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REVIEW OF BOOKS
ON
SUBJECTS OF PROFESSIONAL INTEREST
“ The Navy as a Fighting Machine.” By Rear Admiral B. A. Fiske, U. S. N., President Naval Institute. $2.00 net. (New York: Glias. Scribner Sons.)
As we look around us in this world we see on every side and in every form of life a constant slruggle for existence. The weeds and the flowers are contending for their share of the light and the air and the moisture of the earth. That which gains the most grows strong and expands and crowds the other out. The trees of the forest strive for the greater height and the greater spread of limb, and in their growth they smother beneath them the weaker ones, when there is not enough nourishment for all. And so it is in every form of animal and insect life. It is this inherent struggle to grow strong and to expand that pervades all life.
It would seem as though when this world was created a law was given which decreed that life should he a battle and in order to grow strong and progress and to expand you must fight, and when you cease to fight you cease to progress and that is the beginning of the end.
Admiral Fiske in his latest book “The Navy as a Fighting Machine” clearly shows hy numerous citations of history how this law applies to the life of nations. He traces their struggle to attain their desires, their tendency to cease struggling when their desires are satisfied and the inevitable decline and extinction which follows. The author points out that,
“ Every great nation has started from a small beginning and risen sometimes gradually, sometimes rapidly to greatness, and then fallen sometimes gradually, sometimes rapidly to mediocrity, dependence, or extinction; that the instrument that has effected the rise has always been military power, usually exerted by armies on the land, sometimes by navies on the sea; and that the instrument which has effected the actual fall has always been tbc military power of an adversary.”
He examines the facts of history as to the cause of the longevity of some nations and the short life of other nations and concludes that,
“ Civilization and the peaceful arts contribute to the longevity of nations- not only by promoting personal comfort and by removing causes of internal strife and thus enabling large bodies of people to dwell happily together bul also by increasing their military power. Every nation which has achieved greatness has cultivated assiduously both the arts of peace and the arts of war. Every nation which has long maintained that greatness has done so by maintaining tbe policy by which she acquired it. Every nation which has attained and then lost greatness has lost it by losing the proper balance between the military and the peaceful arts; never by exalting unduly the military, but always by neglecting them and thereby becoming vulnerable to attack. In other words, the history of every great nation that has declined shows three periods, the rise, the table-land of greatness, ami the decline. During the rise the military arts held sway, on the table-land the arts of war and of peace are fairly balanced, during the decline the peaceful arts held sway.”
The author then makes inquiry as to how long a nation can remain 011 the table-land.
“ As long as she continues to adapt her life wisely to her environments, as long as she continues to be as wise as she was while climbing up; for while climbing up she not only had to exert force, she had also to guide the force with wisdom. So we see that in the ascent a nation has to use both force and wisdom; on the table-land wisdom; in the decline neither.”
I11 the consideration of the struggles and lives of nations it is shown that the trend of people up to the present time in history is that nations have been and are moving in the direction not toward increasing the prevalence of peace but rather toward increasing the arts and areas of wars. Furthermore it is shown that no forces, such as civilization or commerce or Christianity, exist to-day that can change this trend. From these considerations the author reaches the inevitable conclusion that to remain on the table-land of its civilization and national life this country must not neglect the arts of war. He next proceeds to deal with that part of the art of war embodied in “ The Navy as a Fighting Machine.”
On the opening page of the book the inquiries are made.
“ What is a navy for?
"Of what parts should it be composed?
" What principles should be followed in designing, preparing and operating it in order to get the maximum return for the money expended?”
Admiral Fiske deals with these questions on broad lines, pointing oul the general principles involved and reaching his conclusions by that simple style of logic peculiar to the author, so easy to follow, and yet convincing to the expert and to the layman.
General considerations are discussed under the headings of Naval Power, Naval Preparedness, Naval Defense and Naval Policy.
