AMERICA’S NAVY

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXXII, Issue 61, 9 May 1924, Page 5

AMERICA’S NAVY

AN ADMIRAL’S REPORT. Washington, May 7. Admiral Coontz’s report' on the strength of America’s navy, reveals what naval officers regard as an alarming weakness in equipment. Admiral Coontz says the material condition of the fleet was not as good as it should be. There were a number of major defects which were correctible only by a correction in the national policy. Unfortunately it requires a long time to get the flo>t up-to-date owing to deferred main-

tenance and delayed alterations. The report bases its findings entirely upon the recent manoeuvres. Besides reviewing the shortcomings previously cabled, the report further stresses the shortage of flagships and destroyers as leaders. Moreover, the squadron leaders lack offensive speed and reliability, while the remaining eighteen battleships have

become unfit for their positions in the line.

The report, referring to submarines, asserts that they are the worst combatantg in the fleet. Their design is obsolete and faulty, and some of their fuel tanks leak. All the submarines are so deficient-in speed as to be unusable in fleet work. There is a great shortage of mines and a non-existence of modern mines. Admiral Coontz severely criticises the aircraft situation, declaring that the ship catapults are not working well. Some airplanes are unable to lift a torpedo. Moreover the destroyer tenders are deficient in speed and auxiliaries are so sluggish as to limit the fleet’s convoy to a speed of U knots. The radio equipment is not ’Modernised, and the signal searchlights are ineffective. The report concludes that the sole solution lies in the prompt improvement of the defective particulars.