FRANCE.
A New French Cruiser.—Reports from Paris indicate that the Lamotte-Piquel, the nameship of a new class of light cruisers, is either completed or approaching completion. It is nearly 20 years since France launched a vessel of this type, preference having been given to large and expensive armored cruisers, which have proved very wasteful to run, and much too slow to be of value as scouts. The Lomotte-Piquet is a distinctive design, and appears to possess several points of advantage over her foreign contemporaries. She is 453 ft. in length, 45 ¾ ft. in beam, draws 16 ½ ft., and displaces either 4100 or 4500 tons. She is fitted with Parsons turbines, driving four shafts, and has twelve Du Temple-Guyot boilers, of which eight are oil-fired. The turbines are expected to develop 42,000 horsepower, giving a speed of 32 knots. The armament comprises eight 5-inch Q. F. guns of a new model, 55 calibers in length, using an 81-lb. projectile, and so disposed as to give a broadside of six and an end-on fire of four guns, all of which have excellent arcs of fire. Unusually good protection to the gun crews is afforded by 6-inch shields, while four of the weapons are mounted in broadside casemates of the same thickness. The hull for two-thirds of its length is protected by a 2-inch belt, associated with a ¾-inch deck. The Lamotte-Piquet was built at Toulon, and her two sisters at private yards. They are officially styled "conveyeurs d'escadrilles."—The Engineer 13/12.
French Fleet Bound for German Ports.—Announcement was made at the Ministry of Marine to-day that a French naval division, composed of five units, of which the armored cruiser Montcalm is the flagship, is on its way to the Baltic Sea, having received orders to survey the carrying out by the Germans of the clauses of the armistice.
The vessels also will visit German ports where French prisoners are assembled in order to insure their repatriation under the best possible conditions.—N. Y. Times, 23/12.
France to Double Its Merchant Fleet.—According to the Paris Matin, Fernand Bouisson, Under Secretary of State for the.Merchant Marine, has announced that within five years France will have merchant ships with a total capacity of 6,000,000 tons, which is double its pre-war tonnage. It is said that the greater part of the fleet will be composed of new vessels.— Nautical Gazette, 11/30.
French Casualties and Costs.—The French High Commission authorizes publication of the following:
FRENCH LOSSES DURING THE WAR
Up to November 1, 1918:
Dead (killed in action and dead of wounds) 1,028,800
Missing (given up for lost) 299,000
Total (Colonial troops not included) 1,327,000
Colonial troops:
Dead 42,500
Missing 15,000
Grand total of dead and missing 1,385.300
Wounded (about) 3,000.000
[Of which 700.000 crippled and pensioned. To this figure must be added a great number of the 435,000 Frenchmen war prisoners henceforth unlit to work.]
Grand total of French casualties 4.385,300
COST OF WAR TO FRANCE
Expenses—$23,500,000,000 (up to December 31, 1918)
Damages—$13,000,000,000 (approximate figure).
Tensions—$8,000,000,000 (approximate figure).
—U. S. Bulletin, 14/1.
GERMANY
Captain Petsius on German Submarines.—The naval critic, Captain Petsius, recently stated in the Berlin press that in 1917 only 83 submarines were constructed, while 66 were destroyed. He tells us that in April, 1917, Germany had 126 submarines and in October, 146. In February, 1918, she had 136 and in June of this year, 113. He verifies the statement of Admiral Sims that very few submarines operated at one time. In January, 1917, only 12 per cent were active, while 30 per cent were in harbor, 38 per cent under repairs and 20 per cent incapacitated. Submarine crews were insufficiently trained and distrusted the submarine, while experienced seamen looked upon the submarine warfare as a "political stupidity."—Scientific American, 21/12.
Finds 170 U-Boats Being Built.—One hundred and seventy submarines, all under construction, were found when the Interallied Naval Commission visited Germany to make arrangements for the carrying out of the terms of the armistice, according; to newspapers here. These U-boats, it is said, will be turned over to the Allies:—Wash. Evening Star, 4/1.
Allies Will Destroy Partly Built U-Boats.—New Armistice Terms Penalize German Trick—Our Commissioners go to Treves.—The four American armistice representatives left Paris to-day for Treves, where Marshal Foch is presenting the new terms to the German commission. The party consisted of Admiral William Shepherd Benson, Chief of Operations of the United States Navy; Norman H. Davis, representing the United States Treasury; Edward N. Hurley, Chairman of the American Shipping Board, and Louis P Sheldon, who will represent Herbert C. Hoover, the American Food Administrator.
A report presented to the council having charge of the carrying out of the naval items of the armistice stated, according to the morning newspapers, that the Interallied Commission which visited Kiel and Wilhelmshaven discovered submarines under construction in slips, which the enemy thought would be overlooked. The report adds that the Germans contended that they were entitled to regain possession of the underwater craft.
According to the report, the discoveries at Kiel and Wilhelmshaven led to the finding of other vessels, and consequently the new terms of the armistice will require the surrender of all submarines already built and the destruction of those on the ways.
It is also understood that the terms for the extension of the armistice provide for the turning over of the German commercial fleet to transport troops, in exchange for food, for the restitution of material taken from France and Belgium and for full compliance with the terms of the original armistice.
The economic terms approved by yesterday's session of the Supreme War Council require that Germany shall hand over to the Allies all her cargo steamers in German and other ports to enable the Allies to revictual Germany and such adjacent countries as may be decided upon. The terms also require the restitution of all manufacturing machinery, etc., taken from the invaded regions, which it is possible to identify. This was decided upon in the view that it would bring about a quicker revival of economic life than the payment of an equivalent in money.—N. Y. Times, 15/1.
A Remarkable Zeppelin Flight.—From Germany now comes a startling story of the trip of a Zeppelin in November, 1917, which is of considerable interest despite the fact that it is over a year old. It appears that a Zeppelin started from Bulgaria for East Africa with 22 tons of munitions and medicines and a crew of 22. It had arrived over Khartoum, in the Sudan, when it was ordered by wireless to return because it was learned that the hulk of the forces of General von I.ettow Vorbeck, the German commander in East Africa, had surrendered. It returned to its starting point four days after it had left. The Germans claim that this airship could have made a round trip between Berlin and New York, without stopping. It is also learned that the Zeppelin factory at Friedrichshafen is building an airship for transatlantic traffic, capable of carrying 100 passengers. It has nine engines and eight propellers. If the international situation clears up by next summer, the first flight will probably be made in July. The flight is expected to be made in 40 hours.—Scientific American, 28/12.
To Get Battleship "Baden."—Allies Will Receive New German Craft at British Port.—Germany's newest battleship, the Baden, will be surrendered at a British port within a few days, in accordance with the terms of the armistice, according to announcement here.
The Baden has a displacement of 28,000 tons. Owing to the fact that this ship was completed after the war began, little is known as to its armament. It has been reported that ships of this class had been armed with 16.5- or 17-inch guns, but information on this point has been meager and unreliable.—N.Y. Times, 4/1.
Why They Gave Up the "U-9."—German Crew Cared More for $125 Bonus Than for "Glorious Record."—Although Admiral Beatty, Commander of the British Grand Fleet, refrained from requiring the delivery of the German submarine U-9, with which Commander Weddigen torpedoed and sank three British cruisers, out of consideration for the " glorious record" of his boat, says the Cologne Volkszeitung, the submarine was delivered to the British because the German crew was unwilling to forego the opportunity of earning the 500 marks promised to each for taking the boat to England.—N.Y. Times, 23/12.
Insist on Payment for U-Boat Ravages.—In the absence of a definite policy from the Allies concerning the manner in which Germany shall make compensation for the dependents of submarine victims among seamen, the Executive Committee of the International Federation of Seafarers has evolved a plan by which the officials hope to force the Peace Conference to act. The committee has called an international conference in London, on February 24, at which the British delegates will present a resolution providing that the seamen will not man any ships going or coming from an enemy country until the proper compensation is agreed upon.—N. Y. Times 16/1.
Casualties in the War.—An exchange telegraph dispatch from Copenhagen states that Austria-Hungary suffered a total of over 4,000,000 casualties in killed and wounded, the total number killed being 800,000 men and 17,000 officers. The Socialist Vorwarls of Berlin places the total German losses at 6,330,000, of which about 1,600,000 were killed and the fate of 260,000 is unknown. The total number of prisoners is put down as 490,000.— Scientific American, 21/12.
