PROFESSIONAL NOTES
Prepared By Lieutenant R. A. Hall, U. S. Navy
FRANCE
French Navy Yards.—If the provisions made under the Guist'hau program are adhered to, the Brest and Lorient arsenals will specialize in cruisers and destroyer construction—Cherbourg will be entrusted with submarines, and Toulon will have quite enough with attending to fleet repairs. This arrangement will have the advantage of keeping some 24,000 arsenal workmen in nominal employment, but it is likely to mean slow work, as State arsenals have lost much of their efficiency through the war, and have only been able to repair half of the ex-Boche cruisers and torpedo craft allotted to the French Navy in 1919, with the result that the 8,ooo-ton cruisers, shortly to be laid down, may require four or five years before they are commissioned, which means that they will be outclassed when entering the service. There can be no true efficiency without quick construction; and here, unhappily, its inefficient arsenals are like a millstone round the neck of the Marine Francaise; and the worst is that there is little chance of remedy without stability and authority at the head.—Naval and Military Record, 15 February, 1922.
Strength of Mediterranean Squadron.—As from February 1 the French Mediterranean Squadron will be as follows: Battleships Bretagne (flying the flag of Vice-Admiral Salaun, the commander-in-chief), France, Paris, and Jean-Bart; two squadrons of destroyers, a squadron of submarines, and patrol vessels.
The personnel will be reduced by one-fifth of its present strength.
The battleships Provence and Lorraine will be put into the reserve.—Naval and Military Record, 28 January, 1922.
New Hydroplanes.—In the first week of December, Messrs. Thornycroft despatched from the Thames a new motor torpedo-boat, of the skimming or hydroplane type, for the French Navy. On trial the vessel attained a speed of 41.6 knots, or 47.9 miles an hour. The new vessel is practically of the coastal motor-boat class which during the war achieved such good results at Kronstadt, Zeebrugge, and elsewhere. Their design was developed in 1915 by Messrs. Thornycroft, largely as a result of experiments Sir John Thornycroft had begun nearly forty years previously. The construction of the first dozen of them was decided on by the admiralty early in 1916, and, in all, well over 100 were built by Messrs. Thornycroft and their licensees. The present vessel, which is the second ordered by the French Government—the other and rather smaller one having already been delivered—is 55 feet long, with a beam of 11 feet and a draught of 3 feet 3 inches. At first sight she does not look very impressive, but, thanks to her special construction, she can face heavy weather, and she carries the formidable armament of two 18-inch torpedoes, two depth charges, and four machine guns. For the sake of lightness and flexibility, she is built entirely of wood. There are two skins, both of Honduras mahogany, with a layer of oiled canvas interposed between them. The deck extends over the greater part of the length of the vessel, and constitutes an integral part of the structure. A third skin, worked in from the fore portion of the boat, and extending to amidships, forms a step about 3 ½ inches in depth, upon which the vessel rises as she gathers speed, and thus she obtains a skimming action over the surface of the water.—Journal of the Royal Service Institution, February 1922.
Dirigibles.—The French Government is maintaining a very reserved attitude over the question of airship construction. Before doing anything further it is awaiting developments and acquiring fresh experience which is believed to be necessary in view of the unconvincing results obtained with the dirigibles previously constructed in this country, and especially with the three German airships which were surrendered under the terms of the Versailles Treaty. The Dixmude was taken over by the Marine and was intended to be used for survey work over the Mediterranean and North Africa, but for some time past the German airship has been lying in its shed near Toulon waiting for repairs which the authorities are reluctant to carry out. As the Dixmude is already four years old, which is regarded as the normal life of an airship, it is feared that repairs will be continually absorbing large sums of money. The L-133 has had to be taken down at Maubeuge before it could render any useful service, and the Nordstern, or Mediterranee as it is now called, is still waiting in its shed at St. Cyr until arrangements can be made for handing it over either to the military or naval services. It is feared that the Mediterranee will share the fate of the other airships. Dirigible balloons have not lost favor for military purposes. The authorities are merely of the opinion that it is prudent to await the results of technical investigations in this country, and of the progress being carried out elsewhere, before embarking upon the construction of new airships.—The Engineer, 27 January, 1922.
Coal-Burning Ships Becoming More Popular in France.—According to information emanating from French shipbuilding centers, it appears that coal is again coming into favor, while oil-burning vessels are becoming less popular. Although it is true that in recent times French shipbuilders arranged for oil consumption in their new vessels, coal furnaces, it is stated, are now being installed in greater numbers, due to the fact that while oil is holding its price fairly well, bunker coal has become comparatively cheap.
Until 1914 coal was almost exclusively employed for French vessels, the exceptions occurring in the case of warships and certain transatlantic liners where speed was more important than economical operation. Immediately after the armistice, however, owing to the pitiable state of the French coal mines, demoralized labor conditions and the high cost of coal. French ship-owners and shipbuilders turned to oil. During the last few months, however, the price of coal having fallen 40 per cent and that of oil only 20 per cent in European ports, coal has again come into favor.
Although the advantage of oil fuel is admitted, and the lower cost and greater expedition of bunkering is recognized, there are many arguments in favor of relinquishing the use of oil-burning ships. At present, moreover, oil depots on the European coasts are too few and far between, with the result that many a cargo steamer which employs this fuel finds itself occasionally obliged to make a detour to reach a depot before supplies run out completely and thereby causing a loss for its owner which the use of coal would have prevented.—Nautical Gazette, 25 February, 1922.
Marseilles' Great Canal.—While Marseilles claims to possess more extensive and modern harbor facilities than any other port on the Mediterranean Sea, the establishment of auxiliary subports northwestward along the coast has been found desirable and is being pushed, says Consul Wesley Frost.
From eight to fifteen miles northwest of Marseilles and separated from it by a high rocky ridge, is a series of lakes and inlets adaptable for port development. Accordingly, a huge ship canal is being driven through the promontory to connect Marseilles with these inlets and their present small ports of Martigues. Port-de-Bouc and Caronte. The canal is also being extended farther westward to the mouth of the Rhone to connect with the lateral canal running down the Rhone from the north.
As an engineering task this canal surpasses any project undertaken in any part of the world since the construction of the Panama Canal. It involves the construction of a continuous four-mile tunnel through the ridge, with a cross section six or seven times as great as that of any existing railway tunnel. On emerging from the subterranean passage, the canal flows in the open channel of Gignac, 2 kilometers in length, with a depth of 30 meters. It then follows the south bank of the lake of Bolmon and of the lake of Berre as far as Martigues.
There it joins the canals already in existence between Martigues and Port-de-Bouc, and from Port-de-Bouc to Aries, joining the Rhone at the latter point by a lock 160 meters in length and 16 meters in width. Throughout its entire course of 81 kilometers, the canal is on sea level.
The depth of the canal between Marseilles and Port-de-Bouc is 4 meters (13 feet), and between Port-de-Bouc and Aries 2.5 meters (8 feet). In those sections where there is a current the canal has a width of 25 meters at 2 meters below the surface of the water. In the Rove tunnel the width is reduced to 18 meters; but this will allow the passage in continual movement in both directions of two sea barges of 3.75 meters draft, able to carry 1,200 metric tons of cargo.—Nautical Gazette, 25 February, 1922.
GERMANY
Germany and Aviation.—The recent announcement by the Council of Ambassadors that the treaty restrictions on the manufacture of German aircraft are to be lifted on May 5, is one of the most important events of the present period of the development of aviation. Germany has occupied a peculiar position in the development of aircraft ever since 1914. In the construction of lighter-than-aircraft she has excelled the efforts of the rest of the world. This is because she has always placed great confidence in them while the other nations have been somewhat doubtful as to their utility.
In the heavier-than-air field, German designers have been laboring under various restrictions ever since the naval blockade went into effect during the war. The lack of materials forced them to develop many ingenious expedients, while at the same time many valuable lines of investigation were absolutely closed to them. After the war the Allied aircraft prohibition that has been in effect until Germany complied with her treaty obligations, virtually stopped any new construction to date.
The terms of the Versailles Treaty prohibit Germany from having any military aircraft and very greatly limit her sea fleet. The enormous tonnage of merchant marine that she has been required to turn over in payment for the Allied and neutral ships wantonly destroyed during the war, has inclined many influential Germans to the view that she will have to take to the air if she is to regain her lost commercial prestige. The combination of these factors has resulted in the production of some remarkable commercial aircraft designs.
There can be no doubt that the various German aircraft manufacturers will attempt to sell airplanes abroad. There are many who feel that the Americas, and in particular the United States are the most promising fields for exploitation. In this country foreign airplanes are subject to a high tariff and are required to pay for patent licenses. It is a serious problem and one worthy of very earnest consideration by all interested in the American industry, whether or not the low operating cost of the German designs will not far outweigh their high first cost, particularly in view of the rate of exchange and the cost of foreign labor. It is certain that from the operating cost standpoint, war surplus machines will be hopelessly outclassed in regard to their use as transport machines.
The more general aspects of the revival of competition are also to be debated. There are many people who feel that the removal of the restrictions constitute a menace to civilization on the ground that the machines to be constructed will constitute a potential air force as the manufacturing facilities can be readily diverted to war use. It is an old adage that states that competition is the life of business. There can be no doubt that German competition will greatly stimulate manufacturers both here and abroad toward new developments.—Aviation, 20 February, 1922.
North German Lloyd Resumes Transatlantic Service.—After a lapse of more than seven years the North German Lloyd has resumed its passenger and freight service between Germany and the United States, and three vessels have been placed on the run between New York and Bremen. These are the Seydlits, Hannover, and Yorck, each of about 9,000 tons, which have been reconditioned and fitted to carry 200 cabin and 1,000 third-class passengers. The service will be inaugurated by the Seydlits which leaves Bremen on February 11, arriving at New York on February 23 and departing on the return trip on March 1. Thereafter a fortnightly service will be maintained. The company has opened its New York headquarters at 18 Pearl Street, and its steamers will load and discharge at the North German Lloyd Pier at the foot of Sixth Street, Hoboken,—Nautical Gazette, 4 February, 1922.
German Shipbuilding and Shipping.—The report of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce for 1921 refers to the agreement concerning State compensation to the shipping concerns, according to which an aggregate compensation of 1,200,000,000 marks was settled in February. The distribution of this sum was left in the hands of a body of representatives of shipyards and ship-owners, under the name of the Shipbuilding Bank, Hamburg.
An efficient distribution of this sum was impeded by alterations in the German home prices and by the adverse necessity of spending 90 per cent of the amount on orders to German shipyards. This prevented German ship-owners from contemplating the possibility of buying back on a somewhat large scale former German vessels. The assumption that one third of the former German tonnage could be rebuilt by the aid of the compensation fund would appear, under the circumstances, to be an extremely problematical one. Wages and the prices for shipbuilding steel are now considerably higher than in February, 1921. The plan of the buying bureau for ship steel, according to which material would be delivered in future to the German shipyards only on the basis of foreign exchanges, appears to be simply prohibitive and liable to frustrate the solution of the unemployment problem, an end which was also in view when the compensation agreement was entered into.