Describing the manner in which navies have been employed in past wars lie finds that, " These wars show us, as do all wars in which navies have engaged, that the function of a navy is not only to defend the coast in the sense of preventing an enemy from landing on it, but also to exert force far distant from the coast. The study of war has taught its students for many centuries that a merely passive defense will finally be broken down, and that the most effective defense is the offensive- defensive.” A striking example of this is given in Nelson’s defense of England which was conducted not on the coast of England but far at sea, wherever the enemy's fleet was found; in the Mediterranean, in the
West Indies, or in the Atlantic Ocean. An effective navy must be able to exert actual physical force on the ocean at any point where a nation s interests arc threatened.
Sea power, used in the ordinary acceptation of this term, is defined as naval power and the importance of this power will increase with the increase of commerce and the expansion of nations.
In naval preparedness “The vital struggle of a war takes place before a shot is fired,” and in naval defense the essential requirement is that it should he adequate.
The author attaches much value to having a naval policy, and to he efficient such a policy must accommodate itself to rapid changes in international situations. The material, the personnel and operation of our navy have suffered through lack of a naval policy. In policy and in policy’s first cousin, strategy, this country is far in the rear. In formulating a policy for this country the suggestion is made to make use of the method of the “Estimate of the Situation” so successfully employed in solving military and naval problems.
Under the head of naval strategy Admiral h'iske discusses general principles of strategy, designing the navy as a machine, preparing the Heet, reserves and shore stations, naval bases, and operating the machine.
The general principles of strategy are learned by the study of war and of the campaigns of great commanders and by tactical games and war games. There is war strategy and preparation strategy, and of these two, preparation strategy is by far the more important. 1 here Is an intimate concern between strategy and policy; strategy is the concern of the military, hut policy is the concern of the government. 1 he work of strategy is to determine the kind of machine required for war, to prepare it for war, and to direct its operations during war. Equally important with the training of the fleet is the training of the general staff, both being parts of the machine, and stress is laid upon the necessity of close cooperation between the Navy Department and the fleet.
In all navies and equally in all armies the qualification that has been most important in personnel has been character, and to insure this all countries have trained a certain number of young men to he officers in the army and navy and developed in them the high character so essential in the line of duty. One cannot pursue a difficult path of duty unless his character is trained and his sense of duty so strong as to resist temptation.
Under the head of reserves and shore stations importance is attached to maintaining them in a state of readiness. “ When war breaks out all routine is abolished and appreciating the value of starting a war by achieving some great success, and of preventing the enemy from doing so, military countries in recent years have advanced more and more their preparation during peace in order that, when war breaks out, they may be prepared either to take the offensive at once or to repel an offensive at once. Therefore the endeavor must be strongly made to have ready always all the ships and all the men that are to be added to the fleet."
The important subject of naval bases is discussed at length and their uses and requirements are carefully analyzed, and of particular interest is the application of these ideas to the situation of bases in the West Indies, Culebra, Samana, Guantanamo.
The last chapter of this book deals with the manner of operating the machine. “ To win battles two things combine, strategy and tactics. The strategy of each side tries to arrange matters so that the forces on its side shall enter each battle with the greatest chance of victory; tactics tries to handle the forces with which it enters a battle in such a way that its side shall gain the victory. Strategy prepares for battles; tactics fights them.”
Reviewing this publication in its entirety Admiral Fiske very ably presents his thoughts and ideas on nearly every important subject pertaining to naval problems. His discussions arc broad and general. He points out principles involved which every officer should keep constantly in mind in considering the higher branches of his professional work.
The general trend of his conclusions is to the effect that in estimating the efficiency of the navy all the different parts should be considered, not separately, but as a whole and that the fleets on the sea, the stations 011 shore, and the Navy Department itself must be cemented into one compact combination as a fighting machine.
With a few changes in the terms employed, practically all the principles enunciated, and practically all the conclusions reached apply obviously to an army as well as to a navy; in fact, to national defense itself. This book deserves careful reading by all officers of both services and by everybody interested in the defense of his country. F. F. F.