GREAT BRITAIN
British Warships Commissioned Since 1914.—Of the ships, Benbow and Emperor of India belong to the Iron Duke class. The Agincourt had originally been laid down at Elswick for Brazil, but before completion was sold to Turkey for £2,725,000. In July, 1914, she was completing her trials at Devonport, where she was taken over for the British Navy, and named the Agincourt. The peculiarity of this ship is her powerful armament, consisting of fourteen 12-inch guns, all of which are disposed in double turrets on the center line of the ship; and twenty 6-inch Q. F., in addition to many smaller guns. The Erin was originally laid down for Turkey as the Rechadieh, but was appropriated by the British Admiralty early in August, 1914. In general design and armament she closely resembles the Iron Duke class. The Canada was laid down for the Chilean Government, purchased in 1914 for the British Navy, and commissioned in the following year. Her main battery of ten 14-inch guns introduced a new caliber into the British service, though since then certain vessels of the Monitor class have been armed with the guns of this size.
The main features of the Queen Elizabeth class are too well known to need repetition, but it may be said that the vessels have been uniformly successful in service, and, by common consent, are among the very finest battleships now afloat. The five Royal Sovereigns are slightly smaller and considerably slower editions of this class, but in all other respects, including armament and protection, they are identical with the Queen Elizabeth. Their main dimensions are: Length, 624 ¼ ft.; beam, 88 ½ ft.; draught, 27 ft; displacement, 25,750 tons. They have Parsons turbines and Babcock or Yarrow boilers, which, at first designed for coal, were afterwards altered for liquid fuel.
Information relative to battle cruisers added to the fleet since the beginning of the war is less definite. Only one vessel of this type, viz., the Tiger, was in hand in August, 1914, and she was commissioned two or three months later. When laid down at Clydebank in June, 1912, she was intended to be sister to the Lion, but before the launch important modifications were made in the plans, which delayed her completion. The principal details are: Length, 675 ft.; beam, 90 ft.; draught, 30 ft.; displacement, 28,500 tons— full load about 32,000 tons. She has turbines of the Brown-Curtis system designed for 87,500 horsepower, equivalent to 28 knots. She carries the same main armament as the Lion, but mounts a more powerful auxiliary battery, viz., twelve 6-inch guns.
In August, 1914, sixteen light cruisers of the Arethusa and Calliope classes were completing or building, and four others had been authorized. Generally speaking, these twenty ships were of uniform type, and had the following characteristics: Displacement, 3500 to 3750 tons; speed, 30 knots— Parsons or Brown-Curtis turbines, Yarrow boilers, oil-fired—armed with two or three 6-inch Q. F., several 4-inch Q. F., and four deck torpedo tubes. There was a thin armor belt in conjunction with protective decks. A slightly larger and faster class includes the Caledon, Calypso, Curasao, Cardiff, Coventry, etc., launched 1916-17, displacing 4000 tons, with a speed of 32-33 knots, and armed with six 6-inch Q. F. The Brisbane and Adelaide were built in Australia, the former being completed two years ago, while the latter was launched this year. They belong to the Town class, displace 5600 tons, and have a speed of 25 knots, the armament consisting of eight or nine 6-inch Q. F. Chester and Birkenhead were originally laid down in England for the Greek Government as the Condouriotis and Lambros Katsonis, but were purchased by Great Britain at the opening of hostilities. They are of 5500 tons, with a speed of 25.5 knots, and are armed with eight 5.5-inch Q. F. Although the foregoing list is probably incomplete, it is enough to show that since 1914 the British Navy has been very powerfully reinforced by light cruisers.
A special type of vessel was designed early in the war for mine-sweeping, anti-submarine work, and general patrol duties, known officially as the Acacia class and popularly as the Herbaceous class. Considerably more than 100 representatives of this type have been built, the principal details being: Length, 262 ft.; displacement, 1800 tons; speed, 16 to 18 knots, armed with one or two 6-inch Q. F and smaller guns; depth charges, etc.
A considerable number of new gunboats has been added to the navy, among them being five vessels of the Soldier class, 1500 tons and 16 knots speed, built in Japan for service in the Far East. Another group, known as the Insect class, was built by Messrs. Yarrow especially for service in Mesopotamia, the main details being: Length, 230 ft.; beam. 36 ft.; displacement circa 1000 tons; armament, two 6-inch and smaller Q. F. Twelve smaller gunboats, known as the Fly class, were also built in England, shipped in sections to Abadan, Mesopotamia, and there assembled and armed for service on the Tigris and Euphrates. Dimensions: Length, 120 ft.; beam, 19.7 ft.; draft, 2.6 ft.; armed with one 4-inch., also 6-pounder Q. F. and machine guns.
Of the 200 or more destroyers which have been completed since the outbreak of war full particulars are not yet available, but they are understood to be similar in many respects to the L and M classes completed between 1913-1915. Displacements range from 965 to 1000 tons, speed nominal, from 30 to 35 knots, and the armament comprises three or four 4-inch Q. F., one 3-inch anti-aircraft gun, and four 21-inch torpedo tubes. In all the later boats broadside fire has been increased by adopting the center-line position for all guns.
A larger class of destroyers, known as flotilla leaders, completed during the war, comprised at least 13 boats. They are understood to displace about 1200 tons, with a designed speed of 32 knots, and to be armed with four 4-inch Q. F., one 3-inch A.-A. gun, and four torpedo tubes.
We would emphasize the fact that the vessels enumerated in the foregoing do not by any means include all the new construction undertaken for the British Navy since the outbreak of war, and that the particulars may need correction, but the information given is sufficient to convey some idea of the huge scale of naval construction in this country, during the past four years.—The Engineer, 29/11.
Note: No information regarding battle cruisers, submarines or monitors, etc.
Destroyers, as is well known, have played a leading part in the defeat of Germany at sea. Not merely did they get home again and again on the German Fleet as it fled from the Jutland battle, but the destroyers have been the terror of the U-boat. For obvious reasons it has not been possible to publish until now any details of the more recent of our additions to these craft, but the declaration of the armistice has relaxed the restrictions in vogue, and we are thus enabled to give an illustration and some particulars of the destroyer Mounsey, the boat which, under the command of Lieutenant Craven, saved, under circumstances of very great difficulty, no less than 696 lives when the Otranto was torpedoed on October 6 last. The sea at the time was exceedingly rough, and it would have been fatal to have brought a lightly constructed vessel like the Mounsey alongside of the cruiser. The saving of life was therefore effected by maintaining the Mounsey under way, so that she passed the Otranto within a few feet, allowing the people to jump from one ship to the other. The maneuver had to be repeated many times, and was, under the circumstances, a very original and successful method of rescuing those endangered without great risk to the destroyer herself.
The Mounsey was built by Messrs. A. F. Yarrow and Co., Ltd., at their Scotstoun works, and on her measured mile trials attained a speed of over 39 knots. This trial was run with the boat fully armed and equipped, and with sufficient fuel on board for a run of 1000 miles at an economical speed. Further particulars are given below:
Length between perpendiculars 260 ft. 3 in.
Length overall 271 ft. 6 in.
Beam 25 ft. 7 ½ in.
Depth, midships 16 ft. 3 in.
Total heating surface 22,017 sq. ft.
Four hours' trial—
Draft forward, 8 ft. 1 ½ in.; draft aft, 8 ft.
2 ¾ in = 835.3 tons at yard.
Speed, 4 hours 38.605 knots.
Speed on measured mile 39.018 knots.
Revolutions per min., 4 hour trial 685.6.
Revolutions per minute on measured mile trial 693.02.
Oil consumed in 4 hours 57-33 tons.
Load on trial 158 tons.
Oil fuel capacity 228 tons.
Radius of action at full speed 615 miles
Armament—
Three 4-inch quick firers; two 2-pounders; two twin 21-inch torpedo tubes.
Complement—79.
British Submarines Destroy Many Enemy Craft.—Details can now be given of the part which British submarines played during the war. This service destroyed the following enemy warships:
Two battleships, two armored cruisers, two light cruisers, seven destroyers, five gunboats, twenty submarines and five armed auxiliary vessels.
Three battleships and one light cruiser were torpedoed but reached port badly damaged.
Other enemy craft destroyed were:
One Zeppelin, fourteen transports, two ammunition and supply ships, two more ships, fifty-three steamships and 197 sailing ships.
