The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-05-17
j. s. NAVY HAS
FALLEN BELOW
OTHER POWERS
Writer Claims Comparison
Reveals Weakness of
American Position
WHAT SHIPS COUNT
BY Charles =. Stewart
NEA Service Writer

cally two ~up-to-the- minute fighting
ships of the same class are about on
a par from the standpoint of
strength.
An American capital ship should
| break practically even with capital
under the British, Japanese, French,
Italian or any other flag. America
has ls such, and Great Britain,
when the Nelson and Rodney are
finished, as they will be soon, and
! the older and smaller George v.
Ajax, Centurian and Thunderer have
! been scrapped to make room for the
new pair, will have 20.
But in practice it doesn't follow
that America, in the matter Of
| capital ships, has nne-tenths of
Britain's strength.
For one thing, a number of Am
erica's ships require reequipment to
| adapt them to oil instead Of coal.
| Fucling an oil-burner is quicker
work than coaling and more oil than
coal can be carried, meaning a
wider radius of operations. Besides,
especially on the Pacific, oil is easier
to get.
Our older ships also need re-boil-
ering and modern protection against
submarines and airplanes.
Meaning Of Elevation
More important than anything is
the matter of gun elevation.
Our guns, at their present eleva
ton, have about a 200O0-yard range.
At the time of the war, when they
were anxious to have the news get
out and scare the Germans, British
naval officers told ours that, by in
creasing their elevation, they'd in
creased their range to 10000 yards.
They deny it now because they don't
want US to increase ours; if they
have an advantage they prefer to
keep it.
Many people believe England has
protested automatically against any
increased elevation Of American
guns. This isn't true. Through her
propaganda, England has tried to
give the impression that she has
protested hoping thus to make AM
orleans think their navy would be
| breaking the armament limitation
treaty by increasing their guns
range. In fact, she hasn't protest
ed, having no ground for doing so.
How We Stand
Formerly hits could be made only
by accident beyond 10000 yards, but
that was before the days of airplane
spotting.
Italy, France and Japan have re-
spectively 8, and 10 capital ships.
OF high-speed light cruisers under
10 years old the five powers have:
}America 7, Great Britain 35, Japan
10, France 3 and Italy 5. They are
building respectively 3, 4, ~, 3 and
none. None of them is up to the
"5-5-3-l.75-l.75" basis except Japan.
OF modern destroyers America has
274, Great Britain 1876, Japan SO,
France 81 and Italy 80. They are
building respectively none, 5, 81, IS
and 7.
OF long-radius submarines above
| 1000 tons, America has 3, Great Bri-
|
nor Italy any at all. They are
building respectively 3, none, 90, 8
and none.
Of coast defense submarines AM
erica has 10, Great Britain %,
Japan 81, France "a and Italy 10.
They are building respectively Is,
8, Is, II and none.
Japan Meets Quota
In the matter of long radius sub
marines all the powers are short of
the "5-5-3-l .75-1 IS basis except
Japan, and in the matter of the
coast defense type all are short of it
except Japan and France.
| Of airplane carriers. America has
and is building 2, Great Britain
has and is building 3, Japan has
none and is building 2, France has
none and is building l and Italy
neither has nor is she building any.
AS for the strength of the respect
| i've navies, in the various classes
of craft, the figures shown on the
accompanying diagram speak for
themselves in so far as figures can.
Americas shortcomings in the
matter of capital ships has been
pointed out. Her destroyers, too, by
reason of hurried wartime conatruc-
ton, have not the strength that the
figures indicate. Naval officers are
also very critical OF the country's
coast defense submarines.
Japan, as has been shown, is keep
ing within her treaty limitations in
all classes of craft to which the
limit applies but is strictly up to or
| above tho "E-E.21 TIKI TX" hasis in