"The Graves Papers, and Other Documents Relating to the Naval Operations of the Yorktown Campaign.” Ed. by French Ensor Chadwick, Rear Admiral, U. S. N. (New York; Printed for the Naval History Society by the De Vinne Press, 1916.)
The late Dr Emil Reich, in the course of his lectures at Oxford on the Foundations of Modern Europe, laid great stress on the naval engagement between de Grasse and Graves off the Chesapeake capes in September, 1781. Ibis all-important battle ....,” he declared, “which scaled the fate of Cornwallis, this naval Waterloo of the British, is one of the least noticed military events of modern times. Not one Englishman or American in ten thousand has ever heard the name of the Battle of Cape Henry. The full details of that clinching victory have never been published, and in books on the American War the battle is, as a rule, given
neither its precise name nor placed in its right historical perspective......................
The battle off Cape Henry had ultimate effects infinitely more important
than those of Waterloo.................. De Grasse's action entailed upon the
British the final loss of the thirteen colonies in America.”
In the.vobnnc under consideration “the full details of that clinching victory are at last published, and Dr. Reich's estimate of its importance is amply confirmed. All available documents, from both British and
French sources, are printed in full, with editorial comment by Admiral Chadwick. These are preceded by an introductory essay which reveals fleet conditions in the latter part of the i8th century, reviews the naval campaigns on the American coast during the Revolution, and analyzes in detail the crowning action off Cape Henry. From this discussion it appears that neither de Grasse nor Graves had any conception of the issues of the battle or of the strategy involved. Graves lost because, instead of crushing the French fleet in detail, as he might very well have done; he clung to the antiquated “Fighting Instructions,” which called for a formation parallel to the enemy’s line. And although his subordinate, Hood, realized what ought to have been done—at least, after the event— it is clear that he failed to give his superior proper support during the battle.
Of course, the prime interest of the Introduction lies in the author’s analysis of this obscure but decisive action, but his description of the clumsiness of fleet maneuvers in the i8th century, his comments on Rodney’s so-called “breaking the line” at Ihe Battle of the Saints, and his revelation of the easy-going inefficiency of both French and British naval commanders on our coast, are also most interesting and illuminating. It is refreshing, too, to discover that a historical essay, involving tactical analysis and a profusion of detail, can, nevertheless, be written in language as clear and incisive as is this Introduction. The following brief paragraph, which concludes the story of the Yorktown campaign and points its historical moral, will serve as an example of the author’s simple and direct style:
“ To show the low ebb to which we had fallen, it should be mentioned that Washington marched south with but two thousand Continentals and four thousand French. This fact alone shows the supreme importance of the French fleet. Without it there had been no American independence.”
By clearing up the obscure circumstances of “this naval Waterloo of the British,” Admiral Chadwick has performed an invaluable service. He has collected his evidence in the spirit of exact scholarship and infused if with the light of his professional knowledge. It would seem, therefore, that the judgment he renders on men and events must command acceptance. It is not too much to say that “The Graves Papers” is the most important contribution to American history in recent years. W.O. S.
The Law of Contraband of War.” By H. Reason Pyke, L. L. B. 314 pages. $4.15 net. (Oxford University Press, 1916.)
“ To define and trace the origin and development of the fundamental principles of the law of contraband, and impartially to set forth the rules of which it consists as exemplified in the practice of the chief naval powers”—this is the task which Mr. Pyke sets for himself, and to which he comes equipped with admirable mastery of the materials and clearness of style.
The historical development of the rules here treated is naturally of less present interest than the modifications that have been made in the course of the European War. Completed in November, 1915, the book neces-
Mirily cannot take into account the more recent of these changes, such for example, as the decision of the judicial committee of the privy council in the Zamora Case establishing the precedence of international over municipal law in prize court procedure, and the final abandonment of the Declaration of London by the Allied Powers.
