The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-02-26
While United States Argues
English Proceed With
Program.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMS
me- c.~~ <,n...n.-o.d,.t

lIWl British sources the writer
49, learns that with the compile
ton Of the two-epoch-making war
slips, the Nelson and the Rodney,
in 1925, English viii spring such
changes in handling her fleet as to
make Britannia the unquestioned
mistress of the Atlantic Il not Of all
the seven seas.
Cruisers and destroyers, together
with the rest of her scouting duty
craft, for the most part will be as
signed to different task, while the
all-important job of locating the
enemy In war will be intrusted al
most entirely to airplanes. The bat
tleship, however. will continue as
now, the backbone of the British
| navy.
Thus while the United States
FACILITATES hopelessly between two
extremes-whether the national de-
Tense will be trusted to the navy or
to Acknowledgement Britain is going
ahead along common-sense lines. Re-
fusing to put all her eggs In one
basket, she plans to make full use
Of both ships and planes.
New Sea Factor
The commissioning of che Rodney
and the Nelson will Introduce an
entirely new factor into British sea
power. These two ships are as III
ferent from the present batslcship as
the dreadnaught was different from
the Civil War Monitor si6 MerTi.
mao. They are aircraft carriers,
rather than battleships. being pro-
vided with huge take-ofr decks aft
and equipment for taking care of
fifty planes each No regular. out
and-out British aircraft carrier can
carry more.
Built to the limit of the tonnage
allowed under the treaty OF Wash.
ington. namely, $1,000 tons; carry.
ing the maximum-size armament
nine sixteeninch guns each-and
with an estimated speed of twenty.
three to twenty-five knots an hour,
the first OF these mystery ships to
be completed will be used to quarter
the admiral OF the fleet and his staff.
Thus, for the first time in history.
an aircraft carrier will be used as
a flagship.
VIII Carry Planes
The fleet commander will not only
be in touch with his fastest scout
craft by wireless but win actually
carry them with him on board his
own ship. Instead of sending his
comparatively slow cruisers and de.
stroyers ahead to probe for the
enemy. he will be able to send his
own staff officers hurting through
the air at 200 miles an hour, and
faster, to comb the ocean for hun.
dreds Of miles in all directions.
A fleet which could thus locate its
vent the enemy's planes from ap-
preaching it. would pretty nearly
have the battle won before a shot
was fired. Particularly would this
be SO If such feet were likewise
faster and could shoot farther than
the other-~as would be the case be-
tween Britain and America. Using
its planes, first to locate the enemy,
next to gain control of the air and
lastly to spot its shots, it could lie
hidden out of sight over the horizon
and pound the other to pieces, keep
ing well out of range Of the en-
emy's- guns meanwhile.
The British program will give
them a two-to-one superiority in the
air over the United States. We now
have one aircraft carrier, the Larg.
ley. 1t has capacity of fifty planes.
We are building two others, the Lex.
ington and, Saratoga, to carry sew.
enty-three planes each. When these
are completed our fleet will have a
total capacity for 1876 planes.
Tie British have three carriers of
fifty plane capacity each. They are
building three more, of similar ca
pacity. Then they will have the
Rodney and the Nelson, carrying
100 planes. The British feet. there
fore, will pack total Of 400 air
planes to our 198--even If Congress
provides for the full 1876,