German shipping particularly regrets that it is handicapped in many countries; thus German boats are excluded from coasting traffic in Sweden; Italy, also, has deprived Germany of shipping. In the United States the alien tonnage tax has to be paid. Britain supports her own passenger traffic. The Dardanelles are still closed to the German flag, nor are German vessels allowed to enter any ports in Morocco. We may here add that all these measures are most mild compared with those which Germany would probably have taken had she won the war.
Germany, however, is endeavoring to extend her shipping in various ways, and in Holland, amongst other countries. This refers more especially to the Royal Dutch Lloyd, but this scheme is said to have of late experienced financial difficulties. The first German bid is understood to have been declined as inadequate; negotiations are, however, being proceeded with. Germany tried once before to obtain the control of this Dutch company, namely, in 1906, when the Hamburg-America Line and the North German Lloyd made a bid for 60 per cent of the share capital of the Holland-South America Line, which was then in difficulties and was transformed into the Royal Dutch Lloyd. A Dutch concern made the same bid as Germany and carried the day.
The Howaldt yard in Kiel, which pays 24 per cent dividend for the last financial year, as against 20 per cent for the previous twelve months, is well supplied with orders for the current year; these orders will also keep the yard partly employed for the year following. This in spite of the yard having been deprived of a number of contracts for new vessels on account of the State not having been able fully to carry out its promises of help towards the reconstruction of the German merchant navy. The repair of vessels, especially foreign ones, has materially contributed to the satisfactory result. The company's share in the Holstein iron works at Rendsburg is said to have been sold to the Rombach iron works on favorable terms.
The Deutsche Werke Company, the former Imperial yard at Kiel, and the works at Spandau, in which the German State is interested to the extent of 100,000,000 marks of ordinary shares and 330,000,000 marks of "certificates," which participate in a dividend above 5 per cent has, rather late in the day issued its report for the period June 17 to December 31, 1920. Of the profits, amounting to 171,400,000 marks, general expenses absorbed 57,800,000 marks and reserves and writings-off 113,100,000 marks. Both at Kiel and Spandau a number of workmen had to be discharged in the course of the period under review. The fact that the company had to find employment for a larger percentage of badly disabled men than other concerns is said to have had a detrimental effect upon the financial results.—Engineering, 17 February, 1922.
Kiel Canal Traffic.—In 1921, 31,-910 vessels of 9,506,466 net register tons passed through the Kiel Canal. Of these, 19,206 were steamers of 8,093,663 tons.
The nationalities of these vessels were as follows:
? | Vessels |
German | 25,349 |
Swedish | 1,509 |
Dutch | 1,026 |
Norwegian | 767 |
British | 663 |
Finish | 295 |
American | 227 |
Danish | 155 |
Danziger | 143 |
French | 1229 |
Russian | 95 |
Belgium | 39 |
Japanese | 14 |
Others | 1,137 |
Total | 31,190 |
No less than 15,381 vessels of 4,429,987 passed through the canal going east, and 16,529 vessels of 5,076,479 tons passed through in the opposite direction.—Nautical Gazette, 15 February, 1922.
GREAT BRITAIN
The Navy Estimates.—More than ordinary interest will attach to the navy estimates for the forthcoming financial year. They will doubtless reflect in some measure the decisions of the Washington Conference, though not, perhaps, to such an extent as some people suppose. The vote for new construction will probably be diminished by the cancellation of the four battle-cruisers, but, if the Government decide to push on with the two-battleship program without delay, this vote will still remain at a fairly high figure. From a recent statement by the Prime Minister is seems that a decision in regard to the two ships has not yet been reached, and that the matter will remain open until Mr. Balfour has made a full report of the Washington transactions to the Cabinet. It is no secret however, that strong pressure is being brought to bear on the Admiralty with a view to securing their consent to a further postponement of capital ship construction. The Sea Lords will have to fight hard for their two ships, which are absolutely essential if the British Navy is to maintain its relative standing.
Another danger to the Navy is the Geddes axe, which is seen to be hovering menacingly over the personnel; but we do not believe that the public, despite its anxiety to see expenditure curtailed, would approve any measure which threatened to destroy naval efficiency. Irrespective of the Geddes recommendations, the navy estimates will probably show a fall of twenty millions, as compared with those of last year, in which case they will approximate to £60,000,000. In view of the immense increase in the cost of everything required by the service, this sum is equivalent to little more than thirty millions on the pre-war scale of value. It is altogether misleading to compare naval expenditure before and after the war without making due allowance for the depreciation in the purchasing power of money.—Naval and Military Record. 15 February, 1922.
Naval Problems to be Solved.—The prolonged era of peace which preceded Armageddon had not undermined the cardinal tradition of the British Navy, to seek out the enemy and destroy him, but it may be doubted whether sufficient attention had been paid to the methods of search. The veriest tyro in naval matters must have foreseen that, in view of British preponderance in strength, an Anglo-German war at sea would largely resolve itself into a game of hide-and-seek, and that the enemy would employ his forces, especially those in foreign waters, to create diversions with the object of compelling us to detach ships from the main body, thereby reducing our margin of superiority in the main arena. As all this must have been clearly appreciated by those responsible for the war training of the Navy, it is the more surprising that so little was done to prepare for contingencies so patent to every discerning eye.
It is impossible to read Sir Julian Corbett's narrative of the Goeben affair without a feeling that events would have taken a very different course had the problem of locating and intercepting an enemy force been studied more closely beforehand. The quarry in this case was known to be in a certain well-defined area, with a very limited choice of exits, and our available force was not inadequate for the work in hand; yet the result was complete failure. In other zones the task of hunting down isolated enemy cruisers involved the employment of a great many ships—sometimes the ratio was as high as ten to one—whose withdrawal gravely handicapped operations elsewhere, and more than once led to a serious reverse. If, therefore, the teachings of the war have been taken to heart, such future maneuvers as a depleted purse may render possible will not be confined to the realm of grand strategy, but will no doubt extend to the elucidation of such problems as we have indicated above, and which have invariably cropped up m every naval campaign in which we have been engaged.—Naval and Military Record, 8 February, 1922.
Naval Economy.—In any consideration of the Geddes report so far as the Navy is concerned, it is recognized fully that the interests of the country require that economy in public expenditure shall be exercised to the utmost limit, and that a reduction of the Naval Service is inevitable. It is, moreover, possible to acquiesce in such a reduction because there are no probable enemies in view. The expenditure on the Navy is an insurance for our very existence, but since the risks against which we insure are less, the premium can—for the present—be safely reduced. The question at issue is rather as to how the cuts are to be made. Here it must be pointed out that the Admiralty indicated their policy no less than two years ago, in the first Memorandum by the Board after the armistice. "Since sea power is essential for the security and prosperity of the British Empire," said this Memorandum, "it is the object of the Board of Admiralty to proceed on lines which they believe will provide us with our vital requirements, and at the same time secure the exercise of rigid economy." How has this object been carried out?
In regard to material, the reductions effected are well known, and an excellent indication of them was afforded by the fact that of the nineteen capital ships which Mr. Hughes proposed at Washington to scrap, eleven had already been placed on the disposal or non-effective lists before he spoke. A much more intricate and difficult problem has been the reduction of the personnel, but this has been carried out gradually and without violent interruption to the work and progress of the Service, until the total is now down to about 120,000. In view of the Washington agreements, this is expected to come down to about 100,000, or 51,000 less than the number provided for in the last estimates before the war. More recently the Board have been engaged in what may be termed the third stage of their economies, one which follows naturally upon the discharge of the surplus personnel and the provision of a nucleus of young seamen for post-war needs— the concentration of the work of the training establishments. Chatham and Devonport are to lose their signal training schools, it is understood, the work being centralized at Portsmouth. In the same direction, too, is the substitution of the light cruiser Yarmouth for the armored cruiser Antrim, as signal and wireless experimental ship at Portsmouth. There is nothing new in this sort of thing; it has been constantly going on ever since the armistice, and quite apart from anything suggested by the Geddes Committee.
There is a certain limit, however, beyond which, if we are to have a fleet at all—and an inadequate or untrained fleet is worse than useless—the Board cannot go. It takes many years under modern conditions, to make a sailor, and it is essential not only that there shall be a nucleus of skilled men, but that provisions shall be made for ships and establishments in which they can keep themselves efficient. We need, that is to say, a navy for training purposes, and one in which there is constant progress in the direction of experiment and research, with adequate provision for staff work and studies. It will be fatal to future efficiency if these essentials are tampered with to save more money on the estimates. If the Sea Lords have a free hand they can save even larger sums without jeopardizing the well-being of the Service as a whole. Last year, for instance, the Board decided that they had no further use for Pembroke Dockyard, but political influence frustrated the proposal to close this establishment. Similar economies in the civilian departments have been watered down because those who would be affected by them are able to organize political, trade union, or other opposition. Left to their own resources, the Admiralty have shown what they can do in the way of economical administration, and they may well say, as Lord Fisher did when he was engaged in a similar task fifteen years ago, "Don't spur a willing horse."—Army, Navy, and Air Force Gazette, 18 February, 1922.
The Pacific Agreement.—Another important step has been taken in connection with the preliminary work of the Washington Conference by the publication of the much-discussed Article XTX of the Naval Pact, dealing with the areas in the Pacific in which the status quo is to be maintained in regard to fortifications and naval bases. Only incomplete cabled summaries are to hand at the moment of writing, and in any case this section like the other parts of the proposed treaty cannot come into effect until the Powers concerned have ratified its provisions. At the same time, the measure of agreement reached between the various nations through their representatives at Washington is of special interest and importance. Although the status quo mainly concerns Great Britain, America and Japan, there are within the wide zone covered by it certain islands belonging to Holland and France. These islands, however, are not directly concerned, since it is very unlikely that either of the latter Powers is going to increase its fortifications out there—it would have less reason than ever to do so after the signing of such a compact as that now published.
In considering the article in its broadest aspect, it is interesting to note what are considered to be the limits of the Pacific. The neutral zone, as it may be called, within which the Powers agree that no new fortifications or naval bases shall be established, and that no measures shall be taken to increase existing naval facilities for the repair or maintenance of naval forces, extends from 160 degrees west of Greenwich, which is about the longitude of the Hawaiian Islands, on the one side, to 100 degrees east of Greenwich, on the other. It includes Hong Kong, the Philippines, Guam, Bonin, Formosa, and the Pescadores. On the north it extends to about 60 degrees, incorporating the Aleutian and Kuriles Islands, and on the south it extends to about 30 degrees, or as far down as Norfolk Island, which is excluded from its provisions. Certain ex-German territories in the Pacific, such as Yap, were already debarred from being fortified under the terms of the mandates granted in regard to them under the Peace Treaty.