In reality, however, the final action of the Allies in throwing aside the declaration need not be regarded as very significant, since they had ilrcady “pulled most of its teeth” long before. During the first year of the war, the British Government greatly extended the list of absolute contraband; altered the doctrine of continuous voyage so as to make it apply to conditional as well as absolute contraband; so modified the required evidence of enemy destination that goods consigned “ to order " should be liable; and did away with the distinction between armed forces and civil population.
All these measures increasing the control exercised by belligerents over neutral trade Mr. Pyke takes up in detail and is inclined to justify, basing his argument on the general grounds of (a) case of communication through adjacent neutral countries, necessitating the most stringent enforcement of the doctrine of continuous voyage, and (b) the mobilization of practically all the material resources of a nation for purposes of war.
It is sufficiently clear that strict observation of the Declaration of London would have deprived sea power of most of its advantages. To some American writers, indeed such a result has seemed desirable. Prof. Ellery C. Stowcll of Columbia, in an able review of the present volume (N. Y. Nation, May 11, 1916), remarks that “The trend of all civilization .towards specialization seems to warrant the hope that in the future wars may be more and more closely restricted to contests between highly specialized armaments .... without disturbing non-combatants and neutral trade.” Hut, whatever the trend of civilization, the trend of modern warfare has been precisely the other way. Aside from the Utopian nature of Prof. Stowell’s hopes, it seems at least debatable whether the best interests of humanity would be truly served by thus circumscribing naval power, or by any such limitation of the weapons and resources to be used by a nation when it turns to the last arbitrament of war. Those who desire such limitations, at all events, will not find much encouragement in the doctrines laid down in Mr. Pyke’s treatise.
A. F. W.
The Submarine Torpedo-Boat.” By Allen Hoar. J04 pages. $2.00 net. (D. Van Nostrand Co.)
The author states in his preface that the volume is intended to be of interest to the general reader and also of value to the technical man and naval engineer, who, while not specializing in this line, is desirous of reliable information on the subject. The book is a little deep for the non-technical man and he will not find it easy reading, but the reader who has some knowledge of the building and handling of ships will find the submarine treated rather completely, very concisely, and technically in non-
technical language by an engineer wlio knows his subject. The author has evidently had access to much information concerning the submarines in the United States Navy and has used his opportunity well. He treats of the inherent characteristics of the submarine; of the problems involved in its design, construction and operation from the standpoint of both architect and engineer, comparing types, criticizing vessels now in service, and suggesting remedies for the faults he brings out. There arc also chapters on the tactics of submarines, defense against submarines, the torpedo and the mine; good but not up to the standard of the rest of the hook. Much of the ground covered is familiar to the submarine officer, but even he will find old theories restated in an interesting way, and he may read with profit the author’s clear discussion of longitudinal stability and the factors involved in horizontal steering, as well as the remarks on the inherent defects in gasoline and heavy oil engines. The chapter on future developments is refreshingly sane. R. S. E.
“ The Naval Architects', Shipbuilders’ and Marine Engineers’ Pocket book.” By Clement Mackrow, M. T. N. A., and Lloyd Woolard, M. I. N. A. $5.00 net. (Eleventh edition.)
The task of the reviewer is not to criticise hut to judge hooks conscientiously on their merits, it is seldom, however, that a book is reviewed without at least a certain amount of criticism being passed upon it, and this is especially true of a handbook. It is therefore all the more to the credit of “ The Naval Architects’, Shipbuilders' and Marine Engineers’ Pocketbook ” that we can say only pleasant things of it.
The eleventh edition of this well-known manual has been revised with so much care that in spite of the addition of several new sections and many new tables there has been no increase in the size of the book. The principal additions arc the chapters on Speed and Horse-power, and on Aerodynamics and Aeronautics which have been unusually well eftudensed. The information and data furnished concerning small craft and tugs will be particularly welcomed by those who must frequently refer to them but who have not the means of providing themselves with the full details of such a subject, for example, as propeller design, and who will be very glad to find the essentials of the subject in a handbook.