In no case was a merchant ship sunk at sight. Care was taken to see the crews of all vessels got away safely.
In addition to carrying out their attacks on enemy war craft, the submarine commanders carried out 24 cruises, totaling 22,000 miles, which probably constitutes a record for any submarine.—Naval Monthly, 18/12.
North Sea Blockade.—The First Lord of the Admiralty (Sir Eric Geddes), speaking at the "Sea Power Exhibition" on December 4, said it was the blockade which crushed the life out of the Central Empires. Largely that blockade was carried out by the Tenth Cruiser Squadron with its flagship the Alsatian, which from 1914 to 1917 held the 800 miles of grey seas from the Orkneys to Icelands, and which had intercepted 15,000 ships conveying succor to the enemy. That service had been performed in Arctic conditions of storm, blizzard, and ice, and yet, in spite of almost impossible conditions, only four per cent of the vessels were missed.—Army and Navy Gazette, 14/12.
British Ships Sunk During the War.—Sir Eric Geddes states that during the war 2475 British ships were sunk with their crews beneath them, and 3147 vessels were sunk and their crews left adrift. The personnel of the merchant marine service was heavily hit, the total number of casualties exceeding 15.000 men. The U-boats carried on continuous warfare against the fishing fleets; the total number of fishing vessels sunk being 670.—Scientific American, 21/12.
Canada’s Shipbuilding in War Period.—Some 360 ships were constructed in Canada for Canadian registry during the period of the war to the end of November. Of the number, 199 were sailing vessels, aggregating 44.I3S gross tons, and 160 were steamships, totaling 69,612 tons. In addition, 22 ships were built through the Imperial Munitions Board for the British Government. Of the number, there were 15 each of 1400 net tons and 7 each of 2600 net tons.
Contracts for 42 steel steam vessels, with an aggregate capacity of 255,250 tons, have been placed under the Dominion Government's shipbuilding program; of these, two have been launched at Montreal.
The total capacity of Canadian shipyards is 460,000 tons a year.—Nautical Gazette, 14/1.
Losses from Collisions During the War.—It is hoped, says London Fairplay, that the serious losses from collision which have been such a feature for the last two years will be sensibly lessened with the cessation of the convoy system. There is still, however, the difficulty due to the "dazzle" system of painting vessels, for, although this system handicapped a submarine commander in judging the position and direction of a vessel, it would handicap the master of an approaching vessel in a similar fashion. The number of vessels sunk by collision in November was eight, and the total number sunk for the eleven months this year is 90. The totals for the three previous years are as follows:
1915, 25 vessels.
1916, 33 vessels.
1917, 66 vessels.
It will be seen, therefore, that under ordinary conditions the total losses for 1918 are likely to reach a figure which is 50 per cent more than in 1917 and 300 per cent more than in 1916.
The Royal Air Force.—For the first time during the war, it is possible to disclose official details of the remarkable fighting aircraft which enabled the Royal Air Force to play so notable and conclusive a part in the aerial defeat of Germany and her Allies. It is well known that during the final stages of the war Great Britain has been turning out large numbers of the fastest and most powerfully armed aircraft in the world. Indeed, the collapse of Germany in the air, which was so noticeable a feature of the last phase of the operations, was largely due to the fact that, not only was she confronted with an air force immensely superior to her own in all those personal qualities which constitute fighting morale, but that she was at last definitely outclassed in the speed, climb and fighting efficiency of the super-aircraft which British inventive genius brought into the field. Roughly, the machines employed by the Royal Air Force upon the fighting fronts may be divided into three groups: (1) Reconnaissance Machines: Used for contact patrol work over the lines, the direction of artillery fire, photography, and general strategical reconnaissance. (2) Heavy Bombers: Capable of travelling long distances without escort, and carrying heavy loads of bombs in addition to defensive armaments. (3) Fast Fighting Scouts: Possessing exceptional climbing powers, heavily armed, and capable of maneuvering at a very high rate of speed.
The earliest type of British reconnaissance machine was the now famous B. E.-2 C, designed and produced by the Royal Aircraft Factory at Farnborough. The design was completed just prior to the outbreak of war, a fact which facilitated immediate production for the use of the Expeditionary Force. As far as possible, speed, climb and maneuvering ability were combined, although compared with modern types it was a relatively slow machine, making only 50 miles to 60 miles an hour with the 80 h. p. engine with which it was originally fitted. This was followed by the Armstrong-Whitworth F K.-8, fitted with 160 h. p. Beardmore engines which made an average speed of 82 miles an hour and could climb to 10,000 feet in about 27 minutes. Towards the end of 1916, an immense forward stride was taken by the production at the Royal Aircraft Factory of the R. E.-8 with a 12 cylinder R. A. F. engine. This machine has done the bulk of the artillery observation work in France, directing all big-gun fire and barrage work. At 10,000 feet it has a speed of 92 miles an hour, and can climb to that height in 11 minutes. It is fitted with camera and wireless equipment, and takes photographs of every "shoot." An even bigger advance was marked by the introduction of the Bristol Fighter, a long distance fighting reconnaissance machine, capable of travelling at 113 miles an hour at 10,000 feet, and climbing to that height in 11 minutes. Had the war continued, the Bristol Fighter would have entirely replaced the R. E.-8 for long distance artillery work.
Aerial bombing was first undertaken in France by the Avro, a machine of moderate speed fitted with an 80 h. p. Gnome engine. The observer's seat was used as a receptacle for the bombs, which were merely thrown overboard without the aid of the scientific bombing sights and elaborate bomb-dropping gear which have since contributed so largely to the wonderfully accurate shooting made during the raids upon Germany. The first British machine specially constructed for bombing purposes was the Short, a modified seaplane, fitted with a 250 h. p. engine, and carrying four 112-lb. bombs under each wing. This type, which did most useful work in France, was followed by the Sopwith 1 ½ Strutter, and later by the highly-improved D. H.-4 and D. H.-0 machines. The D. H.-4 machine was originally designed as a fighter, but its trials disclosed such excellent lifting powers that it was converted to bombing purposes. It is capable of climbing to 10,000 feet in nine minutes, and has an endurance of three and three-fourths hours. The D. H.-4 and D. H.-8 machines have been fitted with Rolls-Royce, B. H. P., and latterly the Liberty engines.
Finally, the great Handley-Page machines were devised for the bombing of Germany. The first quantity production was begun in August, 1917, and the performance of the machine has justified the highest expectations. It is capable of carrying 2000 lb. weight of bombs in the fuselage, or 1500 lb. to suspend externally. The machines used by the Royal Aircraft Independent Force, in the bombing of Germany have been the Handley Page, D. H.-4, D. H.-9, and Sopwith Camel. Not until the middle of 1915 were production machines armed with standard equipment. Two of the earliest types were the F. E.-2 B. and the Vickers' Fighter. Both had an open cockpit, and were equipped with Lewis or Vickers' machine guns. The year 1916 witnessed the introduction of the fixed machine gun firing through the propeller and fitted with the ingenious Constantinesco interrupter gear. Other types followed, rapidly leading up to the S.E.5a, and lastly the Sopwith Dolphin, the best and latest British fighting scout in the field. Both these types were in use at the termination of hostilities. Some idea of the power of these modern aircraft can be gained from the fact that the Dolphin travels at 128 miles an hour at 10,000 feet, and climbs to that height in 8 ¼ minutes. It lands at upwards of 55 miles an hour.
British Airships.—In 1909, the Admiralty decided to experiment with rigid airships, the outcome of this decision being Naval Airship No. I, which showed by its failure to rise that it was not a simple matter to construct these vessels, and when lightened by alteration of construction, it broke in two in ion. It was given out the following year that the prospects of using this type of airship were not sufficient to justify the great cost. The nation that was to he our main enemy in the greatest war of all time thought otherwise, and backed their opinion, continuing to construct and improve on the Zeppelin model, with the result that on many occasions, and notably in their dire need at the battle of Jutland Bank, they reaped the reward of their consistent policy of enterprise and at relatively infinitesimal cost. At the outbreak of hostilities Great Britain had only seven airships, all of the non-rigid type, four of which had been taken over by the Admiralty on December 31, 1913, and of the remaining three, No. 2 was the model on which all the S. S. (submarine scout) class of vessel have since been based; No. 3 was an Astra-Torres of trefoil section with internal rigging, and No. 4 was a Parseval bought from Germany. It was the irony of fate that this particular vessel should have been used to patrol the Channel on the night of August 5 and 6, 1914, following up the declaration of war with that country.
