NAVAL EFFICIENCY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 686, 10 December 1909, Page 7

NAVAL EFFICIENCY.

OFFICERS , DEFECTS. AMERICAN TWO-SHIP PROGRAMME. TOP HAMPER TO GO. (By 'Telegraph—ProM Asaoclatlon-Oocui'leht.l (Hoc. December 9, 10.35 p.m.) Now York, December 9. In his Naval Report, tho Secretary of too Navy, Mr. Gco. Von L. Meyor, insists'on..tho' necessity of officers having workshop training in tho naval yards,; in order that tho ilect may bo as far as possible sdlf-sustain-ing. Senior Officers Criticised. The senior officers, it is stated, aro too old for, the responsibilities and arduous duty required on a modern battleship and havo insufficient experience to undortako duty as subordinato flag officers. The Navy Department is considering a comprehensivo reorganisation of the personnel. Further repair stations will bo required in tho Caribbean Sea and in the Pacific when 1 tho Panama Canal is completed. Owing to the necessity of economy, now con« struction wiil bo limited this year to iuu battleships and a repair ship. Tho need of tho latter was shown in tho recent world tour of Uio United States Fleet. . ( . l Skeleton Fire-Control Towers, Tho world cruise also proved tho desirability of removing , unnecessary top hamper and'of substituting skolcton -fire-control tow , - ers for masts. These changes will bo made shortly. GOOD-BYE THE FIGHTING-TOP. ECHOES OF NELSON AND THE FRENCH WARS. Tho United States Navy, like other navies, has been experimenting for some timo »ilh a view of getting rid of top hamper in tho way of heavy masts, fighting-tops, etc. In an article, entitled "Good-bye the Fighting-Top," a writer in nn English paper desciibcs tho new experimental'' mast introduced by the Americans in the battleship Idnho, a mast built of tubes of steel in a kind of basket-work; and fie goes on to trace tho history of the fightinetop, nnd to describe tho trend in other big navies. Of tho new American mast ho writes:

Steel Tube--Baskot-Work.- ' "-' ';■ • ■"'.:.;•'-v-V Tho .mast is really a' tower, built. up of tubes of steel, in a kind of basket-,work, and is the first-example' of such a structure actually afloat ■' : .;..:,../. ~ ~..."..,;.: ;■■■■;.; On the platform at tho top are placed the instruments for. controlling and'directing tho fiw-ol tho heavy, guns, and the officers and mencharged with that'duty. ' U v ; : ~'■•; This special type,, of mast. has been adopted by, the United. States Navy.after prolonged^experiments.- In view of the growing accuracy of gunnery, it was Recognised., that the; old pattern of mast with huge heavy, tops was certain to be shot away early in any battle, when its fair would, do great, damage to the ship; x ' Tho: American Navy .■ has. tested . various typos of masts, and has found that the kind depicted . gives the best' results.- ■ Shots were actually fired at it, but though some of the thin, tubes were shattered the structure ; still ■ stood; and remained perfectly serviceable.' ;." • ::.."•; ,-:. ~■, ,- Nelson-and Fighting-tops;.,;;';■ ; . ',:■:'' ': Figliting-tops have been a feature in. the warship for uiany thousand.'years; . At the dftto of,the Spanish Armada , the larger British warships carried on their masts tops armed with small cannon which could bo used with great -effect ' . ■ . , . , ; ; : . , ■'-, In' tho, eighteenth century,- however, .the top was m little favour, and in • the British Wavy the cannon disappeared from it, because groat risk, was run if they were used in such ft position of -sotting the sails 'and ship on lire, .kelson would not oven permit his.captains to station - marksmen in them because °i_tho danger from; the flash of their muskets .•α-ho 1 rench Navy of- this period placed such marksmen, in the tops, and it was a mani shooting from the top of the Redoubtable who killed i4V?.'?? n -■■■»ttt it is known .that fires occurred tiij;4'rench,ships from this cause, so-Wafthe Bamn was, hardly worth tho: candle. ■' ■ .

The French; Style. ./ .;;;■" ;■' . Still, , tho 'Prenchv maintained;: the practice ■uf placing large tops: oiv their ships, ami,arming thorn with light' guns' down ■to the .lays 0/ ironclads and steam, 'and the modem fightingtop, m battleship or armoured cruiser was jt : bad u Pni ? ° f tho 'eighties of : last century the fighting-tops in the French .fleet attaS extraordinary proportions. • They 'wore huge; ■ffiK j *hilei the roasts: K: selves often contained , a • stairway .running ro . l n', ld ft ? c . ntral ammunition hoist'■'- : ,ine .British Navy .never adopted these moilbcott s methods were everywhere 1 adopted it lessons of Russo-Japanese; War. ■:■ .. ';■.'■•■■?' • : The war in, the. Far:' East,- however, threw pro\ed qmto useless ior. long-range hghting. lhoJapaueso early, in the war removed al their,tops armed' with guns,'and only kopt the KrT* ?> atfo ™ s f or searchlights and radge,. ; Other' nations, speedily copied "their eiainpla and duringtho past .three, years' the great navies have been as busy/taking out thbir Huge military nmsts and heavy fighting tops as thfv were previously energetic in putting them in?*• Weight was saved thereby and employed ■in ■ other:mid more serviceable directions. :• ■ " In the.British Dreadnought an"old contrivance, tho t tripod mast, which had been first introduced years before by the British ofoceiy Captain Coles, made its-appearance, as musts•had;.to be carriod for wireless telegranhv and to aeconimodatethe derricks for hoisting in or out the boats and heavy weights, .'•: Oiving to, the build of the ship and the disposition of her guns,'it was impossible to place a niast of the ordinary type in her, Her tripod structures, however, only carry light firecontrol platforms, and are not so ponderous as they look. ■'.:].• ;■■ ■ ;•.;. ■■.: - ~'■>■: ;■■: .;.:.-.™: Masts to Vanish. ■■ ; : • j : ;

the .later ships of her type.and in v tho three Indomitables there are two largo tripod masts of equal size and not. two of uncQual size. It is,'howover, probable that in ■ tho future Dreadnoughts the tripod:mast will vanish altogether,.and be replaced by light pole masts for signalling., _.. .; • > ..•■;•, ■'..•..■.-. Tho nre-control : and rango-finding 1 work :.will be managed with now and improved instruments from light towers nearer the cleok.-: Ihp American type of steel basket work does not yet find much favour in: the British Navy, whore it is considered vulnerable and too much exposod; while, if it fell/great difficulty might be oxperionced in clearing,the ship of it 3 ■ wreck.....:- ■ .■- .-.■ ■/. . ■. . ,-:■ , '':':■ . -.. :' The very latest foreign,ships, especially ; tho Italian vessels, are remarkably. ■. clear- pf encumbrances, nnd it is probably to such a typo that the world will move'during.the noxt ; ten years. ■...'■ \ ..■.■ ... ■. .■ . '; . ,-. ,■':■ ..:■,