The cuts and illustrations are profuse, the tables up to date, the printing clear and distinct and the quality of paper and binding all that could be desired. The book is especially suited to the needs of British shipbuilders, however, as evidenced by the tables of British standard sections of steel shapes, ballistic tables of guns manufactured by British firms, tide tables, etc., and much other data of peculiar interest to British designers, builders and engineers.
The general arrangement of subject matter has been made with due regard to logical sequence, and one is impressed throughout with the discriminating taste shown in the selection of the subjects and the brief but thorough manner in which each one is treated. The book is essentially a practical one, prepared in the light of a large experience by men who know their profession. R. D. G.
" Military and Naval America.” By Captain Harrison S. Kerrick, C. A. G, U. S. Army. Price. $->.00. (Doubleday. Pace & Co.)
Captain Kerrick devotes about one-half of the 400 pages of his book to the army, one-quarter to the navy, and the other quarter to auxiliary elements of national defense such as the coast guard, boy scouts, militan colleges, etc.
The needs of the army are set forth forcibly. The details of army administration and service activities are clearly explained in 123 chapters of good reading.
The navy is given a secondary place in the book. I here are, however. 15 chapters on naval administration and service activities.
Seekers for information on army matters will, therefore, he particularly pleased with this compendium, including maps, diagrams, illustrations, index and glossary. ( . ( . O.
“ Midshipman Stanford.” By H. H. Clark, U. S. N. Postpaid. $1.35- t Boston : Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co.)
This, the latest hook hy Chaplain Henry H. Clark. U. S. N„ Retired, and dedicated to Rear Admiral Charles J. Badger, U. S. N., "sometime superintendent of the Naval Academy, in remembrance of the happy years of service under his command,” abounds in interest to every American. Particularly will it appeal to all who have lived within the Academy walls. Nowhere else can such a vivid and accurate picture of the midshipman’s life he found. Chaplain Clark writes with an easy and graphic pen, with an authority springing from the observations and experiences of a nineteen years’ residence and as one who knows the Academy as few do.
The hook follows the fortunes of Hollis Stanford, the ambition of whose young life was to secure an appointment to the Naval Academy. Failing in this, hut determined to go to sea, he became a “ deck cadet ” on a ship of the Columbia Line on her passage from New York to Southampton. A terrific, storm indirectly brings to him the opportunity vainly sought, as through the influence of a United States senator whose daughter he rescues, he is given a Presidential appointment. Once in Annapolis he joins the “ army of the anxious,” the numberless candidates who are attending various preparatory schools and who “ have raised the hoarding house business to a city industry.” Then come glimpses of the life of the candidate with its dreads and hopes, the successful candidate carefully repressing his ecstasy because in a plebc it might he attributed to insanity or intoxication, his great regret, however, being that he is unable to obtain, to send home for preservation, the pen with which he signed his oath.
All through the book there runs a serious tone which keeps before the reader the loftiness of the Academy ideals and traditions, and the necessity for unflagging vigilance and hard work which alone can enable the midshipman to measure up to the constant demands which meet him as part of every day’s routine. There are delightful bits about the first plebe dinner formation, the “ midshipmen’s Bible,” the complaint about the scantiness of the furniture as contrasted with Vassar or Bryn Mawr, the plebe’s emotions at his first drill, “ to the multiplied changes of which the new wicked dances would have been child’s play,” which will recall to many a “ former plebe ” memories of his own verdant days. There are, too, glimpses of by-gone times, when “running” and “rates" were the order of the day, and “hazing” proper, the order of the night, with a catalogue of joy-rides and other unpatented Academy inventions.
The account of Stanford’s plebe year, with his introduction to the Christmas tree, “the only one in the world that hangs with hitter fruit,” the Christmas morning fun when the plehc is in the saddle, his first experience with the “ semi-anns ” and Tecumseh’s failure to respond to calls for help, will strike many a sympathetic chord.
