The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-12-23
MORE MONEY
NEEDED FOR
new WARSHIPs
sera ping Of Battle
ships Does Not Seem
to Have Accomplish
ed NE Il G h Toward
Limitation Of Naval
Armament
Armament

Armament
Washington, Dec. 20 (By the As
sociated Press l-R Relative fight
ing efficiency OF British and
American battleships, particularly
at long range. were understood
today to have been called sharply
to the attention of the senate naval
com naittee in consideration Of the
pending naval appropriation bill
Naval officers are knewn to be
greatly concerned on the, point, as
the British have virtually complet-
ed postwar modernization Of their
Is inch. gun ships and no start on
similar work has yet been made
in the American navy.
The effect of the British post
war improvement, it was said today
in naval. circles. was to give the
entire main British feet a range OF
80, 900 yards against a maximum
of about 10000 yards for all
American battleships, but the Ten
nessee. California, MARYLAND. Colo
rado and West Virginia, in addi-
ton as permitted under the Wash
ington treaty, the British ships
have been equipped with blister"
anti-torpedo construction and their
decks armored against airplane
bombs and high angle FIRE.
A rough estimate OF the cost OF
modernizins American ships in the
same way, so far as increasing gun
elevations, and Strengthening decks
is concerned, is approximately s60,-
900 eco. In the British program
as rauch as $4,000, 600 is said to
have been expended on a single
ship
When naval estimates we're under
consideration in the budget bureau
and. later before the house ap-
preparations subcommittee, it was
said, funds were asked by navy Of
fcials for a limited program begin
ming this year on making battle
ships to be retained under the trea-
ty. The items presented called for
conversion of coal burning battle
ships Of the IA inch gun type to
oil burners and the installation Of
i've inch anti-aircraft batteries to
replace all present three inch guns
on the big ships: The items went
sout both before the budget bureau
and subcommittee, but there are
indications that more urgent re-
presentations are being made to the
senate.
Change from coal to oil fuel is
of vital importance in widening the
effective radius of, action Of the
ships, it was explained by naval Of
ficers, while substitution Of five inch
|anti-aircraft batteries means using
shells with a so yard burst instead
of the 25 yard area covered by three
inch projectile. In other words, it
was said, a curtain Of fire against
aircraft with five inch guns would
need one-half the number of guns
in action to make it effective.
The most striking point to. which
attention is being directed. however,
is that of long range big gun fire,
opposed to modernized British feet
today naval officers have stated the
bulk Of the American feet would
face the necessity. Of closing in five
miles under salvo fire before they
could bring their own guns to
bear. AS the British ships are also
faster. it is said. the possibility of
bringing the entire feet into ac-
ton would be negligible. Older
American battleships as we'll as the
British ships now modernized were
designed and built before the pos
Isibilities of aircraft "spotting" were
seen. Their guns had a range up to
the limit Of vision from the spot
ting tops Of the ships, which is 20
600 yards under most favorabl
conditions. Tests with aircraft, how
however, have fully demonstrated
both in American and British naval
opinion based on war lessons that
fire can be made effective against
ships entirely out Of sight over the
horizon. The British are said to
have acted on this knowledge in
making the costly changes neces-
sary to raise turret guns to 80
degree firing elevation as compar-
ed to the Old II or - degree maxi
mum.
The decision Of Judge Memmin-
ger in the case involving the en-
forcement Of the law prohibiting
the sale or having in possession
!