| Show SAYS OUR SHIPS I ARE BEST OF ALL President Directs That Admiral Admira Converses Report be bo Made Public CRITICIZED BY UNINFORMED and Newspaper Articles lie 10 SlY Says Were er Written by Persons Person Peons In Incompetent Incompetent competent to Air At Their Views 1 Washington Feb Fob 16 By direction direction tion ton of the president p Secretary Metcalf has made mado public the tho report repert of ot Admiral Converse on the tho fighting ships of ot the tho American navy cuBed called forth by many criticisms recently published In maga magazines sines and otherwise othen This Thin p report i prepared primarily to l the tho th prist president dent as to the exact state of ot our naval ships compared with wih those of or other nay nav navies ies and amid Its t publication Is I authorized with the design to reassure the the Amen Ameri American AJ rl can sailors as ns to the quality of ot the tho wea weapon weapons CB pon pons a with wIt which they must go Into bat battle bat battie tie tle te Admiral Converse characterizes tho the criticisms as ns prepared by hy persons whose whoso knowledge of ot the subject Dis Discussed ls cussed cu sed was limited and ad Incorrect There Thero was WM he says lays ample amplo justification for tim the adoption of o the thu battleship designs which have been followed It I Is not claimed that mistakes have havo 1110 not been made he said or that our OUT hip aro without faults but In view of the state of ot the art of ot battleship building this thU tact fact Is not to be bo wondered at It I Is re no remarkable that the mistakes were wore so Sl few te and that none were really serious enIous In Inthis InthIs Inthis this respect our record will wi compare favorably ices with wih that of ot foreign services servIces services SHIPS fillIPs NOT NOl INFERIOR In the tho 91 pages pae which tho the admiral devotes to the tha defense of ot the navy nl the subjects dealt with Include bat battlo battie tie to drills freeboard of at American ships height of ot gun positions torpedo defense guns battleship armor turret designs ammunition hoists In and out turning crows crews the tho Kearsarge and Ken Kentucky Kentuck Kentucky tucky tuck aunt and general notes His Ills emphatic Is Our ships are not Interior Inferior to those In foreign countries We 1 have ho he says sye mode made com corn compromises promises In our designs of ot battleships it I Is impossible to construct u a perfect battleship such compromises have perhaps detracted from the tha d de desired sired perfect ship shill In name eume respects but ut at the same game time havo made mado lallo It possible to Improve upon some sone other othur existing disadvantage anti and on tho whole tho the compromise each and amid ald all al have havo tended towards a II nearer approach to the de do desired sired aired perfect finality Other nations have labored end will wi like ourselves continue to labor lalor under this sammie name dif difficulty In endeavoring to approach as IS near ns as possible to that Impossibility a 1 perfect battleship The Tho quality of ot tho material of ot our navy nl Is I Inferior to none non monel In lii quantity of ot vessels imbue alone oro art wo we lacking GOOD FlUTING CRAFT With on al Increase In number of ot ships bips tho lImo American navy will 1 havo have been supplied the tho only on feature to tomako tomake make maka it second to 0 none nono non in iii II nil cli 11 that tends tenas toward fighting efficiency And when tho the stress of ot actual If such should hould unfortunately come caine brings only tho tIme really renly practical testS our country need necil have no flO misgivings pr r fears but ut that our battleships will wi give an ni ex ox excellent account lecount of themselves and limiti prove themselves nil mill ni that we have hlo designed them for and Ind know Ilo them to be lie beTho Time The says nays In lii II treating of or battlo drills that It was wait not until the spring dris of at 1803 1903 that thal our new navy achieved time the size of at n a squadron eight battle battleships bate ships und and not until last spring that tho at we W j acquired a two U 1 then for tor tIme tha first time became possible to carry out hoot leet tactics These were be begun begun begun gun In July were Interrupted for target t resumed again In the tho Lines pres present eat ent voyage to limo tho coast const In this connection the tho admiral remarks Tho TIme personnel of ot our navy In am ammi ambition rn and professional knowledge Is s second to nono none In the tho world orld Considerable space Is devote to u 0 u refutation of ut the criticism that tha Ameri Amerl American can fighting ships hip do not sot net as I high out of ot tho water as II those of ot foreign navies It I la is II admitted by tho the admiral that the time Indiana Indian and aud tile the firt battleships of ot tho the nD navy are aro two low for fighting at nt sea Iea In heavy beay weather hut but tho the remainder of ot our battleships without doubt give ive a I good account or ot themselves In a fight at sea In or a weather in I winch It Is l at all ni likely fur fura a mm fleet to engage NAVY NAV HAS HA BEST DEST ARMAMENT Time Tha I question presents the tho choice cholo of oC being well wel armed arm nn an consequently weighted lower In the tho water or being lightly armed and Ind setting high out It Jt ItIs ItIs Is stated si ted to be bo the policy o of the tho Ameil Al 6 1 can navy to t always have our ou armed better than tan our opponents It may ma not be bo amiss the tho report adds ad as while hits dealing with time the subject su Je t or Of 01 gun wel weights end and freeboard to add that the tho Japanese in their most recent recently re nt ly Iy designed ships have