AMERICAN NAVY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11927, 9 February 1917, Page 4

AMERICAN NAVY.

SOME BS6 WARSHIPS. | FXFTFD STATES DTtF.ADXOrGTrTS. The f,vn coa>i iin-s of rhe Foiled .Stale- form a tivnviidous respons;- ; bility for any authority charged with the probe-m 01' national defence, not j only liy tv:iso!i of their are':'-'-- extent, j I.mu, because of the numerous great j ports which form the ejaieiVaAs <>f the. j country, and as the « niioa Males, has ! bordered upon im formula Mr- enemy by; land, but has faced across the sea tho: menace of .'(. perhaps unrecognised, mi':! certainly formidable danger, its army; has been comparatively -UKi'i. nut, lis navy never l:Miii' onoittd: t>.> : those who won- nor " ntU 1 -pr.-parodnoss ; cranks." It ha> taken the F.uropean | \s;ir to slia'.c iho nation from i> sleep '. land v. ii.h eharaeterivtiealiy violent n- | action it ha-s lauiy * mbarked Mpou the | j-roale-' naval roe! km Vi''Un-,iiii!!i» ■ lever devised for a nauon not •" w ;| ''- i ;U tho work contemplated m this p'"e----j pa mum. has. s.-areejy, if ■„■ ail, : broached, none <./ it- is libely to iinuro, I in iho present, wur if the Tinted States j i* ior-p.l jo take »p the r-be of mdli- | jMjrc-nr.. It iwu .-h-mld imi'i'm. u .is. I \ ery probable !*i a s. for '-one- iimr. fi« : loasr, the av.-vkihie energy "t the oounI try's yapis and ar-ena!.-. v.kl be con- : eontraw-d mv-n exh.iin</ diips emnplotied or boinir completed, to tin- ox- ! du-ion of iv"u unit-, (save the i ivpes and auftilmriosb !■'<"• ike- t>ur~ ! jKOsfs of ii. review, havMie. r«-Xard in i the proven: «ar ir. is :!ir;v!oiv neersj sarv only in <-nnsider 'he ! nbed Mate? j tleet as it n.e.v cxiM ll . I .UlKßlf A'S ITIOFi.F.kdS. I A modem navy is a peculiar cyanic i >uTe Jure. Although m inherits many I tradidons. from tin- days <-f wooden ■ wall.-, and muzzlo-loadins 1,!lS - u " re ~ i uhk not km- of the ..Id and Mf.hlo Mnicuro ot 'he satkut: tk-et-. 1 in- : adoption of *.u>ain. of amionr, and ot ; rifled "Mils brought, mi an •■ra oi rapa. 1 JU „| 'ohan-o, wh-.-lt aileer- : s i7i> rvpe. and ist'i'ato.n-'has been deeply rnodifleU ; Tn !* s .niv >.«-■> '..av s ran a navy develop -- i bv ' foilowiiu: up expenenees. or war. : rifher of its eovn or of another power, i <lt - bv tie- apniieation of tke-rv. Ho,a ! , n ,.tbods nsnady o,nra<o; bnb theory • J-- IS S id t'e- • reatesr nifluf'iue ior M'im>. , ,;,;,,„;:„ im , ,ip t-;:i v^-- I*™^ ;.i,.h hiMori'-al ■ v-n's i-s ;i :l panr,«-v..,r have left endenn- ; noon the tleet, o t -.no worlo. -- ;„• vv of t'-.o rnn-d Syue, ha, i - veloped .M-oir-ly on tl>» .' ,, " n "'"" 1 UhIo: and :bo,e who pro- ! jH.riioiss kv Kuropean ! vll o i<* .i'eiiee-neies in nrins, j i peetallv .u the swiri.-r such ! ,J b,ub--erui<er s and kght orn»-ets, i have'>o hoar m ">'» ( i that tko Auioni „, T ,i u ;..d is oecnnied -v.tin proi r.) IP ~.v:.-.. KnroneannavatVouo.v •. . ;. mak:';rr ttiC--.« tOIV H broa.l i.». rollowino i I niied Male?- i = a>\ Uil v-ith '. W I itrontv-two .Vinrb puns:, i,vr «ith ~„ i.t.in,-!, and twenty-one o-riv-n tin- ! wenty-one oineb p.ns. i I-J. inch and fonrte.-n ;^ l^y;, J ;«,,««= Two with ci-ht l-'-ntc.i and tt vni:\'Vn M-.V-U '-'»»s. The abovo .kip- : are all of the Drvadnou-bt era, ana ho two eicht-jnm ship> desired be^rorneepoeljthe Ainenoan Droadnon-hts bavo bad their smis on tbn am .o ; I)Pir;n rtho .y.Lotn wh.oh er«rv Ojlk. i lt -,vv after exponmr-ntinp wUo nthtr j has "'nee adopters ! Elovo» haftleshipi v.-vth tour j.2-mch. | oi-kt P-inch and twolvo 7-inch or bl ",!, fonr I'J-iiwh nnd ,-ixloen ,-.nH. I'.;' Nino other battlesh.pK, all over itwentv >oar, old R inoo lavmarm ,-d with TJ-uk-Ii or Id-.neh (nW ! tvpe) pt:ns with ntnnerons otnor ;„",, to"8-ineh, hut of comparatively ! small iitihtiitK valne. Fin-ht eoa>l deiVneo monitors, earrv-'ino-'Two or fonr "10-incH or TJ-mr-li

