New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-08
Great Fleets to
Concentrate
In the Pacific
Mobilization of Americas
Sea Power in January Will
Provide Greatest Naval
Spectacle in u. S. History
No Grand" Maneuvers
Only Warsl,ips in Commits
sion to Participate; Drills
To Be Mainly Competitive


To Be Mainly Competitive
WASHINGTON, Aug. THE great
est concentration of sea power in the
history of the American navy will re-
suit from the junction of the reorgan-
lied Atlantic and Pacific fleets off the
Pacific Coast next January under plans
now being prepared by naval opera
tons. The great naval spectacle prob
ably will be staged in the vicinity of
the Gulf of Panama.
officials of the Navy Department
say the proposed mobilization will in
no sense result in grand maneuvers.
No effort will be made to concentrate
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 q competitive nature
including unofficial athletic competi-
tons among representatives of the
two fleets and of individual ships. The
main object of the mobilization will
be to give officers and men an oppor-
tunity to compare notes and meet for d
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,
chef of the Pacific fleet, second in
command.
First Actual Mobilization
The maneuvers will be unique in
many respects, chiefly in that they will
afford the first actual mobilization of
the bulk of the new American navy.
Before the war the forces were always
more or less scattered and a shortage
Of several types Of vessels, particularly
OF destroyeIs, submarines, light cruis-
ers, aerial forces and fleet auxiliaries,
made it impossb Bile to concentrate d
well-rounded-out fleet, although the
major portion OF the battleship force
met each winter at Guantanamo, Cuba,
fer target practice and drills
During the war the shortage in most
types Of small vessels, notably destroy
erS and submarines, was overcome, but
the entire feet was never modified,
due TO the use of practically all light
craft in the war zone the detail of
cruisers to escort duty and the fact
that a considerable portion of the bat
tleshlp force was on duty abroad much
OF the time.
The January manuevers will set
new mark in American naval progress.
For the first time in the history Of the
new navy the battleship fleet will be
supported by reasonably adequate
number Of destroyers and other light
craft. Submarines will be available in
abundance, together with sufficient
naval aircraft for all tactical purposes
and a fully rounded out feet of auxili-
ary vessels. The total humber of yes
sells to participate Will depend on the
progress Of recruiting, as many ships
are in reserve now for lack of crews,
but It is probable that Admiral Wilson
VIII command at least 800 vessels of
al types.
Tennessee to Participate
The most modern of dreadnoughts
to participate in the manueyers will be
the great Tennessee. The last word in
naval construction, this great floating
fortress displaces 80, 900 tons, carries
twelve 14-inch guns and is propelled
by electric turbines. The Tennessee is
attached TO the Atlantic feet. sister
snip, the California, probably will not
De completed in time to join Admiral
hodman's force before the maneuvers
comparison Of the ships available
Tor next winters manuevers with the
naval strength available for a similar
concentration ten years ago, affords
some striking contrasts. January !,
1910, the latest battleship in the navy
was the New Hampshire, authorized
by Congress in 1904, construction
started in 1905 and completed in 1908.
2 comparison Of the New Hampshire
and the Tennessee follows
New ampshire-Length, $50 feet
breadth, rs feet; draft, q feet; dis
placement 400 tons; speed, IS knots;
main battery, 12-inch guns and 8
s-lnoh; secondary battery, u 3-inch;
TOUR submerged torpedo tubes; 9-inch
III +
steam engines developing 900 horse
power; crew l,250, including marines.
Tennessee, 1920-Length, 600 feet
breadth, 81 feet; draft, 81 feet; dis
Placement, $4,000 tons; speed Coon
tract, u knots; main battery, 10 A.
men guns; secondary battery, Ii 5-inch
guns; Two submerged torpedo tubes;
propelled By electric turbines develop
ing $500 horsepower; crew, 500 men.
including marines.
Increase in Ten Years
Eighteen ngle-caliber gun ships
c!assed as dreadnoughts will be avail
able for the January maneuvers that
were not completed in 1910 They have
combined displacement of 445, 900 tons
and q combined gun power of 112 Ia
men guns, eighty Pinch, 226 5-inch
and twenty eight 9-inch
comparison of total battleship
$500 CO. 4dD-t III 4J-O WIN IS1U SHOWS
tnat this year there are eighteen
dreadnoughts and nineteen pre- dread
noughts, excluding the Oregon class.
aga nst twenty three pre- dreadnoughts
IN 1910, including the Oregon class.
Most Of the battleships listed as avail
abie IN 1910 are now considered obso-
lete
Ten years ago the navy destroyer
force consisted of about thirty-eight
vessels, including seventeen torpedo
boats even then practically obsolete
Inns year Admrals Wilson and Rod
man command destroyer forces aggre-
eating more than two hundred vessels
with one hundred more in reserve or
under construction. In 1910 sixteen sub
marines were carried on the active list
Of the navy. This year nearly one
hundred Of the submersibles are at
'ached TO the two fleets, with about
seventy-fve more under construction
The cruiser strength of the navy has
shown little change in the last ten
years. In 1910 the backbone Of the
cruiser force was the big eight
armored cruisers, now reduced to six
hn