Of tho Navy De
partmcnt likewise concur in this
opinion, while many of the experts
of the General Board are of the
opinion, that the battle cruisers as
planned should be proceeded with
and battleships of slower speed.
greater gun power and greater pro-
lection be likewise constructed.
"Bccause of the difference of opin-
ion among naval experts. the large
amount of money involved (between
$500 600 and 5000 900 ,OO0), and
the great question of fighting cfhc-
cncy being involved, the Secretary
Of the Navy has directed temporary
suspension OF the construction of the
battle cruisers. Little of the work
on the hull has been done Some
OF the electrical machinery has been
started, but it is not contemplated
that the delay of two months or so
Will be such as to seriously Interfere
with the proper decision in the mat
: ter.
Technical Information Wanted
"lt is because of the difference Of
opinion among experts and to study
naval lessons taught by the war that
the Secretary Of the Navy is taking
the chiefs of the technical bureaus
OF the Navy Department with him to
europe to study the question with
naval experts and obtain such other
technlcal information as is possible
whlle abroad from studies of for
elgn plans and specifications"
In this controversy the Navy General
board, charged with deciding upon the
military characteristics of new ships.
dlsagrees with the opinion of the hiph
officers who have had experience over
seas in the present war.
British Ship Caused Dispute
The difference OF opinion began last
year when the British Admiralty de-
clded to alter the plans for the battle
ship Hood to make her composite
battleship and battle-cruisor In eff
rect, the decision was to build verv
hlgh speed battleship, sacrificing gun
power to some extent for speed. but
retaining the defensive armor of
ship Of the line The Hood will carry
eight iifteen-inch rifles, full battleshin
armor and have a speed OF a little
more than thirty knots an hour Her
displacement IS IN excess of 10000
tons.
Examining the Hood design. some
Officers said that the gun power of
this huge vessel was of little more
than half the broadside weight of the
new American dreadnoughts carrvinp
twelve 16-inch guns. Some officers
have estimated that to get such pnn
power in ship that would approach
3O-knot speed, and at the same time
carry full battleship protection, would
require a 55000ton ship Of about
9OO-foot length, the cost Of which
would be not less than S4O,O0O.OO0.
Would Need Whole New Fleet
One effect, it was said, of the adop-
ton of the cruiser battlcship pro
gramme would be to render Obsolete
all existing battleships The speed Of
these new types of vessels would be
useless in individual ships, officers
said, and to construct an entire fleet