Show REPORT OF REAR wn ADMIRAL A CAPPS Devotes Much Space to De Defense Defense tense of the Work of His Department SHIPS BEST IN THE WORLD DISTINGUISHED FOREIGN AU AUTHORITIES AUTHORITIES ES QUOTED Washington Ncy Nc 25 From time time during the past few months there have in various publications comments alleged defects Jn n vessels of the navy and particularly in battleships and armored cruisers To fo answer these Rear Hr R r Admiral Capps Cappe chief of the bureau of construction and repairs has devo td much of the larg larger hr er part of his annual report to the see sec secretary ec of the navy just made public Equal to Any ny in the World Worl Admit al Capps Cappe courts responsibility for the designs such as they are and pays the highest tribute to tD his pred predecessors cess rs in office HK Hi declares that th t our battleship fleet is Ig I fully equal in all re respects respects respects to that of any an equal number of ships in ta any other navy designed during the same period 1 He further quotes s one of the most distinguished dl foreign authorities on that point as follows The extraordinary high figures for United States ships affords food for thought for both in ships with high powered guns or impervious ImD to vital Injury at long range the United States fleet is If superior to any other in the world Where the Fault Lies Recurring to the criticisms of the battleships Admiral Capps Cappe says The chief constructor hopes that thai th lt hi 11 l has demonstrated fully tUlly and clearly that such serious faults as may exist in and armored cruisers were w re not due to the arbitrary arbitral methods of the board of construction or to the bureau of or construction and repairs but were almost wholly due to develop developments developments developments ments in material and the insistence of seagoing officers that certain mili mill military tary features should be embodied in inthe inthe inthe the original design or subsequently that changes covering the same should be made and under these last condi conditions conditions conditions the changes obviously involved a avery avery avery very considerable Increased cost Estimates for the next fiscal year for construction and repair on ships shows an increase of over the appropriations for forthe the present year |