As regards the places outside the proposed zone, it would be well to await the full text before offering criticism. Cabled reports, however, show that on the American side the coasts of the United States and Canada, Alaska, and the Panama Canal zone are excluded from the agreement. So, too, are the Hawaiian Islands, where at Pearl Harbor the Americans have established a base, with a large dry-dock capable of taking ships of any dimensions. On the opposite side of the Pacific, the French settlement of Saigon and the British port of Singapore are both outside the limits of the agreement, and also the Dutch East Indies. On the south, the Commonwealth of Australia and its territories, and New Zealand, do not come within the scope of the proposal. It will be interesting to learn in due course how far the term "territories" applies, and whether, for instance, it includes the territory of Papua, previously known as British New Guinea, in the same way that it does Tasmania.
From what is known of the treaty so far, it obviously must, if carried out, prove more beneficial to Japan than to any other Power, for it removes the possibility of places in a position to be inimical to her security being fortified. The United States virtually gives up the right to construct that chain of naval bases between the homeland and the Philippines which several recent writers have shown would be necessary for the security of the latter in time of war. As Mr. H. C. Bywater said in his recent volume, Sea Power in the Pacific, the Philippines must be guarded by naval force or not at all, "and as the lack of a well-found fleet base near at hand puts effective naval protection out of the question for the time being, the islands would doubtless fall an easy prey to Japan in case of war with the United States." Japan, on the other band, which is already well-nigh impregnable, as Admiral Ballard has shown, to direct attack, as a result of great natural advantages of position, combined with success in war and wisdom in diplomacy, will be rendered more secure than ever by the adoption of the new Naval Treaty, always providing, of course, that the spirit of the renewal and replacement clause is interpreted aright by the signatory Powers.—Army, Navy, and Air Force Gazette, 11 February, 1922.
Mediterranean Exercises.—The combined exercises taking place "up the Straits" this week between the Atlantic and Mediterranean fleets scarcely justify the term "'maneuvers" which has been applied to them in some of the papers. For one thing, as the Admiralty have enjoined strict economy in the consumption of fuel, those periods of steaming at high speed which are essential if fleet exercises are to be conducted on a realistic scale will be impossible. A good many years have elapsed since the British Navy engaged in full-dress maneuvers, and in view of the needs for economy there is not much likelihood of their being repeated in the near future. This is to be regretted, for many problems of strategy and tactics suggested by the war still await solution, and the only practical way of solving them is to employ the fleet in conditions approximating as nearly as possible to those of war.
Whether maneuvers after the conventional pre-war fashion, in which most of the time was taken up by movements and counter-movements on the part of "Red" and "Blue" battle fleets, afforded the best preparation for the "real thing" is a point on which service opinion is divided. While it is, of course, essential that frequent opportunity should be afforded to senior and flag officers to handle large formations at sea and master the difficult art of keeping the enemy under the maximum volume of fire throughout every intricate movement, many officers believe that more time should be allotted to the study of those subsidiary operations which the late war showed to be scarcely less decisive in the final analysis than the clash of opposing battle fleets. Who will deny, for instance, that the escape of the Goeben had consequences at least as weighty as those produced by any other naval event of the whole struggle?—Naval and Military Record, 8 February, 1922.
Naval Officers as Consuls,—The Foreign Office, it seems, finds a difficulty in staffing the Consular Service in the Far East, good recruits being by no means plentiful. Lord Northcliffe recently described how the British Consuls out there are badly housed and grossly overworked. Some of the best men, the Consular Department officials declare, are induced to leave their posts by the offer of larger salaries from merchants. We put forward some time ago in this journal a plea for the utilization of retired naval officers in this work, and in view of the state of things now revealed such a policy would evidently be an advantage to the officers and the State. While £800 a year is apparently insufficient to attract young men who have more lucrative prospects elsewhere, it would be welcomed by many officers who have been obliged to leave the Navy owing to the post-war reductions, and whose experience of foreign ports would stand them in good stead in the Consular Service, especially if they could be given a brief course of instruction in trading matters. The value of a seaman in this connection was demonstrated when the Dresden escaped into hiding after the Falklands victory in 1914, for of all the people concerned in the search there was only one who found her out, and this was the British Consul at Punta Arenas, Mr. Milward, who had followed the sea in his youth, and whose knowledge enabled him to trace the locality to which the Dresden's supplies were going. We recommend the moral of this incident to the attention of the Foreign Office.—Army, Navy, and Air Service Gazette, 28 January, 1922.
Naval Prisons.—It is, in a way, evidence of the better class of men now in the Royal Navy that on March 31 the only remaining naval prison, at Bodmin, is to be closed. Twelve years ago there were three such prisons, the others being at Portsmouth and Lewes, but there was a reduction to one after the coming into force of the Naval Discipline Amendment Act of 1909, which provided that offences against discipline might be dealt with by detention, for which purpose detention quarters were provided at each naval barracks. Bodmin naval prison has accommodation for a hundred of the men, but nothing like this total has been there of late years. The average daily number in 1920 was only thirty-four, and it is understood that there was a still further decrease last year. In these circumstances there would seem to be no need whatever for keeping on the establishment, especially since arrangements could be made with the War Office for the accommodation of offenders at the military prison at Woking. The current estimates show that there is a staff of sixteen at Bodmin—nearly as many as the prisoners—and that the votes for salaries, warders' uniforms, and the like run into nearly £6,000 a year, besides the cost of the upkeep of the prison buildings. So on all grounds the Navy is glad to see the last of its prisons. It could be wished that every economy was as popular with most people as this one.—Army, Navy and Air Force Gazette, 4 February, 1922.
British Destroyers for Finland.—England has offered to Finland at a very low figure six destroyers built in 1914. The chief of the Finish Naval Staff has left for London with a view to buying the ships.—Naval and Military Record, 8 February, 1922.
Admiralty Order for Vickers, Ltd.—A Barrow message states that Vickers, Ltd, are in receipt of an Admiralty order to construct Diesel engines for a minelayer to be built in the Government dockyard. Whilst there is no official confirmation, there is no denial, and the report is believed to be correct.—Engineering and Industrial Management, 19 January, 1922.
Dry-Docking of H. M. S. Victory.—Whether the famous flagship of Nelson has now been towed to her final resting place is not yet known, but there will be no surprise if it is decided to keep her permanently in dry-dock No. 2, where she now lies. The vessel will be carefully surveyed, but experts who have had access to the reports made after the earlier examination made when the Victory was at her old moorings in Portsmouth Harbor do not think it will be safe to float the ship again. The greatest care was exercised to ensure that she settled correctly on the blocks, and other precautions taken to avoid any undue straining of the hull. It is an advantage that the dry-dock in which the ship now rests is very accessible to the public, being in close proximity to the main gates of the dockyard, and that the dock is not likely to be required for any other purpose.—Engineering, 27 January, 1922.
JAPAN
Japanese Shipbuilding Policy.—The Japanese press refers to a meeting held in Tokyo on December 23 at the official residence of the Naval Minister, those present including four members of the House of Peers, who are particularly interested in naval affairs, and several high officials of the Navy Department. Vice-Admiral Ide, who is acting for the Minister during the latter's absence in Washington, explained the navy estimates and replied to questions touching the effects of the American limitation scheme. He stated, inter alia, that Japan had endeavored to secure some modification of the naval holiday in order to mitigate the severity of its reaction on the shipbuilding industry, and had also claimed the same ratio of tonnage for aircraft-carriers as was proposed for America and Great Britain; but on both points she had been overruled. Vice-Admiral Okada, the director of naval construction, assured the meeting that even after the construction of capital ships had been suspended, the building of subsidiary vessels would be pushed on. Furthermore, in order to alleviate unemployment, measures would be taken to accelerate the building of some special service ships which it was originally intended to have laid down in the fiscal years 1924 and 1925. These statements appear to corroborate previous reports as to the Japanese intention of building cruisers and lesser craft in place of the cancelled dreadnoughts. As for the "special service ships," which include gunboats, mine-layers, oil-tankers, etc., eighteen of these were authorized under the "eight-eight" project. The cruiser program is fairly large. It comprises about seven ships building and eight not yet laid down. When to these are added the many destroyers and submarines provided for in the "eight-eight" scheme, the aggregate of tonnage to be completed becomes quite large, and if the Navy Department adheres to its resolve to substitute smaller vessels for the abandoned capital ships, Japanese shipbuilders should have no reason to complain of any dearth of orders.
The Navy Department has not yet decided how to dispose of the uncompleted capital ships affected by the Washington agreement. The battleships Kaga and Tosa are already afloat, but the battle cruisers Amagi and Akagi remain on the stocks, and will almost certainly be launched, Japanese experts agreeing that less expenditure is involved in the breaking up of warships after they have been launched than in dismantling them as they lie on the slip. Work on the battle cruisers Atago and Takao is proceeding at a leisurely rate, and will not be definitely suspended until the return of the Naval Minister, Admiral Baron Kato. Laborers at the Kure Arsenal continue to agitate for a large bonus in the event of their discharge, and there is much unrest at the other shipyards, both state-owned and private. Even the staunchest advocates of naval retrenchment now admit that a complete cessation of warship construction would probably lead to grave disorders, owing to the high proportion of Japanese wage-earners dependent on such work.
Admiral Chisaka, director of the Kure Naval Academy, is credited with the statement that, owing to the naval limitation scheme, the number of first and second-year students will shortly have to be reduced by half, and that naval cadets would be well-advised to cast about for alternative careers in view of the impending diminution of the fleet.—Naval and Military Record, 15 February, 1922.
Manufacture of Aeroplanes in Japan.—The Mitsubishi Motor Co. at Nagoya, has made progress in the work of manufacturing its new type of aeroplane, and will soon be turning out complete machines. The company's application for permission to establish an aviation field in front of its works at the port has received official sanction.
A trial flight with an experimental aeroplane completed by these works, in which a 300-horsepower Hispano-Suiza motor was installed, showed satisfactory results. The aeroplane was constructed after the plan of a British engineer; while the details of construction are kept secret, it is said to be a high-speed fighting plane, to be known as the Mitsubishi type. The company plans to undertake construction of this type of biplane.
Work has been started by the Aichi Tokei Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Aichi Clock & Electric Machinery Co., Ltd.) on the construction of a factory in the neighborhood of Nagoya to which the works of the company now at Atsuta, will be moved. It is expected that the factory will be completed by the end of 1922. The present works are capable of turning out one aeroplane a month, of the Yokosho type; the new factory will have a capacity of fifty planes a month. Besides the manufacture of airplanes for military purposes, special attention will be given to the production of large commercial planes.
The Kawasaki Works of Kobe are contemplating the erection of aeroplane factories in the Gifu Prefecture. Construction was scheduled to be started in November, 1921, and to be completed in the spring of 1922, when 500 workmen will be detached from Kobe to engage in the manufacture of aeroplanes.—Aerial Age Weekly, 27 February, 1922.
