New-York tribune., 1921-01-25
The Uses of Battleships
The British Admiroltus Blunder That Won the War

lieve that the Germans, with their
skewed minds, thought that l was not
sincere (of course l was), but that
was trying to bluff them from build
ing battleships. So they went on with
their program and did not build sub
marines.
Now my proposal to the Admiralty
in 1913 was not to build two more bat
tleships, but to use the money allocated
for them in building submarines, air.
planes, ETC., and in not acting on my
proposal I considered, and l still con-
slider, that the Admiralty committed
a colossal blunder
Had the Admiralty net committed
this blunder, but turned down two bat
tleships, it would have conveyed to
the Germans that the British Admiralty
had full belief in the great utility of
the submarine. They would have built
them, perhaps have had fifty ready
when war came, and we should now be
German colony.
People say that VIC always hlundcr
through everything; the country. must
take its hat off to the Admiralty for
making that blundcr.
| Now, sir, as you do not appear to be
susceptible to abuse, l must try love
and affection by stating that / think
the country owes you a debt of graft
tudc for throwing open your columns
to this discussion on battleships. for
1T will greatly assist the committee
who are going to decide "what is the
use Of battIcship"
In your issue of to-day I see some
very pertinent remarks by "Flag Of
| ticer." He reminds us Of the fact that
before the advent of the submarine
the battleship did not feel very COM
Portable at night owing to the pos
sibility Of attack by torpedoes, but
when the submarine came on the scene
she did not feel comfortable either by
night or day.
The new weapons have entirely rev.
olutionized naval warfare, and up to
the present they have favored defense
much more than they have offense.
They have given power to weak
country and taken it away from the
strong. We must not try TO fight our
battles as we did when wa had only
bows and arrows. The rulers of our
navy must call in a doctor and get
some medicine that will cure them of
that terrible complaint, plgheadedness
or what Flag Officer" out of polite
ness to The Times, calls intense con-
servatism.
Admiral Weymouth says that our fu-
ture battleship must be of great power,
carry the heaviest guns, be able to pass
through mine fields, be impcrvious to
torpedo attack and be unaffected by
gunfre. I do not under stand why my
friend Admiral Weymouth did not add
that she must be able to fly and dive
This pattern of vessel is at present
not on the market. When they are
every country will want lot of them,
and I shall be early in admitting that
this battleship is the backbone of a
navy.
Admiral Waymouth's idea of war is
splendid. We must carry the war into
the enemy's country, destroy his fleet,
his coaling stations, docks, fortifica-
tions and his important coast towns.
Our battleships did all these things one
hundred years ago, but they did not do
any of them during the last war. On the
contrary, our battleships, if there were
any submarines about, kept we'll away
from the enemys country, from his
coaling stations, his docks, his fortifica-
tiors and his important coast towns.
What is the use of battleship?
PERCY SCOTT
52 South Audley Street, W. l, Dec.
lie. 1920.