REVIEW OF BOOKS
"Modern History of Warships." By William Hovgaard. (Published by Spoil and Chamberlain, 120 Liberty Street, New York.)
This book is based on lectures given by Professor Hovgaard in his course in Naval Construction at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is really a preliminary text-book, or an introduction, to his "Structural Design of Warships," for, as stated in the preface a historical study of the development of various types of war vessels is necessary before a student can properly appreciate the present state of the art of warship construction.
The book is the result of exhaustive search of official reports, the technical press, and other publications dealing with the characteristics of naval vessels, their performance, and service injuries in peace as well as war, and contains data chronologically arranged which is not to be found elsewhere in one publication. The period covered extends from the introduction of steam and iron for vessels, early in the nineteenth century, down to the latest 1918-1919 types, starting with Fulton's Demologos, the first steam propelled warship, and carrying on through all the evolutions to the British Hood and our own California class. The comprehensiveness of the book is indicated by a chapter on aircraft, and by others dealing with the development of propulsive machinery, ordnance, and armor. There are numerous illustrations, principally diagrammatic or outline sketches to supplement the text which is far from being a compilation of names, characteristics, and dates. The author very aptly describes the book in saying it is intended "to give a critical discussion of the various types of warships, and to explain the causes—political, military, and technical—which have influenced and directed the evolution."
There are fourteen chapters of text, the first eight, comprising approximately three-fourths of the book, discuss the development of war craft of the several types; then five of a more technical character treating of the development of the design and construction of the hull, propulsive machinery, armament, mines, torpedoes, and armor; and a final chapter giving the author's conclusions as to the present state of the art and the trend of development in the "nearest future."
The development of warships is covered by chapters on armored battleships, cruisers, vessels of special type, gunboats, surface torpedo vessels, submarines, and aircraft. Each main subject is discussed at length for the navies of the large powers, Great Britain, United States, France, Italy, Germany, and Japan, with brief mention of minor navies. The causes of losses of ships and lessons learned from such fatalities are appropriately mentioned as are also the more important trial or experimental vessels. Among the most interesting and instructive parts of the book are the remarks on war experiences at the end of the chapters on battle cruisers, destroyers, submarines and aircraft.
The chapter on battleships is the most extensive in the book as is to be expected from the importance of the subject and on account of this type including many of the important features of others. The submarine chapter is specially interesting and covers not only the development of submarines, but also a discussion of their use in war. The five chapters on development of hull, machinery, armor, etc., do not cover the subjects as fully as has been done for the types of ships, but contain interesting historical data, and are well worth reading. While the book is best suited for students of Naval Construction it contains much material of value and interest to all connected with the naval profession. Those engaged in designing or determining the military characteristics of ships should have a general knowledge of the history of the development of the several types, should study the conditions met in service, should investigate results of damage in peace as well as that inflicted in war, and should be familiar with what has so far been accomplished and the future possibilities. A study of Professor Hovgaard's book will put one well on the way in acquiring the above mentioned information. It should be read by all officers of the Construction Corps, and by all others who are interested in the evolution and development of our fighting vessels. The author considers that his work will be useful, both in the study of naval construction and in that of military science. That this belief is well founded will undoubtedly be agreed upon by all its readers.
W. G. D.
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"Balistica Exterior Telemetria y Tiro Naval." By Manuel Vela and James Janer.
The work "Balistica Exterior, Telemetria y Tiro Naval" is, it appears, the first work treating of this subject which has been published in Spanish. Such a work was necessary in order that naval officers of Spanish-speaking countries might solve the many problems presented by gunnery.
The well-known book "Artilleria de Naval" by Hermida describes the materiel in use at the time of its publication and treats of exterior ballistics and of some gunnery problems; but it is now somewhat obsolete and whatever information a "man-of-war's man" required was to be found only in foreign works, the compilation and translation of which was an arduous task.
The book of the Senores Vela y Janez fills this need. The authors omit all description of ordnance material, explaining instead, at suitable length, the fundamental principles of gunnery, the verification of theories, the calculation of corrections, probabilities, etc.
In general, and for the treatment in one book of such problems as may present themselves to the officer, and as a study of ordnance for a midshipman, the work is more extensive than that of Alger, which is that used in the North American Navy. Nevertheless the authors of the work have translated several chapters from Alger's book and have followed in the development the same system as Alger.
The study which the authors make of the effect of rotation on the trajectories of long range and duration, the correction for the curvature of the same, and the similarity between the movement of the gyroscope and ogival projectiles, is interesting.
The authors also concern themselves with a study of the gunnery errors due to roll and pitch; of delays in firing, and of the corrections for the difference in the situation of range finder and gun; and in pages 190 to 192 they discuss the underwater velocities of projectiles.
In Part II there is an explanation of the method the authors use for the calculation of trajectories for large angles of elevation (anti-aircraft fire). In this part there is also a study of rifle fire.
The study made in Part III of range finding, range finder errors, method of adjustment, etc., is all as complete as could be given in a text-book, being sufficient to serve as a basis for the solution of any range finder problem.
Finally, in Parts IV and V there is studied the practical application of the fundamentals of gunnery in the cases of a fleet action, defense against destroyer attack, firing on a coast, fire with landing force guns, etc. There is discussed further the influence that atmospheric refraction exercises in limiting maximum gunnery ranges, height of the guns of their director stations, observation of fire, etc.
As an appendix a study is made of "curved fire" and of the constitution and principal characteristics of the explosives normally employed in naval artillery.
J. R.
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"The Airplane." By Frederick Bedell.