Big Japanese Firm Accused of Defrauding Government.—Charges that the Kawasaki Dockyards Company for ten years has been forging seals of approval on materials for warships, merchant vessels, railway cars, and other large products, which have been rejected by inspectors of Lloyds, the Navy and the Japanese Railway Department, thereby profiting by 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 yen ($5,000,000), are made through the columns of the Japanese press. Kojiro Matsukata, president of the company, denies the charges, saying:
"The alleged scandal is merely the work of laborers who were dismissed from our plant because of lack of discipline." It is generally believed that men discharged from the plant last summer are responsible for the publicity at this time.
The Tokio Asahkio publishes a photograph alleged to be of a false seal. Mr. Kawashima and Tomitaro Shibata, members of the Kobe branch of the Japan League of Labor, have issued the following statement:
"The Kawasaki dockyards have been deliberately deceiving the authorities. We have good evidence of this. The dockyards are supposed to supply materials according to a fixed standard, but have been supplying bad materials by use of false seals.
"In view of the large loss through machine parts failing to pass inspection, the company especially made test pieces to be used to deceive the inspectors. With these and false seals which the company ordered made, the company has been carrying on deceit on a gigantic scale, of which we now possess six cases of evidence."
The statement further declares that Navy Inspector Onodera is alleged to have had knowledge of the forgeries.—Philadelphia Public Ledger, 20 February, 1922.
Japan and Armaments.—The Japanese Embassy announces that it is unofficially reported from Tokio that it has been decided to reduce Maizuru, hitherto one of the most important naval stations in Japan, to the rank of a naval port.
It is further stated that the naval station of Port Arthur will be thrown open before long as an ordinary commercial port or open harbor.
With regard to the Army, the Kokuminto party (nationalists) proposed a measure to the Diet for reducing the army by one half. The Government party, while not going so far as the Nationalists. has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives with the object of reducing the personnel of the army and effecting reforms in the scope of organization.—Naval and Military Record, 15 February, 1922.
Japan's Shipbuilding Output.—At the present time there are fourteen Japanese shipbuilding establishments capable of constructing ocean-going merchant ships as compared with a total of fifty-three yards in 1918. Of these fourteen plants only nine are actually engaged in new construction. The output of Japanese yards has fluctuated as follows since 1913:
Year | No. of Ships | Gross Tons |
1914 | 16 | 78,010 |
1915 | 8 | 40,485 |
1916 | 40 | 141,827 |
1917 | 89 | 348,430 |
1918 | 189 | 518,786 |
1919 | 136 | 621,513 |
1920 | 93 | 433,265 |
1921 | 40 | 190,000 (estimated) |
?
The largest merchant vessel built last year was the twin screw steamer Hakone Mam of 10,500 gross tons, which was constructed at the Nagasaki works of the Mitsubishi Shosen Kaisha for the Nippon Yusen Kaisha. She is a combination passenger and cargo carrier and has a speed of 16 knots. Her propelling machinery consists of two sets of Parsons double-reduction geared turbines.
For the Toyo Kisen Kafsha, the Asano Shipbuilding Company completed in 1921 the Biyo Maru. This is the first electrically propelled steamer to be built in Japan. She is reported to be giving every satisfaction in service and to consume very little fuel as compared with sister cargo carriers fitted with geared turbines. She is of 8,800 tons deadweight.
Last year also witnessed the completion for the Teikoku Steamship Company of the steamers Tachibana Maru and Manju Maru designed for the carrying of oil in bulk. They are of 8,800 tons deadweight and were built on the Isherwood plan at the Harima yard of Messrs. Suzuki & Co. These two vessels, together with the Kiyo Maru and a small iron tanker, are the only privately-owned tank steamers under Japanese registry.—Nautical Gazette, 11 February, 1922.
UNITED STATES
Navy Department
Bureau of Construction and Repair
Washington, D. C, February 10. 1922.
Vessels Under Construction, United States Navy—Progress as of January 31, 1922
Type | Contractor | % of Completion | |||
Name and Number | Feb. 1, 1922 | Jan. 1, 1922 | |||
Total | On Ship | Total | On Ship | ||
Battleships (BB) | |||||
45 Colorado | New York S.B. Cpn. | 87.9 | 86.8 | 86.0 | 84.9 |
47 Washington | New York S.B. Cpn. | 75.3 | 69.4 | 69.8 | 63.6 |
48 West Virginia | Newport News S.B. & D.D. Co. | 73.0 | 69.2 | 70.0 | 65.4 |
49 South Dakota | New York Navy Yard | 38.5 | 31.6 | 38.0 | 31.1 |
50 Indiana | New York Navy Yard | 34.6 | 27.1 | 34.3 | 26.8 |
51 Montana | Mare Island Navy Yard | 27.6 | 19.0 | 27.6 | 19.0 |
52 North Carolina | Norfolk Navy Yard | 36.7 | 27.1 | 36.7 | 27.1 |
53 Iowa | Newport News S.B. & D.D. Co. | 31.5 | 27.1 | 31.2 | 26.5 |
54 Massachusetts | Beth. S.B. Cpn. (Fore River) | 11.0 | 4.3 | 11.0 | 4.3 |
Battle Cruisers (CC) | |||||
1 Lexington | Beth. S.B. Cpn. (Fore River) | 33.2 | 23.4 | 31.1 | 21.4 |
2 Constellation | Newport News S.B. & D.D. Co. | 22.3 | 19.1 | 20.0 | 17.6 |
3 Saratoga | New York S.B. Cpn. | 33.7 | 26.7 | 32.4 | 25.4 |
4 Ranger | Newport News S.B. & D.D. Co. | 4.0 | 1.5 | 3.8 | 1.4 |
5 Constitution | Philadelphia Navy Yard | 13.3 | 8.3 | 12.8 | 7.8 |
6 United States | Philadelphia Navy Yard | 12.0 | 7.0 | 11.8 | 6.8 |
Scout Cruisers (Light Cruisers) (CL) | |||||
4 Omaha | Todd D.D. & Const. Cpn. | 99.2 | 94.3 | 99.0 | 93.0 |
5 Milwaukee | Todd D.D. & Const. Cpn. | 94.0 | 86.5 | 93.6 | 86.2 |
6 Cincinnati | Todd D.D. & Const. Cpn. | 88.0 | 81.6 | 87.6 | 81.2 |
7 Raleigh | Beth. S.B. Cpn. (Fore River) | 63.7 | 45.6 | 63.7 | 45.6 |
8 Detroit | Beth. S.B. Cpn. (Fore River) | 79.1 | 64.8 | 76.9 | 61.6 |
9 Richmond | Wm. Cramp & Sons Co. | 85.0 | 79.0 | 83.0 | 77.0 |
10 Concord | Wm. Cramp & Sons Co. | 82.0 | 75.0 | 79.0 | 71.0 |
11 Trenton | Wm. Cramp & Sons Co. | 57.0 | 46.0 | 55.0 | 43.0 |
12 Marblehead | Wm. Cramp & Sons Co. | 47.0 | 33.0 | 47.0 | 33.0 |
13 Memphis | Wm. Cramp & Sons Co. | 40.0 | 26.0 | 40.0 | 26.0 |
Auxiliaries | |||||
Repair Ship No. 1 Medusa (AR1) | Puget Sound Navy Yard | 75.9 | 66.6 | 74.1 | 62.7 |
Dest. Tender No. 3 Dobbin (AD3) | Philadelphia Navy Yard | 67.5 | 67.2 | 66.9 | 66.6 |
Dest. Tender No. 4 Whitney (AD4) | Boston Navy Yard | 49.6 | 40.4 | 47.1 | 37.8 |
Sub. Tender No. 3 Holland (AS3) | Puget Sound Navy Yard | 21.5 | 5.5 | 21.5 | 5.5 |
Patrol Vessels | |||||
Gunboat No. 22 Tulsa (PG22) | Charleston Navy Yard | 72.0 | 59.0 | 71.3 | 57.5 |
Destroyers | |||||
339 Trever | Mare Island Navy Yard | 99.6 | 99.6 | 98.8 | 98.8 |
340 Perry | Mare Island Navy Yard | 87.7 | 87.7 | 86.0 | 85.7 |
341 Decatur | Mare Island Navy Yard | 83.3 | 83.3 | 82.1 | 81.8 |
Destroyers authorized but not under construction or contract (12) Nos. 348 to 359 inclusive.
Under Construction: 4 fleet submarines and 37 submarines. Authorized but not under construction or contract: 6 fleet submarines and 1 submarine.
Bids for Naval Spotters.—The Bureau of Aeronautics of the Navy has just asked American airplane manufacturers for bids on a small number of a new spotting seaplane, designed by the construction division of the Naval Bureau of Aeronautics, the details of which are not revealed. These planes are to be used for spotting the fire of the guns of the fleet, and it is believed they will be small fast craft carrying two or three men. Detailed plans of the new seaplanes have been submitted to airplane manufacturers, so that they can make definite bids for three each, though the total num.ber to be ordered was not announced.—Aviation, 20 February, 1922.
January Shipbuilding Output in Detail.—The Bureau of Navigation. Department of Commerce, reports seventy-one sailing, steam, gas, and unrigged, vessels of 52,764 gross tons built in the United States and officially numbered during the month of January, 1922, as follows:
? | Atlantic and Gulf | Pacific | Great Lakes | Western Rivers | Total | |||||
? | No. | Gross | No. | Gross | No. | Gross | No. | Gross | No. | Gross |
Wood | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Sailing | 1 | 8 | 1 | 17 | … | … | … | … | 2 | 25 |
Steam | … | … | … | … | … | … | 2 | 157 | 2 | 157 |
Gas | 20 | 277 | 3 | 33 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 52 | 29 | 374 |
Unrigged | 23 | 8,955 | 3 | 583 | … | … | 3 | 121 | 29 | 9,659 |
Total | 44 | 9,240 | 7 | 633 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 330 | 62 | 10,215 |
Metal | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Sailing | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … |
Steam | 6 | 32,609 | 1 | 9,838 | … | … | … | … | 7 | 42,447 |
Gas | 1 | 86 | 1 | 16 | … | … | … | … | 2 | 102 |
Unrigged | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … |
Total | 7 | 32,695 | 2 | 9,854 | … | … | … | … | 9 | 42,549 |
Totals | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Sailing | 1 | 8 | 1 | 17 | … | … | … | … | 2 | 25 |
Steam | 6 | 32,609 | 1 | 9,838 | … | … | 2 | 157 | 9 | 42,604 |
Gas | 21 | 363 | 4 | 49 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 52 | 31 | 476 |
Unrigged | 23 | 8,955 | 3 | 583 | … | … | 3 | 121 | 29 | 9,659 |
Grand total | 51 | 41,935 | 9 | 10,487 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 330 | 71 | 52,764 |
The above total includes twenty-nine rigged vessels of 10,541 gross tons and twenty-four unrigged vessels of 9,283 gross tons, total fifty-three vessels of 19,824 gross tons built in years previous to 1922. Of the above total, one vessel of 14,187 gross tons was built for the United States Shipping Board.
