Evening journal., 1921-02-12
Why the United States
Will Hare Most Powerful
Navy in the World
by CHARLES MEssIER STOW

Pending settlement Of the ques-
ton whether OF not the world shall
dtsarm. a question which seems more
or less continuously to be awaiting
decision, there are building in
various shipyards of the United
States six battleships designed 10 be
larger and more powerful than any
other vessel OF that class in the
world, six battle cruisers OF even
greater displacement and capable
OF a speed OF S3.5 knots. and ten
scout cruisers with a speed OF 30
knots All these and many other
craft of various design also under
construction Of the policy laid down
by the Secretary of the Navy in his
report in 1917 when he referred to
the program for naval expansion
as one big enough to assure America
"incomparably the strongest navy in
the world" This will come about in
1928. when these new ships are
completed.
How long these monster vessels
now building will remain at the top
OF their respective classes no man
can say. Professor William How
gaard. professor Of naval design and
construction at the Massachusetts,
Institute Of Technology, and during
the war a valued member Of the staff
OF the Bureau OF Construction or
the United States Navy Department.
has lust published the results OF
twenty years study in Modern His
tory OF Warships- LoDdon; F. & F.
N Spon) and IN this authoritative
v~orA. the last word in naval con-
strurtfon. he ventures no prediction
-Perhaps within = few years, ne
says --warships may be Of difterent
design. new types OF machinery may
be IN use, and the nature OF the
armament and protection may not
NJ. vvhat Il Is now. We can, there
for. only indicate. for each type
~ chin. its actual standing and the
1t,e OF nrogress a. Il appears today
81 even such limited prognostica-
tsoD. A. admittedly uncertain because
en-. data on which II II based may
not n, All cases be quite reliable anu
complete - IN
1857 m Aarhus. Denmark anu w.
rraduated from the Naval .ecsluoiia'
NJ Copenhagen In 1873, when ne oo.
t,,ncd the rank OF sub-heutenahS "a
a.. T,anish army. After varied sea
I,,,t-r and surveying practice ne Wa
,,,-cr,,cted 10 tho rank OF heutenahs
tD 1871 The next year ne stuoleo
..troDomy at the Observatory Oh
Conenhar-en and was a member OF
tho Danish expedition to st Croh'
m tho West Indies. for Observation
OF the transit OF Venus
IN lisa he entered tho school Of
,..,r,i architecture of the hoya
NAVAL College. Greenwich. -
which he graduated in 1885 Attel
that followed technical duty IN tn '
r,zsd dochyarrd Mt Copenhagen VII
an fnstructDrshfp IN technology II
49, backward School of Naval Archi
t,~ta and Fngineers- Between 1885,
ana 1897 he was yard manager o
tho shipyard of Burmeister q VAN
aurine which time the lmperia
PpSsian yacht Standxrt and numer
osrs other vessels were built anon
the ice breakers, railway ferrle
and ordinary cargo boats In lSs'
~, received hrs promotion to com
r,,nder. and then followed techni
cas and administrative duty whlei
included the complete design OF
s1brnarine at the royal dockyaro
I, 1901 he was sent TO tho Unite'
strtes TO study the question OF SUD
marine boats and other technics
rr-tters and IN October Of that yea
he became the professor OF NaNa
rrsipn and Construction at the MAS
,.rhnsetts Institute OF Technology
position which he has held eve
sanee During tho war he was en-
gared in technical duty at tn
1,,,r,.ou Of construction and repair o
the Navy Department IN Washins
ton and since the war ne mas car
RED on both practical and researei
v-orl, for this bureau Since Isl
professor Hovgaard has been
+yustee OF the America-Scandinavia'
TNorndation in New York In 1sl
he became a citizen OF tho Unite
states. Besides Modern History Q
warships" Professor Hovgaard
ne author OF numerous works o
naval construction as well ias OF
historical book. '~rhe Voyage OF IN
rrorsemen to America In 1917 hi
~ work received recognition fror
Great Britain in the form OF IN
gold medal OF the Institution Q
Naval Architects In London for I'm
portant work in submarine prot
lens"
The six battle cruisers now In pro
ceaa Of construction. and which WI
uut the United States in the lea
~ any other nation. are a logics
dcvelopment OF increasing displacs
mont and speed. The type was moi
b,pblv developed In the battle cruise
Hood the British warship built
1s1R as one OF three or four OF IN
tvpe. but which was the only one
he completed. This type OF Vess
was forecast by Professor Hovaar
. IN 1905 in a paper entitled TT
cruiser which he read before n
societv of Naval Architects and Ms
: rfne Engineers in New York.
that time he summarized the tact
cal and strategical duties Whio
: large cruisers would have 10 PEI
form as follows:
(aO Rapid concentrations an
euveloping movements during ne
actions. Pursuit OF retreatir
enemy.
nj Reconnaissance in force.
(c) Independent expeditions
Cd) Support and assistance
smaller cruisers.
All these duties, he pointed on
required for their satisfactory pc
s-.-..,,,co a qneed at least 20 ID