Since then, four types of non-rigid airships have been constructed for naval account in Great Britain—Parseval, Submarine Scout, Coastal, and North Sea. The second of these is rigged externally to Eta patches on the envelopes, these patches deriving their name from one of the four army airships alluded to above, on which they were first used. The two last-named are constructed on the Astra system. The year 1915 saw the first building of small S. S. airships, and they repaid their cost many times over; the original model consisted of an aeroplane body with super-imposed more or less stream-lined envelope; this was followed by S S. Zero, a vessel of 70,000 cubic feet capacity, with a blunt-nosed envelope 145 feet in length, and a main diameter of 29 feet. The longest flight of one of these vessels was just under 51 hours. In 1917 the S. S. Twin made its appearance, its length is 164 ½ feet, main diameter about 32 feet, cubic capacity 100,000 feet, the car carries a crew of three, and this class of airship has been found so eminently satisfactory that no more of the previous S. S. models will be built. The motive power is supplied by twin engines, two 75 h. p. Hawks. The Coastal type has a capacity of 200.000 cubic feet, and the car will hold five men. Airships of this type did most of the long distance patrols during the last two years, and were largely employed in convoying ships from beyond the Scilly Isles up the Channel. An improved model of this class known as Coastal Star was brought out in January, 1918; it is somewhat larger, and the envelope better stream-lined. The motive power is provided by a no b. p. Berliut forward, and a 260 h. p. Fiat aft. The North Sea type was designed to act as a scout with the fleet, or to carry out patrols of 20 hours. Its envelope has a cubic capacity of 360,000 feet, and the normal crew is 10 men, but the car will carry 20. Since the signing of the armistice, one of these vessels has made a record voyage for a non-rigid airship of 61 hours 21 minutes, and is understood to have been surpassed cm two occasions only by Zeppelins. This class are 262 feet in length, main diameter 55 feet, and they are fitted with two 275 h. p. Eagle or two 260 h. p. Fiat engines. Since ion no rigid airship Was built in Great Britain till 1016; by January 1, 1918, four of these vessels were in commission. The largest of the four has a capacity of 1,500,000 cubic feet, but larger vessels are under construction. As the rigid vessel has proved its great value for long distance naval reconnaissances, and as the best scout with a fleet, we may expect to see serious attention paid to the development of the type.—Army and Nervy Gazette, 14/12.
Aerial Coastguard.—Methods and Machines.—There were two kinds of anti-submarine patrol, intensive and extensive. The intensive kind was concerned with spotting and escorting in the war channel. This was an area extending from the coast line to a line marked in some parts with numbered buoys about ten miles out. All convoys kept within this line. For inshore work from three to five miles the D. H.-6 machine was used. The old D. H.-6, familiarly known as the Clutching Hand and as a School Bus, was capable of about one and one-half hour's patrol on the average. It was altered in design for this work and turned also into a single-seater, the patrols being usually done in pairs. Further out again went the seaplanes and the D. H.-9, often beyond the 30 mile line. The D. H.-0 had the advantage of greater speed than any other anti-submarine patrol craft, and was, therefore, particularly useful in heavy weather or in a sudden emergency demanding swift action. Beyond this again went flying boats and airships. The war channel was thus patrolled by every form of aircraft, though many went further to sea than the safety line for shipping. German submarines were nearly always sighted within the war channel area. They knew, of course, of its existence, and came there for their prey.
U-Boat Movements and Methods.—All aircraft on these Royal Aircraft Force patrols were under the direction of the senior naval officer of the group to which the squadrons were attached. In this way the machines were used in conjunction with the surface craft and the hydrophone stations, and there was, in fact, splendid and wonderfully effective collaboration between the forces of the sea and the forces of the air. The study of the movements and methods of enemy submarines had become such an exact science that it was often possible to tell in advance when and where to expect the next attack. How true this is may be gauged by the fact that there were scarcely any successful attacks on shipping (attacks after which the submarine escaped) during flying hour. This year the Germans initiated an air offensive against our anti-submarine patrol. It took the form of very fast monoplanes, heavily armed. Consequently we retaliated by escorting our flying boats and other craft with a purely fighting machine, such as the Sopwith Camel.
The following figures give a slight idea of the work of the Royal Aircraft Force anti-submarine patrol. They refer only to the half-year since the Royal Aircraft Force became a, separate force—from April 1 to October 31 last:
Total number of hours flown 39,102
Hostile submarines sighted 216
Hostile submarines attacked 189
Hostile aircraft attacked 351
Hostile aircraft destroyed 184
Hostile aircraft damaged 151
Hostile mines spotted 69
Hostile mines destroyed by aircraft 32
Total number of bombs dropped 15,313
(This is equal to 6611/2 tons)
Total convoy flights 3441
Total photographs taken 3,440
This brief record of the Royal Aircraft Force coast patrol in home waters does not touch upon the vast air patrol organization in the Mediterranean, and it includes a final period during which German submarine work had greatly decreased.—London Times. 16/12.
UNITED STATES
There are 229 destroyers, 77 submarines, 31 mine sweepers, 19 seagoing tugs, 40 harbor tugs and 52 Ford boats (Eagle class) in various stages of completion.
Naval Strength in 1920.—Rear Admiral Taylor, Chief of Naval Construction, told the House Naval Affairs Committee that when the 1916 program of construction and the program laid down during the war have been completed, the navy will have over twice the number of ships it had before the outbreak of the war, this being exclusive of 350 wooden submarine chasers, which the navy expects to sell or put out of commission. Destroyers represent the backbone of the increase. Of these we have 100 in commission, and 240 more will be added in the next 18 months. By July, 1920, the total number of vessels will be over seven hundred.—Scientific American, 21/12.
The American Destroyer.—By far the most important part of our wartime program was that which called for the immediate construction of a large fleet of destroyers.
The majority of these, in fact, all of the vessels built since the war commenced and now under contract, are of the new 1200-ton type. The water line length is about 320 feet, the beam about 32 feet, with a draft of between 10 and 11 feet, according to load. As compared with our earlier 750-ton destroyers of the Nicholson class, this represents an increase of about 400 tons displacement, and the speed has been raised from about 30 to 35 knots. They are driven by turbines through mechanical reduction gear, and we understand that in service these boats have easily made 35 knots speed or more and that the motive power has proved to be thoroughly reliable.
The most notable feature in a first view of these vessels is the disappearance of the separate fo'c'sle deck with a break aft of the bridge to the level of the main deck, and the substitution of a flush deck from stem to stern. There is the same high freeboard forward as in the early destroyers—in fact, the freeboard is considerably greater, and of course the average freeboard of these vessels is several feet in excess of that of the old type. There is also, due to this construction, a considerable increase in strength, since the girder depth of these boats, and consequently their ability to resist bending stresses, is greatly increased for similar weights of material. The experience had with them in the stormy waters of the eastern Atlantic has shown that they are very strong and exceedingly able craft.
The armament consists of four long 4-inch rifles, one on the fo'c'sle deck, one aft, and two carried on a raised structure somewhat forward of amidships. In the early boats these two guns were carried on the beam at the break of the fore deck, and the lifting of them from the main deck to the level of the fo'c'sle deck, that is, through a height of seven to eight feet, gets them out of the way of broken water and gives them a much better command at all times.
The armament of a destroyer to-day is vastly different from that of prewar times, for, in addition to guns and torpedoes, it includes the terribly destructive depth bomb. These are carried on sloping run-ways at the stern. When an attack is made they are released, one by one, and fuses are set so that the detonation shall take place as near to the estimated position of the U-boat as possible.—Scientific American, 28/12.
Policy
Navy Stations Abroad to Be Kept up a Year.—American naval stations will be maintained for at least a year at Brest, Gibraltar, and in the Azores to render aid to American merchant ships. The consent of France, England, and Portugal has already been obtained. The aero and radio stations at these points will be in readiness to respond to calls for aid by American shipping in distress, and facilities will be afforded for needed repairs and supplies.
The other naval establishments in Europe have been ordered abandoned as rapidly as possible, and progress in this direction has already been considerable. The United States Navy had 27 aero stations along the European coast, the material of which, except at Brest, Gibraltar, and the Azores, is being shipped home. Naval transports, relieved of carrying munitions, will hereafter convey food supplies.—N.Y. Times, 19/12.