The largest vessel built during the month was the Peninsula State of 14,187 gross tons. Other large vessels include the W.S. Rheem, 9,838 gross tons, Delaware Sun, 8,694 gross tons, and Macy Willis, 7,096 gross tons.—Nautical Gazette, 18 February, 1922.
Table of Proposed New Base Pay and Allowances.—This table embodies the provision for service pay and allowances in the bill as drafted by the joint Congressional Committee. While in this compilation the titles used are those of the Army, the rates apply, of course, to corresponding grades of the other services.—Army and Navy Journal, 25 February, 1922.
Leviathan Contract Awarded to Newport News Yard.—The Shipping Board has decided to award the contract for reconditioning the liner Leviathan to the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry-Dock Company which was the lowest bidder for the repair work. Its bid was $8,200,000, and involved an expenditure of $28,000 on its part in making a survey of the liner.
Since the Board invited tenders for the Leviathan's reconstruction, considerable pressure has been brought to bear to have the work performed at the Boston Navy Yard. In justice to the eight private concerns which submitted bids, however, the Administration has felt that it could not in good faith fail to accept the lowest tender.—Nautical Gazette, 18 February, 1922.
Ice Patrol Resumed.—Halifax will again be the headquarters of the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Seneca, which with a sister ship has been detailed to the work of patrolling the Grand Banks and vicinity in accordance with the arrangement made by the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea adopted at London in 1914.
The Seneca and Androscoggin, which were on the ice patrol last spring, did very valuable work. They keep in touch with the ice situation, make observations of the quantities of ice, its kind, extent and drift, and obtain all other information of value for the guidance of navigators, together with oceanographical and meteorological observations.—Nautical Gazette, 25 February, 1922.
Vessels Sold to Foreigners.—With the consent of the Shipping Board, twenty-one American vessels aggregating 20,696 tons were transferred to foreign flags during the month of January. The largest of these were the following five wooden steamers:
? | Gross Tons | Flag |
Neabsco | 3,353 | British |
Airlie | 2,799 | British |
Thala | 2,799 | British |
Oneco | 2,571 | British |
Coyote | 2,551 | French |
—Nautical Gazette, 18 February, 1922.
Last Four Combination Steamers Allocated by Shipping Board.—Allocation of the entire fleet of the 535 and 502-feet type combination passenger and cargo steamships built by the Emergency Fleet Corporation has been announced by the Shipping Board. The last four of these models to be completed have been assigned to the Munson and United States Lines. The latter will place the Lone Star State and the Peninsular State in the North Atlantic service and the Palmetto State and Nutmeg State will be operated on the New York to Buenos Aires run by the Munson Lines. In addition, the Buckeye State and the Hawkeye State will be temporarily assigned to the United States Lines for European trade.
Eleven of the fleet are assigned for operation in the Pacific trade and two additional, the Hawkeye State and the Buckeye State, will be reallocated to it in time for the summer season traffic. Four will be in the South American and six in the European service. The Pacific Mail Steamship Co. is to maintain its San Francisco, India, China, and Japan routes with six ships and the Pacific Steamship Co. has been assigned five for the Seattle to China and Japan service. One of these is the Pine Tree State, which holds the speed record of eight days, nineteen hours and thirty minutes between Yokohama and Seattle.
The Munson Lines are operating the Southern Cross and American Legion, the latter holding the record for the New York to Buenos Aires run, and two more will be put on the same route in March. The two now in operation will then be temporarily withdrawn for the installation of larger fuel tanks. The United States Lines are at the moment entrusted with eight of these combination vessels, four are now on scheduled sailings. The Buckeye State and Hawkeye State will take the place of two of the larger passenger liners, which will be temporarily withdrawn from service. These two, when returned to the Pacific, will be operated by a new company in a Los Angeles-Hawaiian service.
The Peninsular State, one of the new ships assigned to the United States Lines, is undergoing its final trials and is scheduled to sail on February 18. The Lone Star State, also allocated to the U. S. Lines, is about ready for service and the two new Munson assignments, the Palmetto State and the Nutmeg State, will be ready in the course of several weeks. These four are all 5353 and are the last of the larger combination passenger and cargo ships on the Fleet Corporation's program to be completed.
Allocation of the entire fleet is shown in the accompanying table:
Operating Company | Name of Vessel | Name of State | Length of Vessel | Service to be Used In |
Munson S.S. Co. | American Legion | … | 535 feet | N.Y to Buenos Aires |
Munson S.S. Co. | Southern Cross | … | 535 feet | N.Y. to Buenos Aires |
Munson S.S. Co. | Palmetto State | South Carolina | 535 feet | N.Y. to Buenos Aires |
Munson S.S. Co. | Nutmeg State | Connecticut | 535 feet | N.Y. to Buenos Aires |
Pacific Mail S.S. Co. | Empire State | New York | 535 feet | San Francisco to Orient |
Pacific Mail S.S. Co. | Hoosier State | Indiana | 535 feet | San Francisco to Orient |
Pacific Mail S.S. Co. | Golden State | California | 535 feet | San Francisco to Orient |
Pacific Mail S.S. Co. | Creole State | Louisiana | 502 feet | San Francisco to Orient |
Pacific Mail S.S. Co. | Granite State | Vermont | 502 feet | San Francisco to Orient |
Pacific Mail S.S. Co. | Wolverine State | Michigan | 502 feet | San Francisco to Orient |
United States Line | Panhandle State | West Virginia | 502 feet | N.Y. to European ports |
United States Line | Centennial State | Colorado | 502 feet | N.Y. to European ports |
United States Line | Old North State | North Carolina | 502 feet | N.Y. to European ports |
United States Line | Blue Hen State | Delaware | 502 feet | N.Y. to European ports |
United States Line | Hawkeye State | Iowa | 535 feet | N.Y. to European ports |
United States Line | Buckeye State | Ohio | 535 feet | N.Y. to European ports |
United States Line | Lone Star State | Texas | 535 feet | N.Y. to European ports |
United States Line | Peninsular State | Florida | 535 feet | N.Y. to European ports |
Pacific S.S. Co. | Wenatchee | … | 535 feet | Seattle to Orient |
Pacific S.S. Co. | Bay State | Massachusetts | 535 feet | Seattle to Orient |
Pacific S.S. Co. | Keystone State | Pennsylvania | 535 feet | Seattle to Orient |
Pacific S.S. Co. | Pine Tree State | Virginia | 535 feet | Seattle to Orient |
Pacific S.S. Co. | Silver State | Nevada | 535 feet | Seattle to Orient |
—Nautical Gazette, 4 February 1922.
Ship Worm in New York Waters.—The National Research Council and the Engineering Foundation announce that the dreaded teredo navalis or ship worm has gained entrance to New York Harbor waters. It has been found in Barnegat Bay and in other nearby places. This particular borer multiplies with extraordinary rapidity and attacks the under-water portions of wooden piers and wooden ships. Steps are being taken to combat this menace. The usual treatment is with creosote or corrosive sublimate.—Nautical Gazette, 25 February, 1922.
World’s Only Six-Masters.—The only six-masted sailing vessels now afloat are the American schooners Ruth E. Merrill, Edward J. Lawrence, and Wyoming. Though at one time there were nearly a dozen six-masted American schooners in the coastwise coal trade, they came to various untimely ends, and none have been built in several years. The only seven-masted vessel ever constructed, the Thomas W. Lawson, was wrecked a number of years ago on the Irish coast.
The largest of the vessels yet in service is the Wyoming. She is of 3,730 gross tons and can carry more than 6,000 tons of coal, her cargo capacity being greater than that of many steamers. Built in 1909 at Bath Me., the home of schooners, the Wyoming has had a peculiar history. In the first five years of her life, when she was employed in the coastwise coal trade, she paid for herself. Her cost was about $160,000. Then, at the beginning of the war she was sold to the France and Canada Steamship Corporation, the price received being in the neighborhood of $400,000. In the last three years schooner prices dropped like a shot and she was acquired, not long ago, by Captain Griffin, her present master, and associates for $36,000.
The Wyoming was purchased by the syndicate from the France and Canada Steamship Corporation, together with four other vessels, all well-known craft, for the sum of $115,000. The other schooners are the Cora Cressy, Edward J. Lawrence, Dorothy Palmer and Oakley C. Curtis. It is believed that the former owners paid nearly $2,000,000 for the five ships during the war.—Nautical Gazette, 11 February, 1921.
AERONAUTICS
Thirty-four Killed in Crash of the Roma.—Thirty-four officers, enlisted men and civilians were killed on February 21 when the Army dirigible airship Roma plunged a thousand feet and crashed to earth in flames near the Hampton Roads army base. Only eleven of the forty-five men aloft with her were saved, and some of them were terribly hurt. Three were slightly injured.
The breaking of, the rudder with its vertical controls, affixed in box kite fashion to the stern, is believed the original cause of the disaster. Just as the craft plummeted into the earth the metal-clad nose struck high-tension electric power wires, and the dirigible was fired from stem to stern.
Only those whose fortunate positions in the car enabled them to leap before the flames ran with lightning speed through the gas bag, had the faintest chance for their lives. The thirty-three who couldn't jump died. One officer broke his neck in a dive to earth and was dead before he could be got to a hospital.
Many Officers Among Dead
The crushed, misshapen mass that thudded onto the field was a funeral pyre of such intense heat that the agonies of those who were not killed in the crash must have been mercifully brief. The bodies were burned beyond recognition and the slow work of listing the victims was carried out partly by a process of elimination and partly through non-combustible objects that the aviators had carried in their pockets. That list when it was completed showed that two majors, four captains, and seven lieutenants were among the lost.
The Roma's gas bag, with its cubical capacity of 1,100,000 feet, was filled with hydrogen. Non-inflammable helium was the levitating gas used when the Roma, which was bought from the Italian Government, went on her first trial flight last December. But it had been planned to send the ship—the largest semi-rigid airship in the world—on a spring cruise over the country to demonstrate her fitness to cross the Atlantic. In her bag had been the whole available supply of helium in the United States. Flying officials wanted that for the spring journey, so they pumped it into tanks and substituted hydrogen.
Trip to Test Liberty Motors
The occasion for the fatal flight was a desire to test the Liberty Motors which had been installed to replace the Italian motors.
In charge of Captain Dale Mabry, with a full complement of officers and men and a few civilian guests, the huge craft went aloft from Langley Field at 1:30 o'clock in the afternoon. It was just forty-nine minutes later that she lay in ruins, with most of those who had gone up in gay holiday mood dead in the wreckage.
