The Washington times., 1921-06-25
ETERNAL SLOGAN
J. ON j. s. ARMADA
! IS deficiency

Need for Preparedness Never
Forgotten Aboard Fleet Of
4 Superdreadnaughts.
4 q. q. 9. NEW MEXICO. FLAGSHIP
PACIFIC FLEET. Los ANGELES
1 HARBoR Cal. June a5.--In portions
Of the nation far removed from the
seaboard. especially in the interior OF
the country. tho question is often
raised: "why are 20 many millions of
dollars necessary In constructing
modern battleshipf :"
To one who has had the opportunity
tof going over every foot of q great
supsrdreadnaught like this New
Mexico tho answer IL simple.
The reason our great sea fighting
units cost so much is because they
are the last words In naval perfection
at the time they are built And to
be such they had to be equipped with
the best. as we'll as the most efficient
and durable. mechanisms. This has
to be kept up to the highest possible
standard and constantly renewed.
The correspondent WAS taken into
magazine of powder used to supply the
energy of the fourteen-inch rifles. a
little over nifty eight feet long and
of which the New Mexico carries
twelve, located in four turrets--two
forward and two aft
On one of the walls OF steel was
glass Jar partly filled with powder.
broken up into small sticks and APP
pearing something like broken sticks
OF hoarhound candy. Inside the cap
of the jar was piece of, chemically
treated paper. If,it turned a certain
color II showed the powder was de-
teriorating in strength.
The same method is used in various
forms throughout the ship. Every
where there is check to see II any,
thing is happening daily TO possibly
render the supsrdreadnausht inefn-
cient. A
EFFICIENCY Is PRIMARY.
When even the smallest defect is
found Il is Immediately remedied. At.
the same time there Is a continual
comparison being made of the per-
formances OF the ships mechanical
odds and ends, so that as new war
vessels are laid down they can be
rendered more efficient than craft
of the type of only year or two pre-
vious.
II there can be said to be one OBJ
5ective in the navy regarded more
doubtedly is efficiency with saving
of time and effort. One has only to
watch the loading of the three four
teen-inch guns in one Of the turrets
to ASCERTAIN this. From the depths
of the New Mexico charge of 4s0
pounds of powder. contained In four
silken bags. is hoisted by electric eie-
vators to the turret. Likewise she'll
weighing 1,400 pounds and containing
q charge of thirty-three pounds OF
dunnite. deadly explosive. is moved
0p by another electric elevator. The
gun Is loaded and the missile sent
spinning away twelve and a half
miles with q velocity of 2.so0 feet
second all within few seconds.
While the twelve fourteen-inch
guns are being fired fourteen other
guns OF five-inch caliber can be util-
ized for shorter range work, or held
in reserve until they can become ef-
fective. II there was an engagement
in which aircraft were attacking,
four three-inch anti-aircraft guns
would bark. And II the occasion
Arose for their use. two submerged
torpedo tubes would be available with
their missiles of destruction.
LESSON OF PREPAREDNESS.
Admiral Rodman. In an interview
with the correspondent, stated re-
Gently before leaving the Pacific neet
that q good navy Is good insurance.
other officers hold the same view.
They feel that preparedness is pro-
lection against war. as we'll as
means of defense in case of war.
Judging from the attitude of the
New Mexico's officers, the United
States is regarded in the navy as be-
ing friendly to every nation on earth
with which II is not in actual state OF
war. One hears no boasting about
the superiority of the United States
in this or that regard.
The correspondent referred to
Japan and its navy several times in
his conversations with officers. Every
one of them was able to answer each
question promptly. They know ex-2
actly what Japan is doing, In so far as
public records are available. That Is
their business a. police officers of
the sea-
These officers are also thoroughly
acquainted with what the United
States must do to keep pace with
Japan They know that supremacy
in the Pacific ocean is at stake.
They know that the United States
must provide plenty of money--not
only TO build fighting ships for the
Pacific, but to maintain adequate
naval bases and build big navy yards
on the west coast But they do not
speak of 1t In q sense of alarm
They seem to feel that the United
States was given sufficiently pow
erfui lesson in the world war con-
cerning preparedness. They believe
the war was really won for the
Allies by the great wall of ships
that kept Germany's fleets bot
tled up.
So they believe the people of the
United States will keep their eyes
first of all on Americas big and
efficient navy and see that II IL not
impoverished. Also that they will
keep their eyes in future years on
the west coast and take care of it's
needs.