For four years the reader follows the joys and sorrows of Stanford's Academy life—seeing him reminded at every turn of the great purpose of the institution, and stimulated and guided to make good in his own character the noble traditions of the place. Even the practice cruises are included, summer by summer—vivid pictures of London and the Henly races at one time; at another of Naples, Pompeii and Rome, or of a summer on the ships of the Atlantic fleet—will show the completeness with which the author has completed the task he set for himself.
Nor is the story of Stanford’s love affair forgotten, and, in spite of all obstacles, a wedding is in sight as the book closes. S. K. E.
" Life at United States Naval Academy.” By Commander Ralph Earle. U. S. Navy, Head of Department of Ordnance and Gunnery, United States Naval Academy. $1.50 net. (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons.)
The hook provides a detailed description of the midshipman’s life.at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, the great institution that educates the youth of this country for the life profession of a naval officer. It is to explain to boys desirous of entering the navy as an officer, to their parents, and to others interested exactly what the Naval Academy and the navy offers as a career, together with the manner in which the education and training of the midshipmen is accomplished.
A brief historical sketch is included in the first chapter that points out how the establishment of this excellent school was gradually forced upon this nation by the ever growing demands of the naval service.
Then follows a recital of the methods of obtaining an appointment from the Navy Department that entitles one to take the entrance examinations that are open alike to young men in all walks of civilian life and to the young enlisted men of the navy and marine corps. The education that the hoy should have before attempting to enter, as well as notes as to the advisability of preliminary coaching are given in much detail.
The maximum number allowed by law, prior to the Act of August, 1916, was 1094, hut in the future it will be 1762. Thus did Congress recognize that our navy required a greater number of trained officers than the Naval Academy had been turning out yearly.
The book then thoroughly follows his procedure ill entering and his first summer’s course, after which it takes the midshipman through the course not by years, but by clear discussions of the various activities that make up his daily life. The recitations, drills, practice cruises, physical training, medical care, athletics, recreations, and the career that the navy affords one after graduation are related in a manner that will make the midshipman’s life easily understood by his parents and friends, and also show the boy intending to enter the Academy just what he may expect there.
The high moral tone, the discipline, the organization, and the methods by which responsibility is implanted and the whole character of the midshipmen molded to service standards by the four years’ progressive training and preparation under the guidance of the seamen who compose the faculty of the Academy, are all recounted in a plain and logical manner. Thus is made clear how the boy is developed into the officer and gentleman demanded by the traditions of a most honorable service and expected by the people of this country. In other words, the book places the very atmosphere of the institution and its ideals before its readers.
Many illustrations are provided in order that the general impression of the life at Annapolis given by the book may be aided by views of various activities as well as of the grounds and buildings in which this life takes place.
The splendidly equipped Naval Academy is a necessary part of any scheme of national defense; the methods and appliances used in modern war upon the sea can no longer be developed by the hard, simple and inefficient process of practical experience in the ships or fleets at sea, but require an education in the best scientific school that man can produce.
Appendices provide the detailed information that might he desired prior to entrance, such as the physical requirements and sample entrance examination questions, together with the courses of study and the textbooks now used at the Academy.
“ Transactions of the North-East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders." Vol. 32, for 1915-16.
The address of the president, Mr. Herbert Rowell, gives a brief but interesting sketch of developments in naval construction during the first year of the war. Among other articles may be mentioned “ Notes on Model Experiments,” by G. S. Baker; “ The Standardization of Stability Curves,” by Wilfrid Ayre, and “ The Business Tart of Science—Its Part in the Coming Economic Crisis," by T. C. Elder.
“The Transactions of the Institution of Naval Architects (England)." Vol. 58, 1916.
Contains articles in the main strictly technical, though some are of more general naval interest. Among the latter may he mentioned : “ A Summary of the Present Position of the Marine Diesel Engine and its Possibilities, by Lieut. Commander W. P. Sillince,*R. N.; “Strength of Watertight Bulkheads,” by J. E. King; and “Notes From a Collision Investigation {Empress of Irelaiid-Storstadl). By John Reid. Nearly one-fourth of the volume is occupied by excellent plates and illustrations.