The whole story was compressed into the last minute or so. In that time Captain Mabry and Lieut. Byrum G. Burt, at the control wheels, had striven with every resource of courage and skill to guide the wobbling airship to a safe landing. Others trained for swift action in just such pinched seconds had played their part by hurling overboard bag after bag of sand ballast. An instant later the falling airship came into contact with the electric wires, charged with 2,300 volts, that supply current to the army base, and the explosion and fire followed.
Lieutenant W. E. Riley, a member of the official crew, jumped from a window of the cabin when the explosion came. His parachute failed to work properly and he struck the street pavement on his head. His neck was broken and he died before reaching the hospital.
There was just one man who leaped and landed on soft ground. He escaped almost unhurt with the exception of a few burns on his face and hands. He is Lieutenant Byrum G. Burt. He jumped from the Roma when she was about thirty feet in the air. He landed in the mud on the shore of Hampton Roads.
Captain Walter G. Reed, who stood by the ship to the last and did all he could to help others, came out of the burning mass of steel and wood and rags with just a few scars on his ears and hands. He says he does not know why he is alive. Of all the line officers on the Roma only two escaped death—Captain Reed and Lieutenant Burt.
Falls Across Railroad Track
The airship fell directly across a railroad track, the elevator and rudder falling on and remaining suspended from a telegraph pole. At one side of the track was a stack of steel parts of railway cars, on the other was a big heap of pig iron. It was into the pile of iron scraps that the passenger car of the dirigible smashed.
Rescuers from the Army Supply Depot rushed to the scene, and many daring attempts were made to penetrate the smoke and gas to rescue those in the ship. It was several hours before the car of the airship could be reached, and then only after army, navy, and civilian fire-fighting forces had quenched the flames. The rescue work was also delayed until huge army derricks were brought to the scene to lift the steel wreckage from the car.
Major General Mason M. Patrick, Chief of Air Service, who flew to the scene of the disaster a few hours after it occurred, sent the following telegram to the Adjutant General on February 22:
"Have ordered thorough investigation to determine cause of Roma disaster. Information already gathered indicates that cable to elevating rudders broke. Ship nosed down. Struck live wires carrying high tension electric current and this started fire. There was no explosion and no fire until after those wires were hit and broken.
"PATRICK."
General Patrick also reported orally that the accident to the elevating rudders of the Roma occurred at an elevation of only 600 feet.
Crew of Picked Men
The Roma's crew was picked from the men stationed at Langley Field. They were said to be among the best airmen at the big army post. Each man was assigned to certain duties, and each man was an expert at the duties assigned to him.
It is the opinion of all survivors, as well as of observers of the disaster, that the officers in charge of the craft, the operating crew, and others aboard acted most admirably and coolly under the harrowing circumstances. They are declared to have stuck to their posts as long as it was possible to do anything with the ship, a number dying at their posts of duty.
In the flight, on what was to have been a speed trial with her four Liberty motors, each of 400 horsepower, the Roma was to have tried to maintain a speed of 100 miles an hour. It was the first time up with the new motors, and the first time she had ever attempted to make any unusual speed.
The Roma had not been out of her hangar at Langley Field for several weeks.—Army and Navy Journal, 25 February, 1922.
The Curtiss Twin-Engined Torpedo Seaplane.—The Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Corporation of Garden City, L. I., has recently turned over to the Navy Department a very interesting torpedo seaplane known as the Curtiss CT (Curtiss Torpedo-plane). This is one of the most advanced designs yet produced in the country and shows that American military airplane design is able to keep pace with that of any other country in the world; in fact this machine would appear to he without a rival as far as excellence of design is concerned.
The machine is a cantilever monoplane with the engine mounted practically in the wings. The engines are Curtiss CD12's and drive tractor propellers. The cooling is by two Lamblin radiators mounted under the engine nacelles under the wing. The fuel tanks are in the wings between the engine nacelles and the central nacelle. The engine instruments are mounted on the side of the nacelle in plain view of the pilot; in fact they are only about 3 feet from his head and on a level with it.
The entire machine, except for the wing covering, is built of wood. The wings are covered with fabric and taper both in chord and camber from the root to the tip. They have a span of 65 feet. The maximum thickness of the wings is 30 inches and the chord at the root 16 feet, which gives a maximum wing depth of 15.6 per cent. It is expected that future models will be constructed of metal and will be somewhat lighter.
The undercarriage consists of two floats, one under each engine. This arrangement obviates the need of wing tip floats and the main floats are sufficiently long to allow the designer to dispense with any tail floats also. The empennage is supported on booms, one of a pair running from the rear end of the float and the other from the rear of the engine nacelle, the pairs being parallel. There are four booms altogether. There are two vertical fins and two balanced rudders. The method of rudder control is very interesting. There is only one control horn on each rudder; these horns are in the space between the rudders. The tips of the balanced portions are connected together by a wire. Thus a pull on one control horn is transmitted through the rudder to the balance wire and by that means to the other rudder. The rudders are located directly behind the propellers and hence are in the slipstream, which arrangement makes for excellent control.
This machine has a high speed of 112 m.p.h. With only one engine running it loses only about 100 feet per minute. It is expected that with metal construction the machine will be able to fly level on one engine. The useful load is about 3,800 pounds consisting of fuel and oil, crew, and a standard torpedo or bomb load. The crew consists of a gunner, pilot, and assistant pilot. The pilot also acts as the bomber.
There are several very ingenious gadgets on this machine. Among these may be mentioned the stands for the mechanics to work on the engines from. These are shelves that pull in and out of the wing on each side of the engines. Handgrips on the sides of the central nacelle and steps on the undercarriage struts provide easy access and exit.—Aviation, 6 February, 1922.
The Vacuum Airship.—Although the airship in this country is for the time being virtually dead, activity in connection with it is still being displayed in several foreign quarters. There are, of course, some here who even yet have not abandoned their faith in its future, but it cannot be denied that very little impetus now remains in this country behind the development of airships. They have been virtually discarded for naval and military purposes; those which we own have been the subjects of frequent mishaps, culminating in the lamentable disaster to R-38, and all efforts on the part of the Government to induce anyone to take over and operate the existing fleet on a commercial basis have failed. Abroad the discouraging factors have apparently been less acute or less acutely felt. Certain it is that here and there people are to be found who are laboring undauntedly to improve the design and construction of airships. In the United States, for example, full-sized experiments are being conducted by the Navy Department on the use of helium or a helium mixture as a substitute for hydrogen. But of all the efforts now being made none exceeds in scientific interest and fundamental significance those in connection with the Vaugean airship at present in course of construction at Milan. This vessel, of which a description was published recently in Le Genie Civil, does not derive its buoyancy either from hydrogen or helium. Instead, M. Vaugean seeks to secure flotation by exhausting the air from a metal sheathed envelope. Such a proposal is, of course, far from being new. Indeed, the use of rarified air as represented by Montgolfier's fire balloon of 1783 actually takes precedence of hydrogen or coal gas in point of time. It has, too, so far failed to yield practical results of any importance, and in modern times has been shown mathematically to be impossible of application to airships of the self-propelled type. M. Vaugean holds, however, that the mathematicians' conclusions are premature, and that recent metallurgical discoveries combined with the adoption of certain principles of construction and working which he has devised, bring the proposal inside the reach of practical attainment.
The rock on which the vacuous balloon or airship has hitherto foundered is the difficulty or impossibility of constructing the envelope of sufficient size to give the required lift and of sufficient strength to resist the air pressure. A cubic foot of air weighs just over fourteen times as much as a cubic foot of hydrogen at the same temperature and pressure. It therefore follows that a given volume filled with hydrogen at atmospheric pressure is equivalent in lift to the same volume exhausted of air to a pressure very slightly in excess of one pound per square inch absolute. The outer skin of the equivalent vacuous airship or balloon is thus exposed at the ground level to a resultant pressure of 13.7 pounds per square inch, a figure small, of course, when contrasted with the pressure inside a boiler or outside a tube, but of prohibitive magnitude when applied to the exterior of a vessel of the size and construction of an airship or balloon. The essential characteristic of M. Vaugean's scheme is that he does not propose to employ such a degree of rarefaction at the ground level. He designs his airship to travel, let us say, at an altitude of 10,000 feet. At that height the atmospheric pressure is about 10 pounds, so that with an internal vacuum of 1 pound absolute the envelope will be subjected to a resultant pressure of 9 pounds per square inch, a value which, he believes, he can design it to withstand. To descend he increases the internal pressure in such a way that when the ground level is reached it amounts to 5.7 pounds—that is to say, in such a way that the resultant pressure on the exterior of the envelope remains constant at 9 pounds throughout the descent. It is to be noted that were the internal pressure not increased and were the vessel pulled down to the ground level by means of ropes, it would arrive at the surface with a considerable amount of surplus lift. By increasing the internal pressure in the manner stated the lift remains constantly equal to the weight of the structure throughout the descent. Such, in brief, is the essence of M. Vaugean's scheme. As for practical details, it will perhaps be sufficient to say that it is proposed to use aluminum-copper-manganese alloys for the structure and sheathing of the envelope, to maintain and vary the internal vacuum by means of pumps assisted by the heat of the exhaust from the engines, and to carry the vacuum in three or more concentric chambers, each, passing inwards, containing a higher degree of rarefaction than the next outer one. By the judicious choice of the temperatures at which the contents of the three concentric chambers are preserved M. Vaugean estimates that it will be possible to operate the vessel with an effective pressure of only 2.1 pounds per square inch on the outer skin, 3.5 pounds on the intermediate, and 4.5 pounds on the inner.
The scheme is doubtlessly open to criticism at several points. For instance, it appears certain that it is bound to result in an increase in the dimensions of an airship designed to give a specified lift. That such will be the case can readily be shown for the vacuous airship without concentric chambers. Taking the internal pressure at the ground level at the value previously mentioned—namely, 5.7 pounds—a simple calculation shows that to develop the same lift as a hydrogen airship the vacuous vessel would have to be 1.55 times as great. Such a magnification of the dimensions of a type of vessel already objectionably large cannot be regarded with approval, but it is not of itself a fatal disadvantage. From the practical rather than the theoretical point of view criticism of the scheme will no doubt be chiefly directed towards the difficulty of creating and maintaining a high degree of vacuum in a vessel the capacity of which may be anything from one to three million cubic feet. The effort required to maintain a good vacuum in a condenser is well known, but the two cases are, we think, hardly comparable, although we feel certain that this question of maintaining the vacuum will be quite the most difficult that M. Vaugean will have to face. It should be remembered, however, that by carrying the vacuum in three or more concentric chambers differentially exhausted, not only is the crushing stress reduced, but the tendency to lose the vacuum by leakage is favorably modified. In addition, the arrangement will no doubt help the vessel in the matter of the size of the exhausting plant to be carried on board, for operational changes of the internal pressure would no doubt be effected in but one of the chambers, leaving the others under the pre-arranged vacuum. The whole scheme is very highly interesting. It may not be completely practicable at the present moment, but it might well become so with a little experience or at the worst, as a result of some apparently small advance in metallurgy or in some other direction. It is at any rate worthy of scientific attention, for if it is or becomes practicable it will do very much more for the airship than would the discovery of a cheap, plentiful, and handy source of helium or other light non-inflammable gas.—The Engineer, 20 January, 1922.