In this book Dr. Bedell has explained in a simple, clear manner the fundamental problems of flight. Such a general treatment is probably of most value to the general reader who desires to know the engineering principles involved in an airplane, but is not interested in their detail application. The treatment is essentially non-mathematical and obviously avoids the more obscure relations and the results of more recent invention and research. The book can hardly be called superficial and the treatment within the limits the author sets himself is entirely sound. However, when mathematics is avoided those questions which cannot easily be explained by words and diagrams have to be omitted for the sake of clearness. In particular, the chapters on stability are rather thin, although a quantitative discussion is given of the various factors that affect stability.
The book discusses the general mechanics of flight and is not concerned with structural matters nor the construction of the various types of airplanes and seaplanes and their accessories and equipment.
In general, the book is an easy first course for a man who is curious about the principles of flight. The reader should not, however, conclude that the motion of an airplane is quite as simple and easily understood as Dr. Bedell's book. It is Dr. Bedell's skill in clear exposition which makes the subject seem easy, together with his caution in eliminating.
J. C. H.
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"A Guide to the Military History of the World: War 1914-1918." By Thomas G. Frotheringham, U. S. R. (Boston: Little Brown & Co.)
It is hard to conceive of a more difficult task than that which has been accomplished by the author in this one short volume. It is safe to say that any reader that is not gripped by the vigor and simplicity—the obvious fairness, the clear and concise method of handling material that has hitherto been bewilderingly confused, must give up hope of ever finding an easier or more delightful method of informing himself of the greatest period in the history of the world. This too in the face of the fact that the public has been fed up ad nauseum for the last six years with every form of war stuff from newspaper propaganda to official reports and biographies of the chief participants. And yet the net result has been hitherto only a mountainous mass of doubtful information that has apparently baffled every attempt to winnow out intelligible history. The labor of condensing a library into a single volume suggests a task greater than producing the library itself; yet the style is so easy and straightforward that we wonder why it was not done before. A clue to the author's method is found in the opening quotation, "The key to any mass of evidence is a narrative synopsis of the actual events." With this as a motto the author keeps right in mid-channel throughout and avoids all the rocks, shoals and hazards in the shape of non-essentials that would certainly lure aside anyone that had not his genius for steering a straight course.
It is the only book that we have seen that gives a clear and concise account of each phase of the war in its relation to the war as a whole.
An excellent feature is the original maps that fold out so that they may be studied in connection with the text. These maps are especially devised to show only the essentials and save time and temper that are often exhausted in groping through the wilderness of detail of the ordinary map.
For naval students the account of the Battle of Jutland will be found of unusual interest. It clears up many obscure points in this most confused of battles. The author has carefully analyzed and balanced the conflicting British and German accounts and at the same time has made the narrative so simple as to be intelligible even to a school boy.
This book is recommended to the public in general and to the student. The first because we all should be correctly informed of this great period through which we have lived and the second that the student may be properly oriented to take up intelligently the study of details now buried in official reports and technical papers. For this reason it seems especially adapted for use as a text book in schools and should be found in every public library. The events with which it deals are so recent that its unbiased historical perspective is as unexpected as it is refreshing.
It is our opinion that this book will live. Nothing short of a masterpiece could rise above the flood of war books that have appeared and it is not surprising that it should be acclaimed abroad as well as here because it is—masterly.
L. Mc. N.
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"La Guerre Avec Le Sourire." By Captain Nemo.
Selected with great cleverness is his title "War with a Smile" it describes valuable service rendered by the Naval Brigade of 6000 men under Vice Admiral Ronarch during the early part of the World War and especially their obstinate and sturdy defences of Dixmude and their tenacity with which they clung to the left bank of the River Yser under conditions that try men's souls and break down the morale of the sturdiest troops. In his introduction he tells us "Smile, is for us, the French people, the talisman of the Arabian Knights, the palladium of the ancient citadel, the emblem of success and the gage of victory. Preserve the smile and you are sure to win."
He starts with the assembling of the brigade in Rochfort and when it is hurried to Paris to replace the Police Force already drawn to the front. After many wanderings it slowly but surely arrives at the front and is thrown into the breach to oppose the drive of the Germans in their attempt to reach the Channel. With a smile they cling to their positions on the Yser for 33 days meeting their steady losses and the continuous bombardment with a sturdy philosophy with which they were accustomed to meet the pounding sea and howling gale.
The book is interesting throughout and is a tribute to the brilliant service which the French Naval Brigade, under Vice Admiral Ronarch rendered on the Western front and one which sister services will read with great interest.
R. H. J.
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"L'action Maritime Pendenat la Guerre Anti-Germanique." By Rear Admiral Daveluy.
Rear Admiral Daveluy has already contributed a book on the Naval Lessons of the World War. In the two volumes under review he cites the operations of the War in chronological order and separated on a geographical plan. As far as practicable with available material now at hand these various operations seem to be quite accurate. The first volume is given over to operations in the North Sea 1914-15, then the operations of 1916, and especially the Battle of Jutland, and finally the operations of 1918 in the Northern Waters. A review of the situation in the Mediterranean up to the intervention of Italy and the operations on the Dardanelles. In the second volume the operations continue in the Mediterranean and Adriatic after which the various minor operations in distant seas are discussed.
It is needless to comment on the style and clearness with which Admiral Daveluy brings out his facts. The descriptions are brief and omit unnecessary details in the various actions. Finally at the end of those actions which would seem to call for comment a brief opinion of errors and mistakes is added as seen from his point of view.
Altogether it is an excellent review of the war from the point of view of the recognized expert in the French Navy on strategy, tactics and administration. It may well be taken as representing the general French opinion concerning the Naval Operations of the War.
R. H. J.