The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-12-02
i. 8. MUST RULE
All, ADMIRAL
DECLARES
Noted Naval Authority Says
Coast Defense Is Obsolete
Against Plane Bombers
REAR ADMIRAL w. H. FULI4AM.
Initial Gtaxaa NAVY ERakSrsaSl

=
United States Navy Retired.
written Especially for ana Copyrighted
by international Ncws Service. 1884,. ]
The official report Of the Chief
~ Engineers, u. s. army, declares
that the coast defenses Of this
country are out of date and use
less! They cannot defend! The
home coast and all our distant pos
sessions are at the mercy Of an
enemy! The situation is appalling!
General Taylor covers the sub.
ject In few short paragraphs:
During the world war and the
period Immediately following prac-
acally all the defenses Of the United
States and its possessions became
obsolete due to the developments
In the range and power of artillery
mounted on capital ships. Not only
were these defenses underpowered
II, major armament. but defense
against aircraft was either lack
ing or totally Inadequate. The only
antiaircraft searehlights available
were those purchased during the
war, which were limited in number
and in many cases unsuitable.
Modern Coast Defense.
Wisely admitting our helpless.
ness and the need Of economy,
General Taylor appears to place
dependence upon railway artillery.
and antiaircraft 'dcfenses. This brings
us to discuss the surest means Of
defending coast in modern war,
and that, too. with the least ex-
pense. This is the problem.
Manifestly our new system and
our new weapons must be built
upon an intelligent consideration of
the enemys method Of attack and
the weapons he win use. Is not
this perfectly clear? How, them.
will the enemy come, and what
weapons, win he employ to smash
our defenses? g s@
The enemy must come with a
surface fleet, with an air fleet, and
with a submarine fleet that can
keep pace with the surface fleet.
He will bring hundreds of air.
planes with which to bomb and
gas our cities and our defending
! navy He will bring many sub
marines with WIZ nh to blockade
q
merce. These forces above and
below the surface are Of vital inn
portance. They will surely dom,
mate and win In Ghe next war.
The defense against a surface
neet alone would be very simple.
With mine fields, airplanes based
on the shore, and small coast SUBJ
marines we can easily hold an
armada of surface ships, 100 miles
from our shores.
The world war ana recent bomb
ing tests have proved this beyond
question.
Useless Against Planes.
There is no need of mounting
guns on shore either in forts
or on railroads. They are quite
useless in modern war. They only
range thirty miles and can only be
used by day. why use a thirty
mile gun when you have a hundred
mile gun-the airplane.
But how are we to defend our
coast against an enemy's subma-
rines and his air forces? If his
air force, using bombs, torpedoes
and poison gas, is superior to ours,
he will remain one hundred miles
at sea and deluge our cities with
poison gas and blow us to smith
Greens.
In coast defense. and in defense
OF the Panama Canal and other
possessions, there are two lines
the first line and the second line!
The navy is the first line. If our
navy has a strong air force and a
superior submarine fleet it can
meet the enemy fleet 1000 miles
from home and defeat or turn it
back. In that case the shore de-
tense will not come into play at all
except in the temporary absence Of
the fleet.
Navy Must Be Modern.
Is it not clear then that we must
have modern navy? Is 1t not
clear that the navy must have a
wonderful air force-inore powerful
than that Of the enemy? The air
power dominates. 1t controls the
surface. On land or on sea the
side with the strongest air force
will win. Give our navy command
Of the air and the enemy fleet
win stay at home! He will not
dare to cross the sea, knowing that
defeat at the first line stares him
In the face!
The army and navy Of the United
States are in the same boat. They
both face exactly the same problem.
Their one and only problem is
rnodernization!
Investigation Demanded.
( The President has ordered a
searching investigation into modern
developments that affect the navy.
Here is a golden opportunity. We
must have a strong up-to-date fleet.
It is not for aggression. 1t, is for
defense. 1t will never be used in
An unjust war--never! Our fleet
Is not ready for modern war today.
1t has not modernized its weapons.
It is fatally lacking In air forces
and submarines. Lacking these, it
faces disaster.
Commands the Air.
We must command the air. on
our coast. We must command the
air" at the Panama canal We must
command the air" iii our foreign
possessions. The one most impor-
tant problem Is to command the
air" on land and sea. II we do not,
we lose.
Airplanes can move. A thousand
planes can be modified in a few
hours at threatened point any.
where on OUR coast. No foreign
fleet can face. such a mobilization Of
air forces II cannot bring an equal
air force across the ocean. Air
planes will keep our enemy AZ home
Guns will not. Airplarfes win stop
war from overseas before II be.
gins Guns viii not stop war from
49, a..