Republican farmer., 1920-07-30
.PL AN MAN0UVERS FOR PACIFIC AND
 ATLANTIC FLEETS
Vessels To Concentrate on ? Pacific Coast Next
 January.

Washington, July 27.-The greatest concentration of sea power in the history of the American navy will re- suit from the junction of the re- organized Atlantic and Pacific fleets off the Pacific coast next January under plans now being prepared by naval operations. The great naval spectacle will be staged in the vi- cintty of the gulf of Panama.
 Officials of the Navy Department say the proposed mobilization will in no sense result in grand" maneu- vers No effort will be made to con- centrate all of the nations naval strength and only ships regularly in commission with trained crews will participate. The exercises and drills will be simple and mainly of a com petitive nature, including unofficial athletic competitions between repre- sentatives of the two fleets and of individual ships. The main object of the mobilization will be to give officers and men an opportunity to compare notes and meet for few weeks of good-natured rivalry.
 Admiral Henry B. Wilson, com mander-in-chief of the Atlantic fleet, will be senior officer of the combined force, with Admiral Hugh Rodman, chief of the Pacific fleet, second in command.
 The maneuvers will be unique in many respects. chiefly in that they will afford the first actual mobiliza- ton of the bulk of the new American navy Before the war the forces and a shortage of several types of vessels, particularly of destroyers. submarines, light cruisers, aerial forces and fleet auxiliaries made it impossible to concentrate a well rounded out fleet alth ough the major portion of the battleship force met each winter at Guantanamo, Cuba, for target practice and drills.
 During the war the shortage in most types of small vessels. notably destroyers and submarines, was over come, but the entire fleet was never 1nobilized, due to the use Of prac- tically all light craft in the war zone, the detail of cruisers to escort duty and the fact that a considerable portion of the battleship force was on duty abroad much of the time.
 The January manuevers will set a new mark in American naval pro- gress. For the first time in the his- tory of the new navy the battleship fleet will be supported by a reason ably adequate number of destroyers,
 
 will be available in abundance, to- gether with sufficient naval aircraft for all tactical purposes and a fully rounded out fleet of auxiliary tves- sells. The total number of vessels to participate will depend on the pro gress of recruiting, as many ships are in reserve now for lack of crews, but it is probable that Admiral Will son will command at least 800 vessels of all types.
 The most modern of deadnoughts to participate in the manuevers will be the great Tennessee. The last word in naval construction, this great floating fortress displaces 32,0O0 tons, carries 12 fourteen inch guns and is propelled by electric turbines. The Tennessee is attached to the At lantic fleet A sister ship, the Cali fornia, probably will not be com pleted in time to join Admiral Rod mans force before the maneu- vers.
 A comparison Of the ships avail able for next winters maneuvers with the naval strength available for a similar concentration ten years ago affords some striking contrasts. January 1, 1910, the latest battle ship in the navy was the New Hamp- shire, authorized by Congress in 1904, construction started in 1905 and completed in 1908. A compari- son of the New Hampshire and the Tennessee follows:
 New Hampshire: Length 450 feet; breadth 76 feet; draft 27 feet; dis placement 17,7o0 tons: speed IS knots: main battery twelve inch guns and 8 eight inch; secondary battery 12 three inch; four sub merged torpedo tubes; nine inch armor. Propelled by triple expen- sion steam engines developing 5000 horsepower; crew 125o including marines.
 Tennessee; 1920. Length 500 feet: breadth s7 feet; draft 31 feet; dis placement 32,3o0 tons; speed (con- tracD 21 knots. main battery 12 four teen inch guns; secondary battery 14 five inch guns; two submerged tor pedo tubes; propelled by electric tur- pines developing 2S,500 horsepower: crew 1900 men, including marines.
 Eighteen single calibre gun ships classed as dreadnoughts will be avail able for the January maneuvers that were not completed in 1910. They have combined displacement of 900 tons and 8 combined gun power of 112 fourteen inch guns, 80 twelves, 226 five inch and 2S three inch.
 A comparison of total battlesLip forces available in 1920 with 1910 shows that this year there are IS dreadnoughts and 19 pre-dread- thoughts, eXclu ding the Oregon class. against 23 pre-dreadnoughts in 1910. including the Oregon class. Most of the batt1eships listed as available in 1910 are now considered obso- 1ete.
 Ten years ago the navy destroyer force consisted of about 3S vessels, including IT torpedo boats even then practically obsolete- This year Ad- rnirals Wilson and Rodman command destroyer forces aggregating more than 200 vessels. with over 100 more in reserve or under construction. In 1910 Is submarines were carried on the active list of the navy. This year nearly 100 of the submersibles are attached to the two fleets, with about 75 more under construction. The cruiser strength of the navy has shown little change in the past ten years. In 1910 the backbone of the cruiser force was the "big eight" arnored cruisers, now reduced to six