Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-03-31
lH aEPARED EDNESSi
7; NAVY DUE To
j. s. PROGRAM ]
OF NEUTRALITY
National Policy Of HANDS
off, During 1916 Cam
paign Is Held Responsible
For Condition of Fleet. Il
MAYO REFUTES SOME or
CHARGES MADE BY SIMS
Admits, However, That Many
of His recommendations
To the Department Were
Given Little or No Heed. 3

tpN NoRH'ho JOURNAL seRcihL LEASED WtNHi
Washington, March 30.--Rear
Admiral Mayo, wartime CONS
mander of the Atlantic fleet, re-
piled, before the senate naval
investigating committee today to
many of the charges made against
the navy by Rear Admiral Sims.
Mayo told the committee that
the national policy of neutrality
confirmed by the people In the
presidential election In November,
1916, was primarily responsible
for the inability of the United
States to throw the fun weight of
its resources into the war inns
mediately upon entering il.
There was feeling, he said,
mot only among our legislators,
but extending TO some extent to
our military establishments" that
the participation of the United
states would consist largely of fur
nishing money and supplies. 1t
Taking up Sims charges that
the navy did not have a broidE
general policy when war was De-
clared. he said the office of chief
of naval operations, responsible foe
preparing such plans, was not ora
ganlzed until 1915, and that with~
out this office conditions in the
navy Immediately preceding and
during the war would have been
chaotic"
The admiral testified that the
impression given ''in previous
testimony that submarine move-
ments were accurately followed
from the time the United Statess
entered the war and that con-
sequently no destroyers were
needed TO screen and protect the
Atlantic fleet was not correct.
"As matter of fact" he said,
''it was not until the latter part OF
1917 or early in 1918 that the sys-
tenn of locating submarines became
accurate and reliable and evea
then all submarine had 10 do to
avoid being located was not TO use
its radio. Hence taking the ships
of the fleet to sea without screen
ing them was not Justified"
Atlantic Fleet Was Ready.
Taking up the question of pre-
paredness of the navy, Mayo, who
was Sims Immediate superior
Atlantic fleet was ready for the
war the day the United States de-
clared 1t, except for certain minor
repairs necessary for distant
service.
Answering Sims complaint that
some of the dreadnaughts had te
he docked before they wenf
abroad, Mayo said
Inf
required that n vessel about to san
for an indefinite time on foreign
service should be sent TO a yard
for a few days &
ut cannot reasonably be held
that such delays materially in-
fluenced the war one way or ans
other" he declared.
Referring to Sims statement
that the British were forced TO
assign destroyers to protect Amer
lean battleships and mine layers In
the war zone, Mayo declared that
"the British destroyers at Queens-
town were withdrawn after the
arrival of our destroyers, notwith-
standing the fact that the area OF
operations there was repeatedly
spoken of as being the critical
one"
Sent Best Ships Available.
Replying to Sims criticism that
the American battleships sent to
reinforce the British fleet were Of
widely different types and that the
squadron was not homogeneous,
Mayo declared ths. he was limited
to coal burning ships and that he
sent the best ones available.
Mayo said that when he returned
from his inspection trip overseas
in October. 1917, he recommended
that a division of battleships be
sent to onerate with the British
fleet but that orders were not is-
sued until November IL.
Mayo said that throughout the
war he urged he be sent abroad
Continued on Page Two)
IL