To Have Fewer Changes of U.S. Fleet Officers.—Secretary Daniels is planning a reorganization of naval practice to stop the frequent changes of officers aboard the ships of the fleet, which have been the rule during the war. Commanders of the big ships have objected to having their ships companies constantly broken up. The Secretary said to-day that immediately after the naval review in New York harbor next week he expected to have conferences on the subject with Admiral Mayo, commanding the Atlantic fleet, and Rear Admiral Blue, the new chief of the Bureau of Navigation.— Wash. Evening Star, 22/12.
Navy to Comprise Two Cheat Fleets.—One for Pacific and Other for Atlantic Coast to War in Summer Maneuvers.—To keep the navy "fit and on its toes," two great fleets, one based on the Pacific Coast and the other on the Atlantic Coast, will be established by next summer with war games and joint maneuvers as a part of a regular program of training.
Secretary Daniels, in explaining his plans to the House Naval Committee to-day, said that after every war there was a tendency for the navy to retrograde, and that the fleet division had been determined upon to prevent any slump. The plan, he said, had received the "enthusiastic endorsement" of Admiral William S. Benson, Chief of Operations, now in Europe with the peace delegation.
"An admiral who can stay long enough to stir up ambition" will be placed in command of each fleet, Mr. Daniels said, and all officers will be kept on their ships for two years. In effect, the Secretary added, there will be a war between the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, "which will so stimulate keenness that it will make the men feel they are in actual war."
Mr. Daniels did not indicate to the committee how many ships would be in each fleet. It is assumed, however, that there will be an equal distribution of the capital ships, most of which heretofore have been kept on the Atlantic Coast. During joint maneuvers the combined fleet will visit each coast, so as to give the people on the Atlantic and Pacific seaboards an opportunity to see the full naval force.
Mr. Daniels also told the committee that during peace times the submarine bases at San Diego, Cal., Key West, Fla., and New London, Conn., and the air defence stations at San Diego and Pensacola, Fla., will be retained.
The principal training stations for seamen in the east will be in Chicago, Hampton Roads, and Newport, R. I.—N.Y. Times, 1/1.
Materiel
Bureau of Yards and Docks Has Busy Year.—The annual report of the Bureau of Yards and Docks shows that for the fiscal year 1918, there was an expenditure in this department of $193,164,458. Three dry-docks, at Norfolk, Pearl Harbor and Charleston, have been under construction, shipbuilding facilities were installed or improved at New York, Philadelphia, Norfolk, Charleston, Mare Island and Puget Sound.
Camps were erected for 168,875 men at a cost of $45,437,000. A naval aircraft factory was contracted for, and emergency hospitals were erected in many places. Six hundred and eighty-two contracts were executed during the year, while seven hundred and thirty-five were let, involving $84,700,000.—Naval Monthly, January.
Personnel
For Year’s Naval Force of 225,000.—House Committee Fixes Number Effective From July 1. No Permanent Provision.—A temporary naval force of 225,000 enlisted men for the year beginning next July was decided on to-day by the House Naval Subcommittee, in beginning the work of framing the naval appropriation bill. This force is 25,000 less than was recommended by Secretary Daniels.
No provision will be made in the bill, the committee decided, for increasing the permanent strength of the navy, now fixed at 142,000 men. This decision was in accord with Secretary Daniels' recommendations that permanent increase should await a study of ship complements that is to be made during the summer by the naval officials.
Indicates Retrenchment.—However, the committee's action in adopting a plan calling for fewer men than recommended by the Secretary was regarded as indicating that the committee plans reduction of department estimates for the year. Committee members pointed out that appropriations depend more or less on the personnel.
The permanent force of the navy, it is expected by the committee, will rate the strictly naval craft, with 20,000 men of the temporary force being used for the army transport service and the remainder for manning shipping board vessels.
In deciding on the personnel force, committee members regarded a complement of 1000 men, exclusive of officers, as sufficient for the dreadnoughts and battle cruisers for peace time, this being a reduction from the basis of 1200 to 1400 men. The committee also discussed placing in service a part of the destroyers and no-foot submarine chasers, now in the navy, as also some of the Eagle patrol boats that are being built.—Washington Evening Star, 10/1.
Operations
Seek Teuton Ships to Bring Our Troops.—America and Britain to Give Food to Austria and Germany in Return.—American and British representatives will hold a conference with German Admiralty authorities at Treves, Wednesday, to acquire possession of German and Austrian passenger ships for the transportation of troops. The United States will be represented by E. N. Hurley, Chairman of the Shipping Board, and Admiral W. S. Benson. Admiral Brown, will represent Great Britain.
It is proposed that America give Austria and Germany food in return for the ships. It is planned that the British will get smaller ships for the return of troops to Australia and Canada, while America will have the big boats, which will include virtually all the Hamburg-American liners, including the Imperator. This division is suggested because the bigger liners are too large for Australian or Canadian harbors.
If this arrangement becomes effective, it will increase the flow of troops to America about 70,000 per month. This will make a total capacity of shipping approximately 170,000 men each month.—N. Y. Times, 14/1.
Merchant Marine
World’s New Vessel Construction.—U. S. Building More Ships Than all Other Countries Combined.—Merchant vessels under construction throughout the world at the end of September aggregated 6,371,388 gross tons. This includes 1966 steam vessels of 6,258,194 tons and 178 sailing vessels of 113,194 tons. The figures are furnished by Lloyd's Register of Shipping for the quarter ended September 30.—Nautical Gazette, 4/1.
American Ships Go Back to Owners.—Government Will Retain Only Those Now Engaged in Army Service.—All American ships which have been requisitioned by the government during the war have been released to their owners, with the exception of those engaged in army service, it was announced yesterday by the United States Shipping Board. In the place of those retained for service and which are fitted for the transportation of troops, the owners will receive an equal tonnage of government built and owned vessels. A. E. Clegg, Assistant Director of Operations, said that all the ships referred to now in American ports would be turned over to their owners at once; those on voyages would be released on their return to the United States.
In addition to the return of requisitioned ships to their owners and replacement of vessels in government service, 34 ships of 275,194 deadweight tons, owned by the Shipping Board were to-day allotted to various lines by the board. A report snowed that on January 9 there were under requisition 248 American ships, of a total of 1,219,283 gross tons. Of these possibly 7s are in the service of the War Department as troop and supply ships.
The total number of ships owned by the board is 636, of 2,348,250 gross tons, of which 534, of 1,994,913 tons, are new vessels; 59, of 257,962 tons, are former German ships; 6, of 24,417 tons, former Austrian ships, while 37, of 100,962 tons, are former Great Lakes ships.—N. Y. Times, 17/1.
U.S. Shipbuilding Output for 1918.—American shipyards built 1882 vessels of 2,721,281 gross tons in 1918. Reports of the Bureau of Navigation of the Commerce Department show this total, of which all but 124,000 tons represented seagoing ships, the seagoing steel tonnage alone aggregating 1,861,321 gross tons. The bureau's figures for 1917 construction show that 1,034,000 gross tons were constructed by American shipyards.
The armistice brought about a decided setback in the yards' output. November was the month of greatest construction in the history of American shipbuilding, 171 vessels of 357,660 gross tons of seagoing ships being produced. In December only 153 ships were completed and the tonnage amounted to 283,359.—Nautical Gazette, 11/1.
Removing Guns and Gun Platforms from American Merchant Vessels.—The United States Shipping Board issues the following:
Guns and gun platforms are being removed from American merchant ships in overseas trade as rapidly as they arrive at home ports, the United States Shipping Board announces.
On vessels operated by the board the gun emplacements, usually heavy steel platforms on high supports at bow and stern, are being cut away and dumped on the dock without ceremony.
With the removal of guns the gun crews carried during the submarine war go back to their naval duties.
Changes Considered Important.—The changes thus effected are considered by the Shipping Board an important factor in the work of manning the merchant marine on a basis demanded by peace conditions. During the progress of the war living conditions on merchant vessels were abnormal, owing to congestion. Vessels carrying 12 merchant sailors in their deck force often had naval gun crews of 15 men. These occupied the regular crews' quarters, which the merchant sailors cheerfully gave up, accepting such emergency quarters as could be provided for them.
The Shipping Board is now returning the crews on its vessels to the kind of quarters they were accustomed to occupy before the war, although the forecastle is now toward the stern instead of at the bow of the ship. Danger from mines prompted the change originally, and the arrangement was found so satisfactory that it will be retained.