ENGINEERING
Lubrication—Absolute Viscosity of Oil.—Everyone knows that some oils will flow out of a can more quickly than others, and that when rubbed between two fingers there is a difference in the feel—one oil will rub out more quickly than another. This difference in the action of lubricants is controlled by a basic physical property called viscosity.
Force is always required to change the shape of any body, on account of the resistance of its molecules to a change in position. In the case of the oil flowing out of the can, the force is that of gravity: when rubbing the oil between the fingers, the force is the pressure applied by the fingers. Oils that have the greatest internal resistance' are moved by gravity the most slowly; in other words, they flow out of the can less quickly.
This resistance of a fluid to a change in its shape is called viscosity. It is the inverse of fluidity. It is the property of the oil which enables it to hold two bearing surfaces apart, thereby preventing metallic contact and wear. Evidently, it is an important thing to know about an
There are, in common use, a number of units of viscosity, which should be thoroughly understood, the principal terms by which they are known being absolute viscosity, fluidity, specific viscosity, kinematic viscosity, Saybolt viscosity, Redwood viscosity, furol viscosity, Engler viscosity, and other units.
In the sketch a plate A is supported parallel to the plate B by the oil film of t thickness. In order to move the upper plate, a certain force F will be required to overcome the resistance of the oil film. The amount of this force F will be determined by the rate at which the plate is moved and the shearing resistance of the oil film. The faster it moves the greater will be the force required. If the velocity is kept constant and the thickness reduced, it will require more force to maintain the same velocity on account of the increased rate of shear of the thinner film. Obviously, also, the total force required varies directly with the area of the upper plate. Reducing all these facts to the form of a formula, we find that:
Force = (shearing resistence X area X velocity)/(film thickness)
Since the shearing resistance is known as the viscosity, our formula becomes:
Force = (viscosity X area X velocity)/(film thickness)
Under the conditions of a plate having a surface area of one square centimeter and a film thickness of one centimeter, when a force of one dyne is required to maintain a velocity of one centimeter per second, the fluid is said to have a viscosity of one poise. This unit, the poise, is the unit of absolute viscosity.
The force required to overcome the frictional resistance between any two moving surfaces separated by a film of lubricant may be calculated from the general formula, F = ???/t.
When metric absolute imits of measurement are used, F will be the force in dynes, ? the absolute viscosity in poises, a the area in square centimeters, ? the relative velocity in centimeters per second, and t the distance between the two surfaces in centimeters. When the English units of pounds force, square inches area, feet per second velocity, and inches thickness are used, the viscosity of course being measured in poises, as there is no English unit of viscosity, the formula becomes F = ???/5737t.
Fluidity is the inverse of absolute viscosity. An oil of an absolute viscosity of 0.25 poise will have a fluidity of 4. Oils of low viscosities have high fluidities, and very viscous oils have low fluidities.
The poise is a comparatively large unit, and as many oils at their working temperatures have a viscosity of less than one poise, another unit, the centipoise, has been brought into common use. The centipoise is one hundredth of the poise. An oil of an absolute viscosity of 0.25 poise has an absolute viscosity of 25 centipoises. Both terms are frequently used, although the latter is particularly advantageous as a unit of comparison, since the absolute viscosity of water at 20 degrees C. is almost exactly one centipoise, being 0.01005 poises.
Specific viscosity is the absolute viscosity of a fluid compared with the absolute viscosity of water at the same temperature. However, as the viscosity of water also changes with the temperature, common practice is to refer to the viscosity of water at 20 degrees C, at which temperature the absolute viscosity is 1.005 centipoises. On this account specific viscosity is a very convenient unit to use in visualizing the absolute viscosity of an oil, because everyone has a fairly good idea of the fluidity of water at 20 degrees C. (68 degrees F.). For instance, if we say the specific viscosity of an oil is 25, we know that it is twenty-five times as viscous as water at 20 degrees C, and will have twenty-five times the frictional resistance that the water has at that temperature.
Absolute viscosities are difficult to measure directly, except with the torsion viscosimeter, and on this account various instruments have been devised to measure units that have a relation to the absolute viscosity. These units are suitable for comparison within certain narrow limits and, if properly corrected for their variations, can be used to calculate the absolute viscosity of an oil. The principal trouble with the familiar viscosity units is that there is no constant multiplier or correction factor, nor do any of the various units have any direct relation between each other. Carefully worked out curves of calibration and conversion are usually necessary in order to obtain these relations.—Power, 28 February, 1921.
Test of Still Engine.—The first large Still combined steam and oil engine was recently tested out by Scott's Shipbuilding Company. A higher thermal efficiency was obtained than that achieved by any other type of prime mover, as the fuel consumption proved to be only 0.375 pounds per b.h.p. hour at full load. This is equivalent to a brake thermal efficiency of 37.7 per cent.—Nautical Gazette, 18 February, 1922.
New Marine Propulsion Gear.—In a paper read before the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland, Mr. W. Ross Darling described a form of gear which he proposes for marine propulsion. The place of the teeth on the pinion is taken by a bundle of loose wire rollers which are free to move and adapt themselves to the form of the teeth on the gear wheel.
The pinions in use so far have proven entirely successful. They can be moved into gear instantaneously or gradually while revolving at any speed. This is done regularly at present at a speed of 2,000 revolutions per minute without shock or danger of any kind.—Nautical Gazette, 11 February, 1922.
Sand Blasting Apparatus For Cleaning Boilers.—A new method of clearing boilers from scale and soot by means of sand blasting with compressed air has been introduced into the marine field by the Badische Maschinenfabrik of Durlach, Germany. This method has been already successfully applied to stationary boilers of the watertube and cylindrical type, but its adaptability to boilers on board ships has only recently been demonstrated.
The apparatus consists of an air blower suitable for blasting sand through lances by means of a special kind of nozzle. The cleaned surfaces become so polished by the sand that they are given a metallic shine without damage to the boiler. The system may be applied to any kind of boiler provided with openings for introducing steam or air lances. In its operation the blower requires an air pressure of from 15 to 28 pounds per square inch and about 4,000 feet of non-compressed air per hour, during which time it will remove from 40 to 60 square feet of scale, while its performance in the removal of soot is much greater.
This method of cleaning boilers possesses several advantages over other systems. It works much faster, is more effective and more economical, and both the inside and outside of the boiler tubes can be cleaned. One of the main advantages of the system is the improvement in the heat economy of the boilers as a result of its use; the tubes of the boiler are cleaned so thoroughly that the heat is transferred more effectively than it would be if other systems of cleaning were used which inevitably leave a coating of scale and soot in and around the tubes.—Nautical Gazette, 18 February, 1922.
Diesel Engines for Aircraft.—Reports are in currency to the effect that research work which has been in progress at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough is likely to lead to the development at an early date of a practical engine for aeroplanes which would be operated on the Diesel principle. It is said that in Germany a six-cylinder engine of this type for aircraft has been designed and built, and that French engineers are on the eve of achieving a similar success. From the point of view of aircraft operation the elimination of the magneto and carburetor and the possibility of using heavy oil with a high flash point is much more important than in other applications of engines designed on what, to the injustice of British workers, is commonly known as the Diesel principle. The reduction of the fire risk and the ability to use cheaper fuels than those now employed are most important considerations. —The Engineer, 27 January, 1922.
Electrolytic Protection of Boilers.—According to W. Phillippi, in the October, 1921, issue of Siemens Zeitschrift, a successful method has been found to protect steam boilers against their two greatest enemies, corrosion and boiler scale. Careful investigations of corrosion on boiler bottoms, water tubes and condensers have proved that electrolytic action was the cause of these damages. Owing to the electromotive forces set up in the different metals used in the construction of boilers, condensers, etc., in connection with conducting water, currents circulated from these metals through the water and caused corrosion. But it was also found that in many cases stray currents from electric railways or from other poorly insulated electrical systems entered the boilers and caused corrosion.
A remedy suggested itself by employing a metal of higher voltage, like zinc, and connecting it electrically to the endangered boiler, to create a counter-voltage that would prevent the flow of the corrosive current. But this method did not always give complete satisfaction, as it was impossible to regulate the current, which is necessary for different conductivity of water used.
To use an externally generated direct current and to apply this through electrodes in the boiler, was found to be a remedy under all conditions. If this is done, the small but constant generation of hydrogen along the boiler walls will also prevent the formation of boiler scale. A direct voltage of from 10 to 20 volts, at a current density of about two milliamperes per square foot boiler inner surface, was found to be most effective. A small resistance in series with each electrode circuit permits of suitable regulation of the current. Ordinary wrought iron pipes are used as electrodes. Experience with this protection, extending over a period of several years, surpassed all expectations. On boats using sea water in the condensers, no corrosion of any kind was observed after months of operation, while it was necessary before installing the electrolytic protection to clean them every few weeks.—Power, 7 February, 1922.
NAVIGATION AND RADIO
British Charts Supreme.—Admiral Chandler, U. S. N., has paid a high tribute to the hydrographical work of the British Navy. This officer, who is the head of the Hydrographic Office of the American Navy, is quoted by Lloyd's List as stating that, according to the records of his department, there are 1,200 points on the globe to which ships of the U. S. Navy, as well as the merchant marine, necessarily navigate on British Admiralty charts, if navigation is to be accomplished at all. This means, says the New York Commercial, that the United States, though aspiring to a navy equal to any, and a merchant marine surpassing all has failed to chart the seas on its own behalf in about one third of the navigable globe. The omission of Congress to vote adequate appropriations is held responsible for this state of affairs. American battleships and merchantmen sailing in eastern Atlantic waters and along the west coast of Europe have to employ 712 different charts, of which number 539, or 75 per cent of the whole, are British Admiralty, charts, made available during the recent war, in which the United States was associated with this country.
In his last appearance before Congress, Admiral Chandler told members of the Appropriations Committee that, granted sufficient funds, the United States might become independent of British charts within five years; but at the present rate, he added, such independence would never be reached. Of the 310 charts necessary for navigation round Australia and the East Indian Islands, 237, or 46 per cent, were available to American ships only through the courtesy of the British Admiralty. With the United, States involved in a war which precluded the British Empire from lending such aid, an American battleship would have to await the completion of a chart if its duties called it to one of the many areas not yet charted by the U. S. Navy. Quite apart from the naval aspect of the of the hydrographical situation, continues the New York paper, which has its picture of American warships compelled, for lack of navigation charts, to await a month or two before giving battle, the development of the American merchant marine has resulted in most profitable activities for the British Admiralty chart agents in America. In addition to the large sums of money which the U. S. Navy has to spend each year on these charts, profits are pouring into the British Admiralty from the sale of similar charts to American shipping, 37 per cent of which goes regularly into European waters where Admiralty charts are the only ones to be depended on.—Naval and Military Record, 8 February, 1922.
