The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-02-04
H u N G R Y?
MAJOR SHIPS ARE
STILL ESSENTIAL
So General Board Tells Daniels in
Report of Findings.
(By Associated Press)


WASHINGTON. Feb. 3.-The major
ship remains the basis of seapower
and those who argue that the airplane
and the submarine have supplanted
it are asking the country to accept
hopes for accomplishments" the navy
general board says in a report to Sec
rotary Daniels, made public today.
THE general board. having kept in
touch with naval progress along all
lines" says the report, ''reiterates its
belief in the battleship as forming
the principal units Of the feet. With
out them the United States cannot
hope to compete with existing navies."
Urging that equality in power be
the continuing naval policy of the
United States" the board says there
is mo thought of instituting interna-
tional competitive building" and that
mo other nation can in reason take
exception to such a position
ut cannot justly be construed as a
challenge" the report continues. "a
policy of equal or substa ntially equal
armamerfts may well tend to diminish
their growth and to lessen the danger
of sudden war;
The report, signed by Rear Admiral
Charles j. Badger, president and for
mer commander chief of the At
lantic fleet. was approved by Secre-
tary Daniels and was transmitted by
him to the senate naval committee for
it's information in considering pending
disarmament and naval holiday"
resolutions.
Asserting that the guiding policy
that had shaped the general boards
construction recommendations since
1908 was that of eventually creating
navy equal to the strongest in the
world, the board urges that no rest
period or limitation of armament" be
agreed to by the United States that
would modify the great naval build
ing program of 1916 now under con-
struction, in numbers, general types
or dates of completion"
"In the future, as at all time pre-
vious to the world war, we shall, in
all probability, have to rely solely
upon our own state of preparedness"
was a note of warning the document
sounded.
Cessation of naval building by
Great Britain is attributed by the gem
eral board TO the great preponderance
in her navy of all types of ships and
to the present economic situation in
that empire.
A suspension of work on the naval
building program for six months to
allow experts to determine, in the
light of the lessons of the world war,
what types of ships are most useful,
as provided in the pending Borah res
olution, is neither necessary or. ad-
visable," the board asserts.
1.-The important facts regarding the
naval operations of the war are al
ready generally known" the report
says.
ut would be the height OF unwis-
dom for any nation possessing sea
power to pin its faith and change its
practice upon mere theories as to the
future developments of new and I'M
tried weapons. But that fact does
not relieve us of the necessity of de-
veloping to the utmost new weapons
and inventions as rapidly as possible"
Concluding with strong argument
for equality with the strongest as
the nations permanent naval policy.
the boards report asserts that such a
policy was directed against no nation /
or group of nations and was dictated
ON grounds of national safety.