With proper berth space again available, the Shipping Board plans to use the merchant ships in a broad program for the training of the additional personnel that will be required for new vessels now coming out.
Spare room in the quarters now being vacated by gun crews and elsewhere will be set aside by the Shipping Board, on each of the vessels which it operates, for the accommodation of apprentices, and for four junior deck officers and four junior engineer officers. The latter will be carried in addition to the usual number of officers on the ship, for purposes of special training, following technical instruction ashore at the board's free engineering and navigation schools. It is expected that the new arrangement will absorb a present surplus of junior officers that has resulted from the work of these schools, which have graduated 6799 navigating officers and engineers since this country entered the war.
Three Months' Sea Training.—Three months' training at sea will be the maximum given a junior officer before he receives his license, and is shipped on another vessel as a regular officer. He will not be a "green hand" when he begins his training, as only experienced men are trained at the board's schools.
Apprentices for the merchant ships will be taken from the board's training ships, and will be trained as part of crews on merchant vessels, in the duties of ordinary seamen, firemen, messmen, or cooks.—Official Bulletin, 6/1.
Discontinuance of Naval Regulation of United States Merchant Ships.—The U. S. Shipping Board have authorized the following statement, relative to the discontinuance of naval regulation of merchant ships. At the same time intimation is given of their intention to hereafter man all merchant ships with merchant sailors:
"The Shipping Board announce through its acting chairman, that, in consequence of the elimination of the submarine danger, with the attendant discontinuance of the convoy and other naval regulations which governed the movements of cargo vessels during the war emergency, it has been decided to man all out-coming vessels, excepting for the present, those steamers engaged in the transport of troops, with merchant sailors.
"In making this decision the board has been guided by the necessity of restoring the usual commercial conditions governing the operation of merchant vessels, as rapidly as possible, in order to enable the ordinary competitive conditions to be met. During the war, it was for military reasons considered proper that many of the vessels should be under naval regulations as they were so peculiarly but instruments of our military operations in Europe, and the splendid service rendered by the officers and men of the naval reserve force in this service is fully recognized. There have also been operated through the submarine and mine infested waters, many merchant vessels manned by the usual merchant crews. The board is fully conscious of the great service rendered by these men in a most difficult and dangerous trade, and desires to publicly express its appreciation of the part played by the merchant sailor in winning the war."—Shipping, 4/1.
Crew Placing for Shipping Board Craft.—The U. S. Shipping Board on December 24, announced that beginning with the New Year, crews for all merchant vessels operated by the board will be placed in employment through a central agency to be known as the Sea Service Bureau of the U. S. Shipping Board. This agency will have offices in principal American ports, and through it not only seamen but masters, mates and engineers—in fact, the proverbial "all hands and the cook,"—will be signed on for sea duty—Shipping, 4/1.
One Hundred and Forty-Five Merchant Ships Lost by U.S. in War.—Loss of 145 American passenger and merchant vessels of 254,449 tons and 775 lives through acts of the enemy during the period from the beginning of the world war to the cessation of hostilities, November 11. is shown by figures made public recently by the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Navigation.
The report does not include several vessels, the loss of which has not been established, as due to acts of the enemy.
Nineteen vessels and 67 lives were lost through use of torpedoes, mines and gunfire prior to the entrance of the United States into the war.—Naval Monthly, December.
New Wage Scale for Steamship Officers.—New wage scales for licensed officers of all steamships plying from Atlantic and Gulf ports have been promulgated by the Shipping Board, effective from January 1 to May 1. They are based on the size of the vessels, which are divided into five classes are the same as the present rate paid in the coastwise traffic and do not contemplate the payment of bonuses in any form whatever.
Masters will receive from $300 to $375 a month, depending on the size of the ship; chief engineers, from $212.50 to $287.50; first officers and first assistant engineers, $181.25 to $206.25; second officers and second assistant engineers, $162.50 to $187.50; third officers and third assistant engineers. $43.75 to $168.75; fourth officers and fourth assistant engineers, $14375 to $150, and junior engineers, $125.
"Wage increases which might have been favorably considered during conditions of warfare would not now be warranted, owing to the unsettled conditions following cessation of hostilities," said the award. It was added, however, that as there was no immediate prospect of reduction in the cost of living the present rate of pay in the coastwise service should not be diminished, but should be made universal for all services from Atlantic and Gulf ports, including West Indian, South American and transatlantic services.
The new scale is mandatory on all vessels owned or under requisition by the Shipping Board. A difference of opinion, however, was said to have arisen among members of the commission making the award as to the extent to which the award should be mandatory on other American vessels, inasmuch as the armistice was signed after the agreement for the arbitration of the wage scale was made. Owing to the continued pressing national necessity in relation to shipping, however, the board urged that all private owners and operators of vessels not requisitioned should pay the scale voluntarily to promote stability of conditions and prevent interruption of traffic.—Nautical Gazette, 4/1.
Office of Supercargo Revived.—The Division of Operations of the U. S. Shipping Board is at present engaged in organizing a force of men who will be its personal representatives and therefore accredited officers of the government on board government owned merchant vessels. The Shipping Board has revived for these men the ancient and honorable title in the American merchant service of "Supercargo." It will be the duty of these officers to make direct report to the Division of Operations regarding the performance of the ship on each voyage, the handling of the cargo, and in general all other matters in which the Division of Operations as representing the owners of the ship may be expected to have an interest. To fill this important and responsible position the Division of Operations needs alert, ambitious and intelligent young men of good character. A certain amount of sea experience and training, and knowledge of the steamship business and overseas commerce in general, is desirable although not essential. In return for this the Shipping Board offers an initial salary of $175 per month in addition to subsistence. Mr. George Eggers, Chief of the Bureau of Accounting Personnel, Division of Operations, of the U. S. Shipping Board in Washington, has been placed in charge of the selection of men for these posts.—Army and Navy Journal, 11/1.
ORDNANCE AND GUNNERY
Bureau of Ordnance
Seven-Inch Tractor Mount, Mark V
General Description, See Illustration, Page 278
1. The 7" naval tractor mount, Mark V, is a mobile, track-laying field piece bearing a 7", 45-caliber naval rifle. Projectiles weighing 153 pounds may be fired at angles of elevation from horizontal to 40 degrees, with muzzle velocity of 2800 foot seconds. At the maximum elevation the extreme range is 25.000 yards. The recoil system is of the liquid type; the gun is returned to battery by a pneumatic counter coil system. A traversing gear, incorporated in the carriage trail, permits of limited training either side of the center line. When a greater range of training is desired, the mount is either shifted on the ground or is mounted upon a firing platform which provides for training through a firing angle of 60 degrees. The track layer, which is of the double-tread caterpillar type, is designed to carry the mount over practically any kind of ground likely to be encountered in service. The proportions of the chain tracks are such as to produce a pressure of about 12 pounds per square inch upon the soil during transportation, which is approximately half that exerted by a horse.
2. The track layer also serves as a stand or foundation for the mount during action. A 120 h. p. gas-engine driven caterpillar tractor is used to draw the mount from one position to another. A limber hooked between the mount and the tractor supports the trail during transit. During action the limber and the tractor are withdrawn from the immediate field of danger. A shell loading tray, which rests on the carriage trail, is used to load shells into the breech.
Guns Made During War.—During the 20 months from the date of the entry of the United States into the war to last December I, 2841 guns of medium caliber were manufactured under the direction of the Naval Bureau of Ordnance at gun-manufacturing plants, Secretary Daniels told the committee. Of this number, 1887 were placed in actual service against the enemy.
Secretary Daniels explained that the total number of 2841 did not include guns that were on hand and in reserve on April 5, 1917, nor those of a larger caliber than five inches. The great majority were manufactured in plants placed in operation since the beginning of the war, he said, and every one was complete with mounts, sights and all accessories.
When hostilities ceased 5-inch guns were being delivered at the rate of 30 a month, 4-inch guns at the rate of 70 a month and 3-inch guns at the rate of 100 a month. During the 20 days after the signing of the armistice 805 guns were delivered to the navy.—Washington Evening Star, 2/1.
