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Show THE LESSONS OF NAVAL BATTLED Tho recent action In tho North Sea caused mo o than usual Interest be-cauro be-cauro It wrs tho first botwocn vessels ves-sels of the drcadnaught class, and tho result rtrcngthens tho faith of thoso naval exports who havo stoutly stout-ly malntatnol that great battleships aro tho ones with hlch to win great battles and gain command or tno ocean. It must bo admitted that until tho recent fight tho concensus of opinion bnd been running tho other way be-causo be-causo of tho activity of suomarlncs nnd tho enso with whlsh thoy hnd sunk some big cruisers and bntt'o-shlps. bntt'o-shlps. Hut apparently for deep sea work tho drendnnughts far 011101031 I other vessels. This lies in their powerful pow-erful build, great speed, heavy armor, ar-mor, and guns of heaviest callbro by which they aro nblo to outrango tho guns of smaller ships. ' Ono striking fact in nil tho sea fights that hnva takon placo In tho present war Is tho great dlsparlly in killed nnd wounded between victors and vanquished. That was to bo expected ex-pected in cases where ships were torpedoed by submarines or sunk by mines, but it has been tlio samo In Instances In which ships fought each other In tho open. It was seen In the Clermnn victory off Coronel, nnd In tho Ilrltlsh victories off tho Falkland Falk-land Is'nnds and tho North Sea. Tho greater power of tho guns of tho victors vic-tors riddled tho ships of tho vanquished, vanquish-ed, sending them to tho bottom with terrible loss of life, whllo tho winning win-ning sldo lost scarcely a man. In tho great fight In tho North Sea hi 1797, between tho English nnd Hut sh fleets near Camperdown, and not far from whero tho recent battlo was fought, tho contest was slmplo enough. Tho ships came to closo quarters and It was a case of which could pound tho hardest, plus skill In mnncuvo'lng tho ships. Mines, torpedoes, submarines and other destructive de-structive forces were unknown. But In tho latest fight tho vessols wero miles apart and tlw combatants could scarcely eco each other with tho naked nak-ed cyo. Still, whllo tho ships aro different nnd the methods of warfare aro also different, thoro Is yot tho awful loss of life. |