(Discussion continued from No. 75.)
Lieutenant Harry P. Huse. U. S. Navy.—Mr. Baxter, In his essay advocating simplicity in the design of men-of-war, has given form to an opinion long held by our sea-going officers. The “box of tricks” has never met with favor among seamen. But the essayist has left one point untouched which opens up almost as wide a Held as that covered by his essay, and is closely connected with it. I mean the sacrifice of efficiency for the sake of the beautiful. Throughout the service, the ornamental pilot-houses, chart-houses, skylights, and other structures of the kind are made handsome with panelings and polished woods, but they would furnish great quantities of splinters to be scattered among the neighboring guns’ crews. Boiler-iron and cork-paint would be more efficient, but are not used because they would not look as well. The mahogany skylights of the Cincinnati excite the admiration of all visitors, but they add considerably to the weight on the poop and Interfere with the efficiency of two of the most important guns of the ship. A handsome booby hatch on the same ship paneled and made of polished mahogany is entirely unnecessary, but is carefully placed between the two after 6-inch R. F. guns so as to interfere with their loading and training.
The desire to make ships resemble yachts has detracted from their efficiency. And what a mistake it is even in striving after the aesthetic! A man-of-war is never so beautiful as when cleared for action, when all unnecessary fittings are removed, and when every effort has been made to make the ship as bare as possible.
Mr. Baxter is right when he says that the comforts of the officers have been increased while those of the men have been lessened. The truth seems to be that when the comfort of the crew conflicts with the efficiency of the ship the crew have suffered; whereas, in the officers’ quarters everything has been sacrificed to elegance and to their convenience. A man-of-war is primarily a fighting machine. Consistent with its efficiency in a purely military sense, it should be made as comfortable as possible for those who live on board. Aestheticism should never for one moment be allowed to trench upon either of these attributes.