Comparative Chart on the Production of Rifles, Machine Guns, Ammunition by U.S., Great Britain, and France.—The War Department authorizes the following from the Statistics Branch, General Staff:
The following is a comparative chart on production in France, Great Britain, and the United States on rifles, machine guns, and ammunition, the source of this information being the Ordnance Department, Interallied Bureau of Statistics:
AVERAGE MONTHLY RATE, JULY, AUGUST, AND SEPTEMBER, 1918
Machine guns and machine rifles:
Great Britain '0.947
France 12,126
United States 27,270
Rifles:
Great Britain 112,821
France 40,522
United States 233,562
Rifle and machine gun ammunition:
Great Britain 259,769,000
France 139,845,000
United States 277,894,000
TOTAL PRODUCTION APRIL 6, 1917, TO NOVEMBER 11, 1918
Machine guns and machine rifles:
Great Britain 181,404
France 229,238
United States 181,662
Rifles:
Great Britain 1,971,764
France 1416,056
United States 2,506,742
Rifle and machine gun ammunition:
Great Britain 3,486,127,000
France 2,983,675,000
United States 2,879,148,000
British and French production for October and the first part of November was estimated at the same rate as the preceding three months. Ammunition figures for the United States include ball cartridges cal. 30, and 8 mm. of service, incendiary, armor-piercing, and tracer types. Since the need for the original equipment of troops no longer existed, French and British production of rifles during 1918 was at a lower rate than had previously been attained.—U. S. Bulletin, 15/1.
In his annual report to the Secretary of War Maj. Gen. F. W. Coe, Chief of Coast Artillery, says that a gun of 24-inch caliber to shoot 40 miles is among the near possibilities. On other matters the report says:
In order that the general trend of development in heavy artillery may be studied and applied properly to seacoast defence, it is desirable to state the general features of this development and to suggest the principles which appear to underlie their application.
Gun Power.—This has increased both in range and the caliber of the gun. Guns of 24-inch, ranging to 40 miles, may be realized, while longer ranges for special types are possible if desired.
Mobility.—Guns of the largest caliber are transported on their firing carriages by rail. The calibers of tractor-drawn materiel have increased materially, and it is unlikely that the limits have yet been reached.
Aeroplane Bombardment.—Although this is not a strictly artillery development it should be considered in connection with the effects of artillery fire inasmuch as the aeroplane may be regarded as taking up these effects at the longer ranges and projecting them far back into enemy territory.—Official Bulletin, 17/12.
NAVIGATION AND RADIO
Naval Control of Wireless.—The Navy Department has purchased all of the radio stations except four high-power stations of the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America. The stations sold by the company are 45 in number, of which 19 are on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, 16 on the Great Lakes and 10 on the Pacific Coast. The Navy Department has purchased from the Alien Property Custodian the radio station at Sayville, L. I., formerly controlled by German interests and intended for transatlantic wireless traffic.—Scientific American. 11/1.
The report of the United States Hydrographer, Rear Admiral Seaton Schroeder, United States Navy, retired, on the operations of the Hydrographic Office during the fiscal year says, in part:
The Hydrographic Office continued to supply charts and sailing directions as needed for the navy and other public services, and the mercantile marine. An increasing demand has also been met for manuals of instruction in navigation called for by various schools and colleges maintaining navigation classes, and by young reserve men and others aspiring to become officers in the navy or the mercantile marine.
Independent of Other Nations.—It has long been recognized by all who have had opportunity to observe the working of this office from within, or to use its products, that it should be brought to a position of independence of foreign sources for maintaining its supply of charts and sailing directions for not only vessels of the navy but for other public services and for vessels of the mercantile marine. Before the present European war had progressed many months it had become evident that what had been a desideratum was fast becoming a necessity, as foreign sources for such vital material were being very greatly curtailed or wholly closed. Our entry into the war made it an absolute sine qua non; and, although the final result can not be immediately achieved of covering the more remote untraveled seas with our charts and sailing directions, the office has been definitely brought to a position of virtual independence and self-support.—Official Bulletin. 28/12.
ENGINEERING
The "Eagle" Boats.—The design of the Eagle boats was worked out at the Highland Park plant of the Ford Motor Company under the direction of naval officers. Admiral D. W. Taylor and Captain Robert Stocker planned the hull with the aim of eliminating curved sections as much as possible. Straight lines characterize the design throughout to a startling degree. The boilers and turbine were designed by direction of Admirals Griffin and Dyson and Commander S. M. Robinson. The Ljungstrom turbine with planetary reducing gear was used with success. Hull manufacturing methods were worked out under the supervision of Mr. Charles C. West of the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company, and Commander Carlos Bean of the navy was appointed executive in charge of the development of the power plant.
The Ljungstrom steam turbine is peculiarly suited for destroyer service as its efficiency is high at full loads; the steam consumption is about nine pounds per horsepower at full load and only twelve pounds at one-fourth load. The design eliminates noise and vibration in the turbine itself almost completely, which is highly important. The reducing gear tends to magnify turbine vibration and noise and if these are absent the gear alone will not be noisy when properly cut and mounted. Noise and vibration cannot be tolerated in a naval vessel of the destroyer class.
On account of the scarcity of special ship steel shapes and the unavoidable delay in getting them, flanged plates and structural angles were used instead. The flanged plates could be rapidly fabricated from plate stock, and while the distribution of metal and consequent physical properties are inferior to those of regular rolled shapes the difference is not of serious importance. Flanged plates have the advantage over rolled shapes that they can be made to any dimension required and choice is not limited to the regular mill patterns.
The strakes, angles, frames and gussets were drawn up and the positions of all rivet holes were laid out. No detail was omitted that would hamper manufacturing if left to be laid out in the shop. A pattern boat was built in the Highland Park plant and after some changes had been made it was taken apart and each piece marked with its symbol which defined its place and identified it with the drawing. While the planning, drafting, building of the model and its dissection were under way, the new organization that had been formed at the plant on the River Rouge near Detroit, had already begun to manufacture hulls.
Power Plant of the Eagle.—The turbines and boilers were built at Highland Park and the auxiliaries were purchased from the makers. The boilers, two in number, are of the Stirling water tube type, rated at 1250 h. p. each. They are fired with oil, there being three burners in each furnace. The turbine runs at 5000 r. p. m. and develops 2500 h. p. with saturated steam at 350 pounds pressure. Brake tests showed it to have a power exactly 40 per cent in excess of its rating, or 3500 h. p. The shaft bearings are of the floating type and the speed is reduced by a 10 to 1 ratio planetary gear between the turbine and the propeller shaft, the propeller running at 500 r. p. m. The official speed test developed 19 ½ knots but 21 to 22 knots were made unofficially.
Although the Eagles are small, high-power boats in which every cubic inch of space is at a premium, the equipment and appointments are as complete in their way as those of a battleship or cruiser. Provision is made for using either fresh or salt water, which means duplication of pipe systems and auxiliaries. An idea of the amount of piping crowded into them may be gained from the statement that there are 37 distinct pipe systems. The installations of this maze of pipes is difficult in a large vessel and is doubly so in the limited space available here. The thin brass voice tubes three inches in diameter have to be made in many sections and bent to follow a most devious course to connect the stations. Every valve, cock, pump, door, ladder and apparatus is marked with a brass name plate. This seemingly small detail is by no means insignificant in the total, as there are over 3600 nameplates in all.
Seven cabins and the quarters provide for officers and crew of 67. The captain's cabin, though small, has a toilet, clothes locker and complete equipment. Appointments were designed to promote the comfort and health of the men, in marked contrast to the British destroyers which provide only the absolute necessities.
The armament consists of two 4-inch and one 3-inch rapid fire guns, a Y-gun for firing "ash cans" or depth bombs and depth bomb droppers.
Note: The official speed test developed 18.32 knots. Article from Ford Methods in Ship Manufacture, by Fred E. Rogers on Industrial Management for January. Illustrations from other sources.
Big U.S. Warships to Lead World’s.—Secretary Daniels Tells House Committee of Electrically Driven Craft—New Mexico Speedy.—America's capital fighting ships of the future will be superior to those of other nations because of their electrically driven machinery, Secretary Daniels told the House Naval Committee to-day in disclosing remarkable results attained by the new dreadnought New Mexico, equipped with the electric drive which is to be a feature of all the big ships authorized since 1916.
The New Mexico's turbo-electric machinery was designed to develop 26,500 horsepower at full speed and to give the ship a speed of 21 knots.
"She actually developed more than 31,000 horsepower," Mr. Daniels said, "and maintained for 4.hours a speed of 21 ¼ knots, and this when running at a displacement 1000 tons greater than her design called for.
