Evening star., 1922-12-21
BR|TA|NLEADS!U.S:..... !.
/ NAVAL armament.
Forged Ahead in Post: War
Building, Senate Committed:
l.-t 5, t"es't y
Il, =. Is Informed. :

'rhe British SSsxys has forged,sssas 81
OF the United States in battieship
armament and defensive construction
in their post war building. thu a846s
ate appropriations committee was
told yesterday by American naval Of
ficerss appearing before 1t in connec1
tion with the Navy appropriation BILL
according to the Associated Press.
The effect OF these Improvements. IL
BritiSh fleet a range Of 10000 yards
against = maximum Of 10000 xasl
for all American battIeships efGkrt
the Tennessee. California. Maryland.
Colorado and West Virginia. The
British have practically completed
the modernization of their fifteen-
inch-gun ships and no start has Been
made on similar work In the ArAeris
can Navy. -
in addition. as permitted under the
Washington treaty. the British shipe
have been equipped with blister"
anti-torpedo construction and their
decks armored against airplane
bombs and high-angle fire.
$8o.000. 900 u. 4. Cost.
A rough estimate of the cost OF
undermining American ships in the
same way, so far as increasing gun
elevations,attef strengthening decks Ia
900. In the British program As much
as $4.00O.0OO is said to have been ex-
pended on a single ship.
When naval estimates were under
consideration in the budget bureau
and later before the House appropria- :
tions subcommittee. 1t was said, funds
were asked by Navy ofacials for 4
limited program, beginning this year,
on making over battleships to be re,
tanned under the treaty. The items
coal-burning battleships Of the four
teen-inch. gun type to oil burners and
the installation Of hye-inch anti aEE;
craft batteries 60 replace all pre- eseSt
three-inch guns on the big ships. The
Items went out both before the bud
get and In committee. ~
Change from coal to oil fuel is of
vital Importance In widening the ef-
fective radius Of action Of the ships,
1t was explained by naval officiais,
while substitution Of five-inch anti
aircraft; batteries means using shells
the twenty-fve.yard area covered BY
three-inch projeCti1es. In other words
IT was said. curtain of fire" aeatnst
aircraft with f1ve-inch guns would
need one-half the number of guns in
action to. make II effective. -
Lenx-Ranse Bis.Gua rfse. x
The most striking point. to which
attention is being directed. however,
is that of long-range big.eun fitl.
Opposed to the modernfyed British
fleet today. Navy officers have stated,
the bulk of the American feet would
face the necessity of closing in I'VE
miles under salvo fire before thSS
could bring their own guns.to hear,
As the British ships are also slightly
faster. it is said. the possibility. of
bringing the entire fleet into aettOb
would be negligible. :.
Older American battleships az wai
as the British ships now inodefnised
were designed and built before the
possibilities of aircraft "spotting"
were seen. Their guns had a range
up to the limit of vision from th d
spotting tops OF the ships. which :]s
10000 yards under most favorable
conditions. Tests with aircraft, how
ever, have fully demonstrated both in
American and British naval opinion,
based on war lessons. that fire can
be made effective against ships egt