The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-08-30
HEAVY GUN POLICY
Uncle Sam Nears Coal An
nOunced BY Secretary Daniels
Five Years Ago.
FLEET WILL RANK FIRST
Speedy Capital Ships Be Manned
With Heavier Guns
Than England.
(Ry HARRY .. HuNT.)

(Ry HARRY q. HuNT.)
Washington, Aug. pa navy sec
ond to none" That was the goal an
nounced by Secretary of Navy Dan
iels five years ago in discussing the
desired future strength of America
on the seas.
Today, according to the French nav
al authority D'Arthaud, writing in La
Vie Maritime ct Fluviale,'' that accom-
plishment is in sight If a navy's
measured by the tonnage speed and
gun power Of her capital ships.
With ships already commissioned
and under course of construction, I'm
Gle Sam will have, in 1923, the fastest
and most powerful fighting fleet af1oat,
surprising both in speed and gum
power the capital fleet of Great Brit
ain.
Sir Kinlock Cooke and Col. f. Hall,
both members of the House of Com
mons, desiring ( o know the relative
power of the American and English
navies, recently questioned Mr.. Long,
First Lord of the Admiralty, on this
matter. The answer. which created
considerable excitement in British
naval circles, was as follows:
Battelships which VIA be ready in
1923:
1s-Inch guns. America, 1e; England,
ships having speed OF ssh knots
or more:
Battleships- America, s: England.
Light Cruisers-America, 10; Eng
land, 0.
In 1914, in vessels of the dreadnought
type, the United States had just 10
ships, with q total displacement of
4221 500 tons and maximum speed of
21 knots. The heaviest armament.
was of 12-fnch guns except on two
ships of the New York type which
carried 14-inch guns.
The displacement of capital ships by
1928, however. will be 1.15o.6oo tons,
or five times the total in 1924. And
of this tonnage, 16 ships, with an ag-
gregate displacement of 650.600 tons
and minimum speed of 81 knots. win
carry total of 152 16-inch guns-the
most powerful shooting irons afloat.
Nine other dreadnoughts were be-
ing completed or were put on the
STOCKS tAtc AAAol SCdAS VI lilo
war. The Tennessee, the last of this
series. has recently been completed.
Following Daniels declaration for
"the most powerful navy afloat" and
"a navy second to none" the secretary
in 1916 caused the Naval Board to-
draw UP an extensive plan of naval
development This program was
adopted by Congress when, following
the battle of Jutland it appeared that
the European war might end without
the crushing of Germans naval power
and while the threats made by the
Kaiser to Ambassador Gerard We're
still fresh in Congress mind.
AS a result of this program ten cap
ital ships OF the dreadnought type
were authorized and six battle eruis-
ers of faster, more powerful type
than any nation had undertaken.
To these capital ships will be added.
before 1928, 10 modern light cruisers
iof 100 tons each, equipped with major
batteries of s 6-in guns and having
speed of 35 knots.
In units of smaller tonnage England
still will lead the United States, as she
will also in numbers but not in speed
in the cruiser class. England prob
ahly will Outrank US also IN aeSlfoyeIS
and submarines or the former we
have SO of the old pre-war type and
2eo built during the war These are-E
mostly of /. 200 tons carry four S-inch
guns and twelve 21-inch torpedo
launching tubes. Unele Sans strength
in submarines is somewhat shrouded
an secrecy. but many properly be es-
,imated at about $50 or 160.
perhaps the most significant fact In
the development of the American navy, |
according TO D'Arthaud. aside ron
the rapidly with which il has forged
ahead Of the English navy IN fast,
,,f.a vily- armed battleships, is the gen !
a,al tendency in America to increase
the caiber of our heavy guns
The naval board gives as reasons
for this increase the fact that with /
rba increase in caliber the trajectory
becomes flatter and that in the Jul
land battle it was shown that the de-
structive action of a heavier proJee-
tile was much greater in practise thsh
Rad been calculated.
4 The initial speed of the protective IN
guns Of larger caliber is reduced only
10 slight degree. but sufficiently 70
diminish erosion and deterioration OF
the bore of the gun. the life of the
mo. f-Gontinued on Pane Threel