The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-18
Frederic Haskin's Letter
Problem of Future NaUies.

cruisers, 10; second line light crr,.
ers, 8; first line destroyers ssS.
second line destroyers, ~. ~.
line submarines. 4S; second Ia.
submarines, "A; first line feet sr5
marines. 2.
Listed among the ships bn,lss..
and authorized for the IJnit,ss
States are the following:
First line battieships, IL. e..
lire battle cruisers, 6; first Is
light cruisers, 10; first line deztr,..
ers, IS; first line submarines. Il
first line fleet submarines. 4
Roughly, the tonnage of the -.
American naval vessels ustsd =
in commission is 1,IS3,0Oo: Of ,sa
ships building, exclusive Of ~ "a
submarines, the tonnage is givsS
as S04 ,009.
Japan's present navy is riva,
as follows:
First line battleships, G: seeo,a
line battleships, /; first lire crnIS.
ers, 4; second line cruisers, 8: fir,
line light cruise. l; first line a.
stroyers, 81; second line destroyers
IL; second line submarines, II
The figures given for the shin,
projected and building for the Iab.
anese navy are:
First line battleships, 3 buildiav
authorized or projected; first Ina
battle cruisers. s, none yet la4
down; first line light cruisers. =
probably all building; first line "a.
stroyers, Is building and 80 pp.
jected; first line submarines, a.
all building; aircraft carrier,
now building; second line submar.
ines, 9 authorized.
The tonnage of the rs japanese
vessels listed as in commission il
its navy is 4S6,253; of the uncon.
pleted building program, made IN
OF 119 ships, the tonnage is given
as 694,S70. This figure does not n.
clude the 9 second line submarine
the tonnage of which vessels is IN,
known.
Comparison of the three nayia,
by big gun power is not Comple.;
because the number of 16-inch gum
in the British navy is not known
The known figures show, though
that when the present building pra
grams are completed, Great Britain
will have mounted on 81 ships ,
total of "A guns of 12-inCh bore;
144 guns of 13h inch bore, and Iai
guns of 15-inch bore, IN addition L
an unknown number of 16-lnet
guns.
The United States will havt
mounted on SO ships a total of g
guns of 12-inch bore; no 1914 -incA
guns, liz guns of 14-inCh bore; NJ
15-inch guns, and 1872 guns of is
inch bore.
The Japanese navy will have
mounted on II vessels, s guns O
12-inch bore; no 13h-inch guns, 81
guns of 14-inch bore; no 15-iaCi
guns, and " guns of 16-inch bore.
The totals show that the Amefl
can navy will have 1913 big guns
the British navy, exclusive OF tht
unknown number of the largest siIl
rifles, 28S, and the Japanese nav
160 big guns.
Change of Battle Conditions.
The war demonstrated that con
parsons of navies On paper can
not be taken as absolute criteri0aE
of seaDower. The German surface
craft after the one big battle o.
Jutland were bottled up at HeligN
land for the remainder of the war
while enemy submarines were busJ
all the time sinking American and
allied ships. If there should be an
other great war, it is certainly pos
sible that development of naval ar
craft may be such that submarine
may be spotted easily from the II
and destroyed by some kind q
depth bomb. The result Of deTe-
opment of this kind would be o
render submarine craft almost use
less for any purpose.
Many government experts eva
now are maintaining stOutly thai
the most powerful and swiftest frst
line fighting ships will be destroy
ed with ease, should another greet
sea war be fought, by seaplanS
lowering high out of reach, drop
ping huge bombs of terrible de-
structive power with sufficient pre-
cision to aDnihiiate the greatest AZ
ray of surface and sub-surface csait
any nation of the world could P1!
on the face Of the waters.