'" 'ji'our large armoured crr.isei*, trith four 10-inoh. MXtoon fi-iudi ;■»<]__ r.hniit thirty smaller guns. Six with lour *- jnol,,' fourteen G-inch. »-.n<l numerous smaller guns. Three Inrec liehilv-nrmonred oraieors, vith fourteen i'.-im- , n end numerous smaller <nni:.. Two others, with gunup to finches, -VH o! those armoured cruisers, are over ten years old _ Twelve protected cruisers, -nth ■> in< .},, ti-inrh or 7-inch puis, all old Three scouts (24 knots), lightly arm ("(.I. About seventy do-trover-, or various tvpo<- iiwludiiiiv a considerable rtunber of fast craft of 7=lo t-o 1100 tons; about twentv torpedo boats.. About forty -Tibmarinos, of which onlv iiir: ■■ nro understood to ho oceancraft. WFIAT AN ANALYSTS WOULD snow. The above aro. tho fighting units of the (loot, hut au analysis would show qhat- many of the pre-Dreadnoug.hjt" battleships' tho cruisers, and probably some of tho torpedo boats and fmbinarinf"-, have soon their best days. Tho licei, is singularly lacking in fast, cruisers, und has no ba'ttbM-ruisors at ail. Tho hattl.e-erui.--er was long an unpopular type in America, and only reached any place in popular or official esteem when tho British and (Jermau of that kind had greatly distinguished themselves. Bui among the later heavy ships, she Tinted States possesses some very lino lighting machines, which are extremely heavily armoured, and. carry a new ;;mi fli-inch') of remarkable power 1 , ait least equal to that of the British 1.'3.0-indi. and perhaps greaterTHE fIITIPS TO COME. The United States has -always had a tendency to pride itself upon having " tho biggest" of everything; and publicly is very proud of its newest .ships, and possibly oven prouder of yhoso to come. It is forecasted that tho,new battle-cruisers designed to bo built under tho now programmes will boat anything which lias yet- shown its teeth in war. Those, ships v. ill ho 871 .feet, long, displace nearly i]o,ooo tons, unci have a speed of thirty-ilvo knots, and they will earn" ton 14-ineh guns of the latent and most powerful type. In tho words of tho " Scientific American," these ships, some of which should, be finished in about three years, tvill " have tho length of tho largest (.rans-Atlantic liners, the .speed of the fastest destroyers, and tho gun-power of a modern battleship. '' * ' "~~ mm