New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-08-21


per cent completed. The construc-
ton of these ships as battleships
should cease and plans should be
made to transform them into air
plane carriers, armored or otherwise
SIS may seem best. There are
six battle-cruisers from TO Is per
cent completed. Construction upon
these ships should cease and they
should be transformed into carriers.
1t is submitted that the car
rier can perform al! the functions Of
the battle-cruiser.'
"Quarterdeck" does not refer to the
guns, turret mounts and armor, which
are much more advanced than the hulls
OF the shiAs themselves. Thousands
and thousands of dollars in guns,
mounts and armor would be wasted and
thousands more in reconstrucing the
ships only to get unsatisfactory plane
carriers. 1t is startling to read
"Quarterdeck s" statement that twenty
two battleships (of which four at least
and possibly six are due for replace
ment) with no battle cruisers arc
enough, although another world power
has twenty-five battleships, six first
line battle cruisers, six plane carriers
and is about to lay down four more
capital ships.
4 Winter Raid
Suppose we are at war with 4 Euro
pean power and we learn that on Janu-
airy Is six light, fast cruisers are raid
ing our shipping off the New England
coast We know that two battle cruis-
ers could make short work of these
raiders, but Quarterback" says that
plane carriers will do all the work Of
battle cruisers. We. therefore, send
two plane carriers out and find that
due to q strong northeast breeze and
passing squalls of sleet and snow the
flying decks are completely coated with
ice.
1t is simple matter to send a num-
dred planes with 2,00o-pound bombs
from Langley Field on July after
noon out to attack battleship. How
long would it take to get fifty bomb
ing planes up to the flying deck and
fifty 2,O00-pound bombs up from the
magazines and start the planes off to
attack these six light cruisers? Could
it be done i'll a day? Could they fly
off icy decks in a strong breeze
Could these bombing machines operate
Off the New England coast on January
IS with passing squalls Of snow and
sleet? Might not a shell from an
enemy light cruiser, destroyer or sub
marine striking 2,0OO-pound bomb on
the carrier be fatal? This is normal
winter weather off our New England
coast, which is q probable naval battle
field in war with a European power
1t is estimated that aircraft could not
operate more than one-third Of the
time during winter weather and two
thirds of the time in the foggy Gao to
SO per cent fog) of summer of the New
England coast.
The Charge Of Conservatism
To accept this advice to CONVEX
these capital ships to plane carriers
would, in the writer's opinion, reduce
US from the status of first power
and court a national disaster. GUAR
terdeck" gives the impression that by
refusing to follow the visionary ideas
of aviation enthusiasts the navy is
unduly conservative. AS a matter of
fact the navy has consistently advo-
Gated a progressive building program
which includes plane carriers, as
shown by the report Of the Navy Gen
eral Board, dated February 2, 1921,
and its previous report Of September
"a, 1920. These reports are embodied
in Senate Report No 766 of February
8, 1921, in which the Senate Naval
Committee recommended the compile
ton of the 1916 building program.
The General Board states that plane
carriers are 'absolutely essential and
urgently needed" The Senate commit
tee strongly urged that two plane car
riers of most modern type be construct
ed in place of twelve destroyers and
six submarines of the 1916 programme
1t would be illuminating to the public
if The Tribune would publish this re-
port Sin toto" or at least Paragraphs
32-37. entitled "Policy of Equality In
Sea Power"
In the Spanish War our naval battles
were fought off the Cuban and Philip
pine coasts. Nelson's great naval bat
ties were fought off the Egyptian
Spanish and Dutch coasts Where will
our future naval battles be- fought
We can only reason this out from q
study of naval history and of naval
strategy. After the decision is made
it will be quite simple to choose the
best types of weapons. These seem
obviously to be the battleship, assist
ed by the destroyer, the submarine
the battle-cruiser, tho plane carrier
the light cruiser and the mining ships
(layers and sweepers). The writer be
lieves that these subsidiaries to the
battleship are given in about the.1
relative order of imnortanre and m.