AMERICA'S NEW FLEET

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 6, 8 January 1916, Page 13

AMERICA'S NEW FLEET

185 MORE MEN-OF-WAR

Fj&ISE PROPHETS. (Bjv Archibald Hard, in the- London Daily Telegraph). Among, the things which the BritisH Fleet haa done is to convince » very powerful section of the people of the United States th*t their country requires » large navy. President Wilson and1 his Administration have adopted m*ost ambitious pima for the strengthening of the Fleet. A short telegram from Washington Tcferrod to the matter a fortnight or three weeks ago; now T have received full details. ■. i This war waa to end all wars according to some' prophets, and in particular it was to remove from tho demooraciest of tho world the burden of naval armaments. Now we have the spectacle of the greatest democracy in the world—separated from Europe by 3000 miles of sea—in such a hurry for more men-of-war, that it has decided not even to wait for the lessons on construction and armament; which the war may teach before it is -over. Now ships of all classes—battle- :■ ships, battle-cruisers, scout cruisers, destroyers, and submarines—are to be put • in hand, and without delay. This decision has been- reached by th» party which came into power in opposition to Mr Roosevelt's policy of " tho big stick," and pledged to economy on. armaments. Hostilities in Europe—and Germany's methods of war in particular apparently—have corrected the extremepacificism of most Americans', they feel that their .wealth is.a temptation to other people; they have scon Belgium—happy and prosperous—maGsaored and overrUD. , Possessing already a navy which is. held . by somo persons to be not weaker than that of Germany, and therefore bracketed as the second largest in the world, they are determined to have one yet larger. Tho " big navy " scheme has received the approval of tho President; that is *■■ significant fact, for-Dr.'. Wilson is certainly no fire-eater . ■' r A;LEAF FROM GERMANY'S BOOK. What is the position? According to Mr. JosepliU3 Oaniela, the Nayal Secretary, who corresponds closely in his duties to our First Lord of tho Admiralty. "The sixty-third Congress . ■. authorisedfive battleships, • twelve. destroyers, and twenty-six submarinesI —three, sea-going a.n<l twenty-three ceist defence—besides one fuel ship. This was the largest programme ever authorised by any Congress, and makes necessary the appropriation, of 28,369,127 dollajs to continue such construction." Construction lias not been very rapid, and consequently th&re are a number of vessels still in. hand-, they comprise seven battleships—the oldest,of them authorised in * 1911—eleven destroyers, with a destroyer tender, twenty-fovo submarines, with a tender, and. two fuel ships, a. storeship, and a transport; All those are still in hand,'and now Congress is to be recommended to adopt a five-year programme. The building will be distributed as'follows: — ' Ship Construction for Five Years,