"If she had been tried at her designed displacement, as is customary with all new ships, she would have made 21.5 knots without any trouble whatever; and, what is still better, she could have kept up this speed as long as her fuel lasted, for, like all our later dreadnoughts, she is an oil burner and there would be no reduction in speed due to the necessity of clearing fires, which must be done in coal-burning ships after a run of four hours at top speed."
The Secretary said fuel economy at cruising speed had been one of the things sought in substituting electric drive for the ordinary turbine equipment.
"And I am happy to say," he added, "that this requirement also was met. As a matter of fact, the New Mexico will steam at 10 knots on about 25 per cent less fuel than the best turbine driven ship that preceded her.
"On the whole, I think the country has cause to be proud of this achievement in engineering, not alone because of the pronounced success in this particular instance, but because of the assurance it gives of the superiority (if our capital ships to those of foreign nations."
The advantages of electrical propulsion as applied to battleships are, the official said:
A quick shift by merely turning a switch from cruising speed of 12 knots an hour to high speed of 21 knots an hour.
- Economy in fuel.
- The practicability of running a ship astern with exactly the same speed.
- Saving of space in the engine room.
- Making it possible to place different units in watertight compartment, so that a torpedo explosion disabling one part of the machinery would not cripple the ship.
Members of the Naval Affairs Committee were enthusiastic over the proved practicability and efficiency of electrical propulsion. Secretary Daniels testified that it was much cheaper to equip a vessel with electrical driving machinery than with turbine engines.—N. Y. Times.
The Marine Oil Engine in the United States.—The types of engines being fitted include semi-Diesel engines, both two and four-cycle, direct reversing and with reverse gears, Diesel engines, two and four-cycle, land trunk piston and marine crosshead designs, engines of high speed of revolution with mechanical gearing, or electrical reduction between the engine and the propeller, and the usual slow-speed direct-coupled motors. The powers up to which the marine oil engine is being built at present in America are relatively small, 200 h. p. per cylinder being the maximum of which we have record. The many and varied types of machinery, however, which are now at sea in the American marine, or shortly will be tried out, will give to the American marine engineers a very clear insight into the problems associated with the future developments of this industry, and will provide much useful data on which to base future designs.—Engineering, 29/11.
AERONAUTICS
Navy Dirigible Has Flight.—Manned by aviation officers of the marine corps and the navy, and with two civilian mechanics aboard, the first of the navy's twin-motor dirigibles flew over Washington, October 22, at the completion of the first lap of approximately 315 miles of a flight from Akron, Ohio, to Rockaway, N. Y.
The big dirigible landed at the Anacostia aviation field for a fresh supply of fuel, but resumed its flight at 1.17 p. m. The start was made from Akron, October 22, at 1.10 a. m., central time, and the landing was made at 11.10, eastern time, a running time of nine hours, approximately 35 miles an hour.—Naval Monthly, 18/12.
Our Way in the Air.—When hostilities were suspended American aviators had destroyed 661 more German airplanes and 35 more German balloons than the Americans had lost. The number of enemy airplanes destroyed by the Americans was 926, and the number of balloons 73, continues a recent Associated Press dispatch. Two hundred and sixty-five American airplanes and 38 balloons were destroyed by the enemy. On November 11, the day of the signing of the armistice, there were actually engaged on the front 740 American airplanes, 744 pilots, 457 observers, and 23 aerial gunners. Of the machines, 329 were of the pursuit type, 296 were for observation and 115 were bombers. Between September 12 and November 11 the air forces operating with the First Army dropped about 120 tons of high explosive on the enemy lines and supply depots and railheads. Figures concerning America's share on other parts of the front have not yet been divulged.—Scientific American, 28/12.
Italian "White Eagle" for Ocean Flight.—The correspondent of The Daily Telegraph at Milan reports that Signor Caproni has nearly finished the gigantic machine in which it is intended to fly from Italy to America. The machine is a huge triplane with engines of 3000 horse power and ample accommodation for a certain number of passengers, for whom cabins and sleeping berths will be available.
It is proposed that the aviators take the same route as Columbus did, flying from Italy to Cadiz and the Azores and thence to the American coast and landing near Washington.—N. Y. Times, 11/1.
Our Army of Fliers.—In his recent annual report Major General William L. Kenley, director of military aeronautics, states that 4980 men had been graduated as reserve military aviators, the first rating for pilots, by June 30, last, with no bombers, 85 bombing pilots, 464 observers, 389 observer pilots, and 131 pursuit pilots. In the year ended last June 3a there were 152 fatalities in training, or an average of one death to 2684 hours and 201,000 miles flown. Stalled engines, usually due to an error of the pilot, caused 86 deaths; collisions, 30; and sideslips, 10. The report goes on further to state that 440 balloon officers also had been graduated, 155 of whom were fully qualified observers during the year.—Scientific American, 28/12.
An Airplane Built to be Shot Down.—Until quite recently, the usual way for a machine gunner to train for his pleasant task of bringing down Boche airplanes has been to blaze away at captive balloons. At best, this has been tame sport. Another way has been to use the so-called camera gun, which records the "hits" on a film or plate; but the main objection to this procedure is that a substitute is used for the gun, and that the "hits" cannot be determined until the negative is developed some time later. It has remained for an American aircraft builder to introduce a diminutive airplane which flies itself without the aid of any human hand to guide it, and which can therefore be used as a target, thus bringing realism and efficiency to the aerial gunnery schools.
The target airplane is of the Burgess-Dunne type, modified to meet the conditions for which it was designed. Inherent stability is obtained by employing a large sweepback and negative dihedral angle. The course of the machine is governed by setting and locking the control surfaces in position prior to flight. The duration of flight may be governed by limiting the fuel supply or by employing an automatic timing device to control the throttle. By the proper setting of the controls, the machine can be made to fly in a spiral path until its fuel is exhausted, whereupon it will assume its natural gliding angle and land approximately at its starting point. This fact makes it an easy matter to recover the machine after a flight, if it has not been shot down before exhausting its fuel.
The little machine is of the seaplane design, to facilitate starting and alighting. It has a span of 18 feet 5 inches. The cord is only 28 inches. The length is 9 feet, while the overall height is 4 feet 8 inches. Although the weight of the complete machine is only 175 pounds, it is capable of carrying a man. The power plant consists of a 12 horsepower, four cylinder motorcycle engine, which has been rebuilt to meet the special requirements. The engine drives a 42-inch propeller, since the machine is of the "pusher" category. While climbing, the diminutive airplane develops a speed of 40 miles per hour, which rises to 50 when flying on a level keel.
Firing at the target airplane, the aerial-gunnery students get excellent practice. They use actual machine guns firing actual cartridges, and operate under conditions pretty close to actual aerial combat. It is not to be supposed that the target airplane is shot down on its initial flight: in fact, its life is considerable because of the difficulty of scoring a vital hit. Most shots merely perforate the wings or clip the structural members, and a few minutes' overhauling soon prepares the target machine for further flights.—Scientific American 28/12.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Hunting Wild Fowl in Planes Forbidden by Aero Director.—The Director of Military Aeronautics has ruled against the shooting of wild fowl with machine guns from airplanes.
The shooting of wild fowl with machine guns from airplanes is absolutely forbidden. Airplanes will not be used in any manner for hunting or shooting wild fowl. Airplane flights along the coast, or any place where migratory wild fowl may be found, will be conducted in such a .manner as to interfere as little as possible with the habits and feeding of the wild fowl.
Commanding officers will use every means to carry out the regulations and will bring to trial any offenders that may in the future be guilty of breaking any of them.—Official Bulletin, 10/1.
Naval Uniforms at Cost.—Senate Passes House BUI for Equipping Officers.—The Senate yesterday passed the House bill authorizing the government to furnish uniforms and equipment to naval officers at cost.
Another House bill providing for the temporary promotion of officers of the marine corps now serving with the army also was approved. Both measures now go to the White House for the President's approval.—Washington Evening Star, 16/12.
The U. S. cruiser Milwaukee, which went ashore at Eureka, Cat., January 13, 1917, has broken in two, it is reported, and is beyond saving. She was 426 feet in length, with a full load displacement of 10,839 tons, and had a speed of 22.22 knots. She was launched in 1904, and was first commissioned in 1906. Her main battery consisted of fourteen 6-inch guns. The contract price of her hull and machinery was $2,825,000.—Army and Navy Journal, 11/1.