The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-06
By w. B.'MccoRh1cK.

II it was often written that Britain's
Grand Fleet "was ewrapYen in veil of
impenetrable ymystersp Now and again
that curtain sswas lifted To give the read
ing public: ghmpsss d. the aeee in harbor
at Scapa Fhw, going 70 sea on pne of
its frequent "sweeps" Of the North Sea,
OF when fhei King paid it visit. Again
"a such occasions as the Dogger Bank,
.Jutland, Cdronel- and Falkland Island
actions or the operations at Zeebrugge,
an official despatch would be issued by
the british Government. But few of the
people Sho are interested in naval affairs
ever felt they were learning all they
wguld like TO know about what the
Grand Fleet was doing. With the publ
catiun of Admiral Viscount Jelhcoe's
work The Grand Fleet: 19ff-f9f6 this
doubt becomes a certainty. For it Is i'm
possible to escape the realization that
what we saw when the veil was purposely
lifted on DECISIONS was merely the ex-
ternals of Ne Fleets life. Then we saw
through glass darkly. Now we are face
TO face With the truth. .H 49,
And that truth is strange, and some
times fearsome, beyond words to ade-
qnately describe in the compass of one
review. At the outset we must say that
Admiral Jellicoe's book is, for the naval
specialist only. 1t is quite impossible
for the general reader to understand or
sympathize with Admiral Jelhcoe's fire.
quently expressed anxieties over the con-
dition Of the condenser tubes supplied
his ships or to realize the tragedy to him
and the members of his staff contained
in the bald statement that "another of
the eleven-inch guns cracked to-day.
This makes the fifth one" Nor does a
discussion of the director, system and
the alternative system" in connection
with improvement in gunnry mean any
thing to the general reader. Nor is there
anything sensational in the way of a re-
ply to the attacks made on Jellieoe's
handling Of the Grand Fleet at the bat
tie of Jutland by civilian critics in Eng
land. The nearest approach he makes to
even a recognition that such criticism
exists is this delightful exhibition and
tactful rebuke which appears as the final
paragraph in the preface: More than
hundred years after the battle of Trafal-
gar, and after century of controversy,
the Admiralty considered it desirable to
appoint a committee to decide whether
that action was fought IN accordance
with the original intentions of the COM
mander-i in Chief, as embodied in his fa-
nous Memorandum. 1t is hoped that the
facts recorded in this book, and tile com,
nents accompanying them, constitute a.
clear statement OF the making of the
Grand Fleet and the manner in which it
endeavored, while under my command, to
fulfil its mission ~
IL.
We will repeat that the outstanding
impression left on reading these pages is
of the abysmal ignorance We were in
concerning the Grand Fleet from .1914
until this book appeared. No matter
whether We read of the fleet strategy, the
submarines, the work of the mine sweep
ers or the development of the paravane,
of the destroyers, feet bases, the lessons
of the war, the orders issued, tOrpedo and
gunnery development, improvement in
wireless communication, development of
naval aircraft or fhe slncrirritv of the