The programme Is arranged co as to equalise th© pressure on the shipbuilding' resources of the country, as well as to equalise the cost from year to year. In . fact, the United States is taking a. leaf oat of Germany's book and adopting, a / methodical naval programme. - BATTLESHIPS'•■ COSTING 33,760,000'•' EACH ... The new project an immense sum; in addition,to the actual cost of the new vessels, provision has to be made for the maintenance of the existing fleet and ~ ■ for increasing the numbet of officers and men. The- cost of the individual ships ;s estimated officially as follows : — ■•'■:'• - - '£.'-' Battleship -^ .-. V '• ■'> -~ $760,000 Battle, cruiser ,'Oi ,^> ■■■:■ 3,500,000 Scout cruiser -.-% ; r., .-..-* 1,000.000 Destroyer .„■ fr, f -fs.. ..— 272.000 Fleet submarine «& : <?ij ■:*%. 300,000:. Coast submarine ■.% r--i '.-^ 130,000-j Gunboats ..< .~.) V^ «* 152,000':.■ Hospital ship -.^ „'."., ■-- 490,000". Fuel ship •*. ..•■; V-i ■■• 271,000 . Repair ship!.. ■.-• •.«..' ,•■..-.;■ 400,000 V It will be seen that th© 'Americans are ; not going to spoil any_of their new ships "" for "a ha'porth of paint:" the most vns,.\ '■ have ever spent on a single battleship or • ; battle cruiser is about £"2.000,000 It is 7.; ■ stated that the battle cruiser plans con- * template ships nearly 800 ft long, betweeiw , 90ffc and lOOffc'in beam, and with six tar-/1. ' bine-driven propellers, to make a minimum speed of thirty-fiye knots an hour. \ The new scout cruisers "will be designed / to maintain a< speed of twenty-five knots,' ; endurance rather than excessive speed be- ?■ ing the object .sought. Al.' of the new destroyers will make over thirty : knots an hour. Spued means money ; The : - Cost of construction on the other side o£ ; the Atlantic for suoh vessels as they Ac- ; sire is high, and then there are the / ohaiges for aviation, for reserves of munitions, "and for the upkeep of the fleet.; j' When everything has been taken into ac- "^ coup.t, the Navy Department calculates ■; that the cum will stand as under:— *; :. • '• ■ ■ £ -1; For 185 new, ships _ ... ... 841593,000; For, continuing ships already .' authorised . .." ..." 9,700,000; For aviation ._ v . ..' 1,200,000 . For reserve supply of ammunition 5,000,000' : . Total for increase of the Navy 100,493,000' For upkeep of fleet „. . 103,000,000 \■■ Total for navy for five years 203,493,000 ', A LEGACY FOR THE FUTURE. J This total works out at an average of ;, approximately £40.000,000 a. year, an in-'.> crease of nearly 35 per cent, in the ag-.'v gregato charge for the Fleet during theso 'j. years. But the estimates will . almost:*; certainly bo exceeded; - next year, it is ' stated, £43,500,000 will bo asked for..,'/ This programme, moreover, will leave as - a legacy yet. heavier permanent charges ': for ship -repairs and for personnel.' It is, • ■ for instance, proposed to make " an in-. ■. crease of 7500 sailors, 2500 apprentice sea- '. men, and 1500 marines—ll,soo men in' > all." It is also intended to send 250 ; more midshipmen to the Naval Academy '■'■' for training; the now aviation corps will '■. involve, heavy permanent charges. The : running costs of the Fleot will be heavier. : Tho policy of the NaVy Department is " to keep in full commission all battleships under fifteen years of age, all destroyers and submarines under twelve 1 ■ years •■ of age, one-half the number of . ( cruisers, all the gunboats, and the necessary auxiliaries for the Fleet, « well.; as to provide adequate reeervo compte-■'■! menta for tho remaining vessels of mili- . tary value, and for the shore stations." The expenditure on the American Flecfc i" will consequently be on: the up-grade even ? after the five years' programme has been carried out, and the time may not be far distant when tho outlay of tho United ;'" States on sea-power will be as high as ours was on the outbreak of the war, and that was exceptional. Down to the naval crisis of 1909 we had never gone, boyond about £33,000,000; now tho Americans are confronted with an immediate charge of £43,500,000. •It goes without saying, tbat the peoplo • of the Umtod States c»n woll afford thi« oxpendituro .if thex c»ro to incur it, in a.sense, they will bo investing a portion, of tho profits they are making oat of the war—and they ase v«ry bag—in more.naval and military power, for the Esti^ mates for the,*«iny me also to bo largelr increased. .

Battleships .2 2 2 2 2 10 Battle cruisers ... 2 0 1 2 16 Soout cruisers . 3 1 2 2 2 10 Destroyers ... 15 10 5 10 10 50 Fleet submarines 5 4 2 2 2 15' Coast submarines , 25 15 .15 15 15 , ; 85 Gunboats ■, 2 1 0 0 0-3 Hospital ship ... 1 0 0 0 0 1 Ammunition ships 0 0 0 1 1 2 Fuel oil ships .0 1 0 10 2 Repair ship . 0 0 0 0 11 Total . ... 55 34 27 35 34 185