Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1919-03-11

-AiAiNA ANoii iIdNdI tAileI IS udHe ucGlueu 4
on the future type of American capi- |
tai ships in the light of information
trey viii obtain on their protected trip
to Great Britain, France and Itaiv
Work on the big ships is now only
in the first stage as their construction
was held up during the war so that
destroyers might be built RECON-
| rendations of the navy department
that six additional battle cruisers be
authorized were stricken from the /
naval bill in the last congress because
OF the disagreement between naval Of
fcers as to the kind Of capital ship
that should be built in the light of the |
! lessons gained in the war.
| Possibility that the whole battle !
cruiser programme. of the navy. iii [
FolvinS an expenditure OF nearly half |
| a billion dollars, will be abandoned in !
! favor of new type of cruiser battle |
| snip was indicated today oy an an |
nouncement that Secretary Daniels |
/ had ordered suspension of work OH |
the six 80 knot cruisers already au-
! thorlzed until decision as to the fll- |
ture type of capital ship could be
reached.
There is a. wide difference Of opin-
ION among American naval officers as
! to whether the slow battieship and the
! fast cruiser should not give way in
the future to a ship combining the
! power of the one and nearly the speed
OF the other and because of this fact
congressional committees have defer
led action on six additional cruisers
until a full report on new typcs can
be made by the department.
1t Is to- gather information for th1s
report that Secretary Daniels und his
three chief technical advisers will naii
Saturday for Europa. They will bo
met overseas by Admiral Bensor chief
OF operations, and Wee Admiral Sims
and upon their return some weeks be-
fore congress meets In extra session,
probably In tho early surnmer Il gon-
eral conference 1s1lf be hold at which
majority opinion Of experienced off,
GERS Will be worried ous MS to what
types OF capital ships should Sc built,
This statement Vas authorized to-
day by Seeretary panieiz.
i, The conclusion fniatipg to the type
,, OF eanilnl ships resulting from, Il eioss
! study Of naval aetivities Of the psee=
, ont war, has created sueh d differsnea
Of fn.nion afnorg naval eknsrts that
| The heefetsrp of the sa1.sv has direet eli
. tna icint6fHFT suspension OF tife build
! lhh' ht tie large battle cruisers.
Admiral Mayo. tila commander ta=
, oIiief of tho tfiited gtatos Atlaaia
{ fifef. wE;af1 i,a.6rs tbs esmntittee Oh
] naval affairs or the hel:de, statsj ii hit
in his ohin e5t the mast effective eaj.t.
/ tal ship 6t todav - 8 high snekI nI=
llesfiD which earr.as tlaa sFsaz gun
isWteT End arfnaT protection OF A bat. F.
tlsan'f aId rs tnu61a as possible VI tho
ids;1 speed Of Il hattfa artltssi., suei,
naval aHPeets as Admiral Iranaoa aad
AdfHsFal Sims IS 4 fsstit % thar sa-
! safTations ami Study abroad. aaiianr
| III t1le epij7to7 o. ADMIRAL Maya. Many
@ tho hisi1 ianili:sg officers Of tRa NJ Wv
department. liitetSi=a eenGiir in tiiia
= opinion. wiiiIa i.saRT af he. eShePts af
:" tae general ,oafd are 4. The 6pihio,7
: taat ti1:a battle cFtiiseT ss p!aa=ed
! should l7 rfoehaHed Win a.1 battle
: fntps o. slower speed. greater gun
Q i ever ana gfes,tes protection 30 like
u wire constructed.
!, Because Of the difference OF op.n-
.er7 among aarat experts, the large
!, smeunt OF Inore~ invoi-et1 tbetween
$3.50, 100000 and s250,000,0eo) and The
: great question of fighting efficiency be
"a ing involved, the secretary of t.1a raVy
:, = | has directed temporary suspension OF
;, TIC construction OF the battle crujs-
Seen done. Some OF the electrical
machinery has been started, but II is
Lot contemplated that the delay Of
two months or 30 will be such AS to
seriously interfere with the proper de
|. c!ston in the matter. It is because OF
- the difference of opinion among cx-
G perts and to study naval lessons
n taught by the war that the secre tary
"a of the navy is taking the chiefs OF tEf
technical bureaus of the nav 6apart-
= ment with him to Europe to stndy The
Is question with naval experts anl OBJ
Fl tain such other technical .intornatio-
n as IS possible while abroad from stud
le les OF foreign plans and specif;ca
~ tfons."
:. The navy has not had a similar
l. controversy over ship designs for tel
:, wears. In this case the n1rv genera
ID ! hoard, charged with deciding upon the
i military characteristics of ncw ships;
d disagree with the opinion of the higI
.r cficers who have had experience over
" seas in the present war. On the bn2ri
ri are two former commanders of lii.
y. Atlantic fleet, Fear Admirais Badger
n and Fletcher. They be1i~y, that tn,
construction OF both dreadnoE2nts ant
Lattle cruisers should continue
The difference of opinion began las
year when the British admiralty DE
S cided to alter the plans of the battle
A ship Hood to make her 4 compost.
N battleship and hat cruiser. HI eff
l. feet, the decision was to build Il Yer,
# high speed battleship. sacrificing gin
r power to some extent for speed. bJl
ne retaining the defensive armor of
j. ship of the line. Tie Hood viii carr,
to eight 15inch rifles. full battleship ar
V. NOR and have a speed of little NOR
r than thirty knots an hour tler dis
es placemSst is in excess of 40 006 tons
of 1t is understood the origina7 pur
4 pose of the construction of the Hoot
IS. was 10 produce vessel to nnot tn
a raids of the German battle cruisers OF
ne ihe British coast. Officers who hav
Id net taken sides III the dispute hAre 81
ar that. so far as they know Great Jrit
ain has not laid down any addition,
ships of this type.
The advantages OF a very high spec
ba ttleship however, appealed strohgl
o T., American officers overseas and the
as have urged this construction S
ed strongly that the whole building pro
O. gramme here for a time threatened /
Oh he blocked by failure of the navay es
OF Enlistment to @gr1e on what was de
w sirable.
)n Examining the Hood design, SON
of cfficers said that the gun power OF ur.
re huge vessel WAS of little more tha
On Fhalf Of the broadside weigh. OF th
al new American d1es thoughts carryin
or twelve l6-inch guns, Some. officer
g. thaRa estimated that to get such gu