New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-05-08
Four Dreadnoughts, Five
Cruisers and Thirty De.
stroyers to Constitute
New Asiatic Division
Array Is Biggest
Since Spanish War
Florida to Sail Soon as
Flagship; Utah, North
Dakota, Delaware Also

From The T,ibume's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, May T.--Concentra-
tion Of real feet in Asiatic waters
is to be the next move by the American
Navy Department, it became known to-
day This outpost of the United
States Navy-the guardian of the Phil
ippine Islands and defender of the open
door policy in the Far East--which
heretofore has been nothing stronger
than cruisers of almost obsolete design,
is T. be augmented by an entire divi-
sion of first line dreadnoughts, and
will have thirty destroyers instead of
the twelve and sometimes eighteen that
have been assigned to it in the past
This new evidence of a naval activity
plans for which have been authorized,
although the sailing orders have not
been actually issued, marks the first
big change in the greater naval policy
of the Harding Administration. It
means that the United States govern
ment will have stronger naval force
in numbers in Asiatic waters than at
any time since the Spanish-American
war and fighting unit UP to the
efficiency of that sent to the former
Spanish islands in 1898.
The first move in this new scheme of
naval defense will be the dispatch of
the dreadnought Florida to the Asiatic
fleet to serve as the flagship of Rear
Admiral Joseph Strauss, who is now
using the cruiser Huron. The depart
ment program, however, does not stop
there, but includes later orders which
will send the Utah, the Delaware and
the North Dakota to the same waters
This means that the entire fifth divi-
sion of the Atlantic fleet and one
fourth of the frst-line dreadnoughts
of the navy will be assembled within
easy steaming distance of the Philip
pine Islands
Until recently there were in Asiatic
waters two divisions of destroyers,
composed Of six vessels each. The
breaking up of the Adriatic squadron,
which was kept in close proximity to
Fiume for more than year, released
three more divisions. Division 35, six
vessels strong, already is subject to
Admiral Strauss's commands and Divi-
sions 81 and 40, adding twelve more
vessels, have been ordered to report
to him. A
This action by the Navy Department
ton Of concentrating the feet in the
Pacific, as predicted by the Tribune's
Washington correspondent March IA.
The Pacific fleet as it stands to-day
includes twelve dreadnoughts, three
cruisers and more than fifty destroyers
1t would have to work in conjunction
with the Asiatic feet rather than the
Atlantic feet, and the combined power
of the Pacific and Asiatic forces would
be virtually as great as any that this
country has ever put to sea as a
unit. 1t would be headed by the latest
naval fighting machine, the Tennessee
which will go to the Pacific very short
ly, and in few months it will be
augmented by the California, rapidly
being made ready for commission.
The detailed makeup of the Asiatic
fleet, when all additions have been
made, will be:
Dreadnoughts-(4): Florida, Utah.
Delaware, North Dakota.
Cruisers-(5): Huron, New Orleans,
Albany, Helena. Pampanga
Mine detachment-Five vessels.
Destroyers-(30) Divisions 13, 81, 26,
30, 40.
Submarines-Q2): Divisions IL, 18.
Submarine tenders s-Two.
Auxiliary vessels-Fourteen