The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1922-07-29
new ENS|CNS TO
help OUT navy
With Latest Additions United
States Is Still $500 Officers
Behind Treaty Strength.
ARE NOW UNDERMINED
Young Annapolis Graduates viii Ma
terialIy Help Destroyer Force
Many Destroyers Now With
but Single officer Aboard.

Notwithstanding graduation of the
class of 1922 of the Naval academy re-
lieves a very trying situation relative
to our officer personnel question. Last
year there We're approximately 1000
officers, including reserve officers on
active duty. But the first of this year
brought about the return of the reserve
officers to inactive status. As this
affected close to 500 officers, our serv-
ice up to the time of the graduation
consisted of only 1000 regulars.
At the same time the British navy
had in active service about 12,000 Off
GERS, and the Japanese more h a
5000. These figures are very impor-
tant. We are supposed to be 40 per
cent more powerful than Japan, yet
we have 1000 less than their compile
ment of officers. We were supposed
to be equal to Great Britain, yet we
lacked 5000 officers of their total.
Since that time the British officer
personnel has been reduced to ap-
proXimately 9,200 of all ranks. But
still, it is to be seen, we are 1880 Off
GERS behind our parity nation, de-
spite the graduation of 400 new and
inexperienced but well grounded en-
signs. Our officer strength relative to
Japan, based on the 5-5-3 ratio estab-
lished at the armament conference,
should be 11,200 for America to 5000
for Japan.
And SO, ii is apparent that in spite
of our material strength we are still
$500 officers behind Il treaty
strength.
Glad to Get New officers.
The navy is very glad to get these
new officers. Since the reserves have
returned to inactive service we have
had a hard time maintaining even so
per cent of the navy which we retain
under the various treaties. So soon
as their few months of leave is up
these young men will go to their as
signed stations, on the battleships, the
gunboats, the destroyers and the shore
stations.
For some time we have been forced
to maintain d~estroyers in reserve
commission with but a single officer
aboard. Not Only this, but some
destroyers have had to be maintained
without a single commissioned officer
in their cabins-with petty officers
commanding. Such a condition has
not existed in any other navy in the
world for a period of twenty-five years.
1t will now be possible to reassign our
destroyer officers to do away with this
condition and to bolster up the Off
Ger strength of the forces as a whole.
Our battleship forces, our first line
of defense, has had but so per cent of
its officer strength for some time. BY
assigning these new officers to the big
ships it is hoped to bring the officer
strength up to about 85 per cent of
the necessary strength.
However, If the navy is cut from
10000 to $4,000, as provided in the
naval appropriation bill, the enlisted
compliments of the ~battleships will
have to be reduced further, for it is
impossible to put a single ship of
this type out of commission without
ii tremendous loss of power. De-
stroyers in active commission will have
to be placed in reserve with from 80
to Is per cent of their required CON-
plements aboard and some of those
In reserve will have to be placed en-
tirely out of service.
Deterioration of D~estroyers.
No type of ship, except the sub
marine, deteriorates with the lack of
upkeep quite so fast as a destroyer.
The reduction in the upkeep forces will
mean that the $50 odd d%estroyers now
wasting away will be augmented.
This waste will have to be made good
In the near future; the conditions of
the naval treaty demand it.
However, the reduction will not be
wholly in the sea forces. Our naval
bases, built up to efficiency at great
expense during the war, will have to
be cut down. For If there is to be a
reduction it must be proportionate.
One branch must not suffer too much.
The navy must be made sound as a
whole no matter how far the reduc-
lions progress. 1t Is probable that the
navy yards at Portsmouth, n. H.;
Boston, Philadelphia and Charleston,
S. c., will have to go, together with a
number of undetermined submarine
bases Of great value.-New York
Herald.