Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-05-05

composed the whole fleet which Fight
ing Bob" Evans took around the world
on that famous voyage ordered By Presi-
dent Roosevelt
SERVES AS WARNING
TO THE WORLD.
With the completion Of the ships au-
thorized in the three-year program our
Navy will have strength unequaled by
any other nation; and the fleet when
combined. viii be an armada which will
compel respect, and, I trust, be warn
ing to any nation not to emulate Ger
many's greed for world conquest.
The decision of the Navy Department
to organize and establish a new Pacific
fleet of strength equal to the Atlantic
fleet is based on sound reasons, both
strategical and administrative. The re-
suits Of having the entire Navy organ
lied in two grand fleets, the Atlantic and
the. Pacific, will undoubtedly greatly i'm
prove the efficiency of the Navy as a
whole. due to the fact that more war
problem exercises on a large scale can be
carried out during a years work, and
these exercises can also be conducted on
the two oceans which are on the shores
OF the United States. In addition the
spirit of competition in the results to be
IL
records and other various forms of fleet
exercises and training will undoubtedly
produce a fine effect on the morale, and
thereby greatly increase the general
efficiency.
NAVY NOT DIVIDED"
INTO TWO FLEETS.
1t is mistake to speak Of the Navy
as being divided" into two fleets, in the
sense that the two fleets are widely sep
arated, and. therefore, do not support
each other. The more correct expression
is to say that the Navy is organized In
two great fleets, each composed of the
same number of divisions of the vari-
Gus types OF ships which go to make up
that tactical organization called a fleet.
This is true because the Panama Canal
permits the two fleets, at all times, to be
in close touch with each other. Either
feet could be sent from the main
strategical positions on one coast to
those positions on the other coast. with
in comparatively few days, and as this
period is less than that in which any
enemy Of any important strength could
attack either one of our seacoasts, It is
evident that In no way does the two-feet
organization plan weaken the protection
Of either of our coasts. As q matter OF
fact, this plan Of organization greatly In
creases the protection Of each coast, and
in that way the protection of our nation
as a whole.
The protection of either one of our
long seacoasts not only depends upon
the ships themselves, but it also very
materially depends upon the establish
ment size and location of naval bases
and navy yards, which must exist for
the maintenance of the feet in war as
well as in peace, and it is evident that
such bases will only be properly de-
velOped when they are used by a large
force Of ships during times of peace.
SIAHAN PRINCIPLE
NOT VIOLATED.
There can be no question that as a
general principle the policy enunciated
by Mahan is sound, viz: That the 6ivi-
sion Of a naval force weakens the
strength of the entire force, as 1t enables
an enemy to attack one Of the parts Of
the force so divided The result Of the
division Of the English navy in the revo-
lutionary war. and Of the Russian navy
in the Russo-Japanese war illustrate this
principle is only violated when a force
Is divided and so widely separated that
the two or more parts Of the force can
not support each other. For instance,
the two Russian fleets, one In the Baltic
sea and the other in the China sea, dur
ing the Russo-Japanese war, were so
widely separated that they could not
support each other, or one go to the as
sistance OF the other, before the enemy
could attack.
In the new organization Of the Ameri-