New Aeroplane Compass.—A satisfactory type of aeroplane compass has been invented by Doctors Paul R. Heyl and Lyman J. Briggs of the Bureau of Standards, of the Department of Commerce. Flying tests with this instrument have been made, and the air service is now engaged in putting a number of models into service.
The instrument weighs only 13 pounds, while the weight limit set by the air service was 25 pounds.
The new compass depends for its action not on a magnetic needle, but upon a revolving coiled wire. This principle is by no means new, but it has remained for the Bureau of Standards to apply it in such a way as to make the device practically operative under the very severe conditions prevailing in actual flight or aeroplane stunts.
The problem of perfecting a satisfactory aircraft compass was given the Bureau of Standards about a year ago. At the end of the war no completely satisfactory compass had been devised. Its importance to aviation is apparent when it is remembered that no aeroplane compass heretofore perfected has been able to keep up with the evolutions of a plane. Whenever the plane turned rapidly, or was stunted, compasses were not reliable. The result was that many pilots lost their lives by losing all idea of direction. Several of the air mail pilots have been killed because of the lack of a satisfactory compass. One of them crashed at full speed into a mountain in Pennsylvania.—Aerial Age Weekly, 13 February, 1922.
New Rotary Brake Sounding Machine.—One of the latest developments in electrically driven appliances for marine service is the Lietz rotary brake sounding machine, which consists of a mechanical sounding device driven by a General Electric one-horsepower motor. By means of this apparatus soundings may be taken up to 100 fathoms without decreasing the speed of the vessel or incurring the risk of losing the lead or wire.
The outstanding feature of the machine, which is an improved type of a former design, is the brake action, which has been much simplified. The brake mechanism is of a new design, and consists of a mounted shaft having a hollow portion on which the reel revolves. The brake clutch is rigidly mounted and is operated through the hollow portion of the shaft by means of a screw. The screw, engaging with the rolling members in the hollow portion of the shaft, causes expansion and construction of the brake clutch, which rotates with the reel and shaft while winding in.
The braking mechanism is actuated by a brake wheel on the outside of the casing and acts on the reel gradually, preventing its stopping suddenly with the consequent loss of the wire and lead. There is an indicator on the case near the brake wheel showing which way to turn it to free the reel and let out the wire, or to brake the reel for winding.
Although normally designed for operation by one-horsepower motor, the device is arranged so that it can be operated manually if desired. In this case, disconnecting the motor from the gearing is unnecessary, as the motor armature acts as a flywheel. The outfit is so constructed that all parts are easily accessible for inspection or repairs. It is so simple that it can be satisfactorily operated at night by inexperienced hands.—Nautical Gazette, 11 February, 1922.
The Amateur Transatlantic Tests.—Amateur operators sent radio messages from this country to Scotland during the recent test which were reported as strong and steady by the representative of the American Radio Relay League, which was in Scotland to receive the signals. The transmitting sets were limited to a rating of 1 kw. maximum and to a wave length of 200 meters. This in contrast with the commercial transmitters rated at 100 kw. to 1,000 kw., or over, using long wave lengths. According to reports received by the Radio Corporation of America, all of the successful senders employed vacuum tube transmitters. Nearly all the messages received in Scotland were sent from New England and New York State.—Scientific American, March, 1922.
Radio Equipment of Huge Airplane.—There has been installed on the huge Goliath biplanes engaged in the Paris-London aerial service a combined radio telephone and telegraph equipment of 35 watts antenna output, with a sending range of about 180 miles at 900 meters' wave length. The complete radio equipment, according to Radioelectricite, weighs only 125 pounds. An air-propeller-driven generator for six volts and 700 volts and a 6-volt storage battery supply the necessary current. A 3-bulb amplifier is used for receiving on all wave lengths between 300 meters and 1,000 meters.—Scientific American, March 1922.
ORDNANCE
Caterpillar Ordnance.—The United States Army is working toward the elimination of the horse and as a consequence three new types of motor equipment have recently appeared, sponsored by the Ordnance Department. These are a three-ton artillery tractor of unusual ability, a tractor mounting a 75-millimeter gun, and an eight-wheeled tractor carrying a 155-millimeter gun. At the present time only the 75-millimeter vehicle is waterproof, so that it can ford streams, but later on it is intended that all machines shall have this ability.
The three-ton artillery tractor was designed to take the place of the six-horse artillery team for hauling light artillery at speeds corresponding to the gallop of a horse. It has an unusual spring suspension and is particularly well adapted to ride through sand, marsh, and rough country without slackening speed.
The creeper belts are so sprung that they will follow the contour of uneven ground in much the same fashion that a snake does it. The lower side of the belt is forced into contact with the ground through the agency of four rollers, each pair of which is connected to one end of a cantilever spring. These springs are pivoted to the frame. Their other ends are linked to four rollers bearing against the upper side of the belt. This construction causes the lower side of the belt to follow the contour of the ground and at the same time keeps the belt taut regardless of the contour. It is interesting to compare this with the rope suspension described by Mr. Rowlinson for gaining the same end.
The problem of building a satisfactory self-propelled gun mount seems to have been pretty well solved by the type, which was developed by the Ordnance Department. One of the most serious difficulties has been that of keeping the weight down to a point where road bridges would carry the load. Another is the problem of wheel drive for roads and creeper drive for cross-country. Considering that the gun has a bore of somewhat more than five inches it is remarkable that the total weight of the vehicle is only 22 tons, the gun itself 6 tons.
It is propelled by a 120-horsepower six-cylinder engine, driving through a four-speed gearset. Wheels are driven through internal gears. When the track is removed the middle wheels are drawn up out of the way by a hand crank arrangement.—Scientific American, March, 1922.
A New French Gun.—Experiments with the new gun device, the invention of a French artillery officer, the feature of which is the high initial velocity of projectile which can be attained, are to be carried out at Liege. It is reported that in preliminary trials an initial velocity was attained with the famous French "75" of 850 m. whereas the normal figure is only 530 m. It is anticipated that in the Liege trials a velocity of 1,000 m. may be reached. Eminent artillerists are expected to be present at Liege next week, which has been provisionally fixed for the tests by the Belgian Government.—The Engineer, 27 January, 1922.
Armour-Piercing Shell.—Little as the public hears about it, gunnery training in the post-war Navy is conducted on lines which leave nothing to be desired from the point of view of scientific thoroughness. The methods of 1916 have been revolutionized. The standard of accuracy at all practicable gauges is considerably higher now than then, and improvement is continuous. It is gratifying to know that if our battle fleet is ever again called upon to measure its strength against an adversary there will be no fear of its shooting prowess being stultified by defective ammunition. Our present projectiles are of the highest efficiency. Even before the end of the war a new and very effective type of A. P. shell had superseded the Jutland pattern, and since then this class of projectile has been developed to a wonderful pitch of perfection. Some instructive details appear in the latest issue of Brassey. Previous to the war our manufacturers received scarcely any official encouragement to persevere in their attempts to solve the problem of oblique attack. Although as early as 1913 one firm had produced a shell which would penetrate at angles up to 15 degrees, the Admiralty could not be induced to take it up.
Subsequent events overcame official conservation, however, with the result that our latest projectiles have a good chance of holing thick armor plate even when the angle of impact is as much as 30 degrees. Brassey reproduces illustrations of shell which have actually performed this feat, and then been recovered intact and in a condition for bursting. It remarks that in 1920 the armor of most modern warships was perforable by contemporary projectiles at 30 degrees with velocities approximating to those which would remain with the projectile at battle ranges. While declining to prophesy as to the future, the same authority notes that our leading armament firms are prepared to construct guns of 18 inch and even 21 inch bore, and to provide A. P. projectiles of these calibers. Messrs. Hadfields have already built a 21 inch shell, which weighs 2 ½ tons, and if fired with a muzzle energy of 250,000 foot tons, would be capable of perforating 24 inches of hard-surfaced armor at a range of over ten miles. But, it is added, "the size of the vessel to carry such weapons is prohibitive. since facilities for docking and repair are barely adequate for the present-day leviathans. Moreover, with the menace of submarine and aircraft development, the direction of the evolution -of the future battleship is still uncertain."—Naval and Military Record, 1 February. 1922.
MISCELLANEOUS
Mexican Harbor Developments.—Harbor improvements costing approximately $6,000,000 at the ports of Guaymas on the Gulf of California and Manzanillo on the Pacific Coast have been authorized by President Obregon of Mexico. Work at Manzanillo. which will entail an expenditure of $5,000,000. is a resumption of the port development started in 1908 by Edgar K. Smoot, an American Engineer, but halted by the revolutions from 1910 to 1920.
At Guaymas, the most important of the Pacific Coast ports of Mexico. $1,000,000 will be expended on a floating dry-dock, marine railway, and repair yards for ships. Although owned and operated by the Federal Government, the dry-dock, which will accommodate ships up to 5,000 tons, will be available for work on privately owned vessels.—Nautical Gazette, 25 February, 1922.
Shackleton's Grave.—In deference to what, it is believed, would have been the dead explorer's own desire. Lady Shackelton has decided that Sir Ernest Shackleton's body shall not be brought home for burial as originally proposed, but taken from Montevideo. Uruguay, where it now lies, to South Georgia, and interred on the island.
Sir Ernest left no definite instructions as to his final resting-place, but his nearest relations and friends feel that it would be entirely in accordance with his desire that he should be laid to rest at the gate of the Antarctic and the scene of his greatest exploit. In 1916, after the loss of the Endurance in the Antarctic pack, Shackleton with two companions, made a voyage of 800 miles in a small open boat to South Georgia, reaching Grytviken in the last stages of exhaustion. Here he obtained help to rescue his comrades of the Endurance on Elephant Island, another desolate Antarctic island.
The site of Sir Ernest Shackleton's grave in South Georgia will probably be at the English church at Grytviken.—Naval and Military Record, 8 February, 1922.
Airmen Bombard Moors.—Spanish aviators in Morocco have destroyed numerous native settlements of the Beni-Said tribe. This resulted in the chieftains sending a delegation to the Spanish military authorities pleading for a cessation in the bombardment and offering to submit to the Spaniards.
Aviators are preparing to bombard another center of concentration. In the course of the morning it was reported that a number of the most recalcitrant chieftains had gathered there with their followers.— Aerial Age Weekly. 13 February, 1922.
Ice Breakers at Tietsin.—The Chinese Maritime Customs at Tientsin has made it possible for all steamers sailing to the northern port during the winter to go direct instead of around Zing Waung Tao to Tai Koo Kao, by installing ice-breakers. A toll is charged each steamer.—Engineering, 20 January, 1922.