Ing an Increase of ot speed and length of vessel not hot raised their gun positions nor the freeboard which Is one ono of tho tito results gained from their from their recent wars wan and which deems to uphold the good god Idea Iden of ot our system of building ships without tho th excessive heights hights deemed to be necessary sary Bar by some Iome It is iz noted that ono of ot the tle lessons learned from tom the war war was that tho the and guns were pot not heavy enough lo to t repel a tor tot torpedo I boat boat As ts s n mm result all our bt ShIPS hip now curry carry curr heavier batteries for tor such service In answering the criticism of ot the tho th po pa position of ot the tha tho armor anor belt Intended to t pro protect protect j toot tho the vitals of a I battleship tho the ad admiral miral mirl again Ign alludes to the a anese contest The Tho criticisms he hee ex ox explains plains plana are aro based baled upon the assumption that vessels will wi always strive stive to t go In to t action at nt their deep load lond droll g RUSSIAN SHIPS OVERLOADED To show sho that luch Is 18 not the tho correct ho iiO says One Ono or ot tho the principal causes cules of ot tho th thereat defeat of ot time the Russian fleet et In the bat lIat tie tle te or ot straits In May Mo tle 1905 Is attributed to the tho fact that the tho ves es elmi 61 IH of ot that fleet feel were overloaded with coal coa and ul stores or ot all al kinds and ad nd wit it Is II d that his subordinates were un ablo able to understand the tha great geat which tho the Russian admiral always seemed to have 10 to carry cary Immense amount of ot coal his vessels casel having ol on O l board nt at this battlo enough to n II distance of ot moro more 1010 than mIles while the actual distance required mios to I bo ho traveled was luas WI but His ships were similarly overloaded od with stores iV and s This hla overloaded condl lion tion or ot tho Russian Rus liet lon ln lect let Is bo ho un woe was WIS while passing through the waters vaters and Immediate proximity to the tho naval base baso ble of ot a hostile hosto fleet leet of ot relatively their own strength and with tho the probability of o meeting the tho wih heel leet teet In battle battlo so IO great gut that It been regarded na mis tS almot n II eon er thinly On tho other hand ii it Is In said sd on ro no lIable authority that the Japanese In r ft fleet ip In of or with wih tho the Russian fleet had been stripped by b removing removInG evor thing bIB ble In tho the way of oC weight equipment staros etc from om tue Iho VOS en 01 and that they had on n nt rut th bon lt time of at M the tIme battles battle lonH to lm last t only 10 day rays It I may amay bo be rea unsullied that HUt because of their thel o l lightness these vessels were J ur what we wo would call coll their normal lonal draft dratt JAPANESE SnOWED SHOWED JUDGMENT Togo fleet wan In fighting trim fleet leet was i II not The Tho w no suIt Bult could easiLy ensly have been beon forecasted still Mill 11 the critics critic of o our navy 11 would have havo UK us that our oma ships should u 18 as n I I preparation for tor hattie battle put In th condition of ot those that flint met mcl defeat Describing the condition of or our own fleet l et In Its 11 ti tl to tho limo West Vet In last winter tho time admiral says sri tho the ship were ivere no so loaded loid down doin that the edge of ot upper ego their belt armor amler was W the ills water waler anti similarly when time tha fleet sailed but n a 1 short hort time ago age for tor fort the tho lh their draft ova greater than on time the tilt othur occasion Roth Both these hose C cn cases o however were lucre exceptional In n that time tho win wee VIS a n strategic move mOIe ansi and carried with It for or Its Is own consumption on the tho th nil and Ild possIble In lu time the way RY of supplies arid and ammunition for J use at lt I its future halo bate conditions which would not case Clo of ot anticipated or fleet Illet action Reton Devices to prevent the time twofold danger daller of ot flare flir v back hill of or 0 ot of toler in turrets the time report 1118 says oy have havo been Intuited t In our Otherwise In Iii turret denim we mire like Ik tiie t French und II Japanese Jo anNO navies nuI StiltS aIms ABE 1 BEST DEST Of Ot time tho 1 ansi Kentucky the tho report 18 ys no imi commander would woul liel hel late to bite alie thell Into Inlo a Meet loot action Ilou wil their heavy hut ha I lory Or of ot 13 a aInd and Ind guns CUM amid ami 11 good armor pro protection thoy they would give 10 mi tin excellent count I of sit tf not only nl against of or about duto of ot de mis hut also o any ny other falling within tho the f of or their gumma ThY urn 11 an good html and ships but we ve v do tin not ant ot claim caim they the fr ns as 11 efficient a 11 as moro more recent reent enol A lank luak In the tho supply of tom tor tor i Is H due clue ue to the limo Ihl Inability of ot r f tn to me met meet t the demanti Thu U Is 1 to l be rem remedied by Ui te the tion ton of ot a I torpedo torp o factory at nt tIle the New Newport Newport port ort R II I station staton It I Is as asserted that our navy nav Is li abreast of ot the tho times In the tho matter or ot sights range rangefinders finders and conning towers Vo We have hava never hesitated to adopt nn an Idea that promised Increased efficiency Is re remarked r remarked marked In this connection AH All Al criticisms clams made mn e from time to line the tho ro re port says have reached rached null and been con considered by the tho board of construction When the tho conditions and circum circumstances stances seemed to merit action atlon by the board bord such has boa hn been ben Invariably taken |
