Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-03-05
|iiSARMAMENT HIT
ADMIRAL MAYO
.c,,nd Idea" but Not Prac-
.ieaI, Navy's War Commander
Tells Forum
|eoR TAXES, NOT TRIBUTE

..ui,p in some detail tho work
~. American navy in the war.
|a..., r. Mayo. roar admiral. retired.
''". udo,. in chief of the navy in the
NV Inst night told the PUBLIC
,'norr Forum at the Academy Of
,r.;c that BATTLES cost NOR" than
.n,osbips: tribute cost" no"c thar
s.,.. @ and little navy is dangerous
|hins IT.. ...,.,o,,,,
| nt nrts who thinks the battIeship Is
|sa rat dad" he added. saying that he
y" ,Ie ,ot admit the suDcrinritv of tho
|te,,rs teu,l, w. over the battleship in war
uniral MAYO hastcncd to declare
Sod not undercstimated the danger
"oyai forces Of the nirplancS anu
70 nroSs nsO ought TO be Influenced TO give
..'nis Uri fnnds to uid in developing the
lair service.
Bombs Can't Pierce Armor
-, horrapr would hinder battle
said he. but ! do not believe
,n,P !. ,por,d destroy them. .Airplane bombs
|lI W. 10 through our armor plntc nor
WV ,,oy turrets. The chief of the air
WIS., u,SG soys he can drop battleships
h, 'i,hor, difirulty. Yet it would be
MSrnlt to drop bomb from great
aliuja" eag.ht unon a ship. The operator
iJ nnsiJ have about hnlf-second IN
mSicb % 70 decide he was ut the right
'nn, and ia release the bomb.
81 would like to see the United
S,,,rs 90 the limit in disarmament.
hs declared" If nations could be as
.,io without armameDts as you are
s sitbout a gun in the streets of the
oitr tbe question would be greatly sim
,,;sed But national distruSt continues
and until it is past, armamcnts must
continue
He called disarmament grand
iJo,r' and told the Forum the relative
strength Of fleets in 1927 would make
tbs United States superior in batt|n-
sb;ns slightly behind Great Britain and
Jnpan in battle cruisers and far be-
hind those nations in light cruisers. lie
~aid this estimate was based on the
known policies Of the two countries
and upon the naval policy as formu-
lated for this country in t9lG.
How Navy Expanded
Detailing the work of the navy in
,be war, he said that from the first.
mans of this country pleased the allied
naval stratCgstS. lie said the navy cx-
handed from It's normal-arouud 80 900
TO % 900 officers and i9I 900 men
This in 1918. This resulted from train
inr officers and nru for merchant ships
and for other special work, he said.
All dcstroyorS were sent across in
MAY. 1917. he said. and officers Of the
lpnsrtmont decided 10 rush the con
struction of small vessels. As result
the building Of 3D. dpstroyers, twenty
Submarines. .l42 Submarine chascrS.
6ity lone miuc swecNcrs. siX coast sub
marines. twenty sragoing tugs. thirty
barbOr tugs and sixteen motor tugs was
Later. construction Of
si,ty Of the EIglr boats designed by
Henry Ford, was ordered. but none
war delivered in time 10 see war
service.
Germany unrc,trictcd submarine
campaign brought the question Of cor, :.
,oys to th" fore. he asserted. and re
suited in another achievement for the
American navy. One hundred and three
German vessels in American ports were
turned oyer to the navy to be repaired
Rltrr their crews had damaged them as
much as possible before being taken oil .
Made Transport Possible
THE repair oC this machinery by
the navy. usin. the electric welding
process, was one Of the great successes
0t tic WNr-aud to this success wa
largely due the uavy's ability to trans
port troops to France In the spring Of
I9lS in numbers greater than had been
thought pUsSiblc.' he sad.
Inc convoy system was Il material
factor in combating the submarine.
sslI Admiral Mayo. approximately
',OVO,EO Americans were taken across
me ocean by convoy. he said. and only
lJS Iiv"S We're lest in transports, of
which tho Antilles. the CovinstOn and
Ihc President Lincoln were sunk. while
the Mount Vernon. badly damaged.
managed 10 make port.
The ninth division Of the American
navy soon hcCuiuc the sixth battle
squadron NJ tho British grand fleet. he
AlG' and although engaged in no fleet
'cuonl: had all sorts Of war experience.
North Sea cruising, convoy
york and encounters with submarines
n which several times torpedocs were
avoided. "
De'trOycrs Served Wen
oGr dcStroyerS did valiant service.
lc >ald. They kept the sea in all
neatherS and winter cruising was by
10 means n picnic.
HHt they were always effective and
cnaDle and the German submarines
rev to fear them" he added.
W III" mine laying feature of the