Arizona republican., 1921-02-05
BIC bATT[ESH|PS WILL REMAIN
PRINCIPAL UNIT Of j. s. FLEET


WASHINGTON, Feb. 4.-The major
ship remains the basis of sea power and
those who argue that the airplane and
the submarine have supplanted it are
leading the country to accept hopes
for accomplishments" the navy general
board says in a report to Secretary
Daniels. made public today.
THE general board, having kept in
touch with naval progress along all
lines" says the report, ''reiterates it's
belief in the battleships as forming the
principal units of the fleet. Without
them the United States cannot hope TO
cope with existing navies.''
Urging that equality in power be the
continuing naval policy of the United
States the board says there is mo
thought of instituting international
competitive building" and that mo
other nation can in reason take excep-
ton to such a position
1T cannot justly be construed as a
challenge" the report continues. "a
policy of equal or substantially equal
ornaments may well tend to diminish
their growth and to lessen the dang er
of sudden war;"
The report, signed by Rear Admiral
Charles j. Badger. president, was APP
proved by Secretary Daniels and was
transmitted by him to the senate naval
committee for it's information in con-
sidering pending disarmament and
naval holiday resolutions.
Asserting that the guiding policy that
! had shaped the general boards con-
struction recommendations since 1903
was that of eventually creating a navy
/ equal to the strongest in the world, the
| board urges no rest period or linita-
tion of ornaments be agreed to by
the United States that would modify
the naval building program of 1916,
now under construction, lin numbers,
general types or dates of completion.
In the future, as at all times prev
ious to the world war, We shall in all
probability have to rely solely upon our
own state of preparedness" was a note
of warning the document sounded
Cessation of naval building by Grea,
| Britain was attributed by the general
board to the great preponderance in her
navy of all types of ships and to the
present economic situation in that en-
pire. The ships authorized in the 1915
program are thoroughly modern. the
report says. adding that there is nc
reason to believe that developments in
4 submarine or aerial warfare will de-
tract seriously from their value foI
many years to come. The work OF
completing the program, the report
continued, should not, however, deter
the navy from developing to the ut
most new or partially developed weap-
ons such as submarines, aircraft and
aircraft carriers.
suspension of work on the nava
building program for six months tt
allow experts TO determine, in the ligh
of the lessons of the world war wha
types of ships are most useful, as pro
vided in the pending Borah resolution
sis neither necessary nor advisable
! the board asserts.
Every new weapon of offense tina
, has threatened the supremacy of tn,
capital ship. has been met by a sue
cessful mode of defense, the report de
clares.
1T would be the height of unwisdon
for any nation possessing sea power t.
; pin it's faith and change its practic
upon mere theories as to the futur
| developments of new and untrie
| weapons" the report says.
1T is easy to lay bomb on the dec
! of ship, explode it from safe plac
and then eXcIaim over the damage
D has wrought" the report continue.
e but it is a very different matter t
place that same bomb from the al
t when under gun fire and attack b
2 enemy planes"
] Pointing to the great growth of tn
s American merchant marine, the repo1
+ emphasizes that no nation ever ha
t been able to establish and maintain
t large merchant fleet without develop
i ing a navy to assist and protect it.