Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 178, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 July 1914 — BIG D. S. FLEET FORCED TO PLAY SECOND FIDDLE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BIG D. S. FLEET FORCED TO PLAY SECOND FIDDLE

Officers at Vera Cruz Outranked by_the British, HAVE NO ADMIRAL IN NAVY Mexico Situation Calls Attention to Policy by Which American Prestige Is Sacrificed —Clash at Port Narrowly Averted. Vera Cruz, Mexico. —Mobilizing the Atlantic fleet off Vera Cruz has disclosed an astounding situation in the American navy, says James B. Wood in Chicago Daily News. With the largest fleet this nation has ever asembled for active service, one of the largest any nation has ever had in one port, its commanding rear admiral is outranked because of seniority by the British rear admiral, whose entire command has been from one to three small cruisers, representing not onetwentieth of the strength of the American battleships. In the event of any united action Rear Admiral Craddock of the royal navy would command. Unless there should be special agreement between the British and United States governments the entire American naval forces would be under his orders. ' Washington—by which ifi. meant congress and the national administration, this and preceding ones —is responsible for the situatioh. With all its claims as, a world power, with a $130,000,000 a year navy, including the largest superdreadnaughts of any nation, the American officers in foreign waters are usually outranked by those of other nations because America has neither adpirals nor vice-admirals. Its highest rank is rear admiral, except the grade of admiral of the navy, which is held by George Dewey. His duties are seldom on sea, and the rank goes out when he goes. In Mexico’s waters the situation already has threatened serious consequences. Rear Admiral Craddock and Rear Admiral Fletcher were on the verge of friction at Vera Cruz, but the British government diplomatically advised Craddock to waive his rights of precedence. Before the Mexican situation assumed its serious phases Great Britain, with customary alertness in affairs in-

teraational, assured itself of having the ranking officer among the navies of the world that might come here. As soon as the United States Atlantic\fieet Started to assemble at Vera Cruz Admiral Craddock, in the West Indies, was ordered to proceed at all ■peed to this spot As soon as he arrived on the cruiser Essex, flying a rear admiral’s flag, he was the ranking officer in port In case of any MMOted move by the world powers

he would have commanded, and Great Britain with its one cruiser—now the cruisers Berwick and Lancaster have joined the Essex —would have dominated the situation. “Rather tecguiical,” says the layman. True, but in affairs of the sea and nations rules of precedence are strictConsequences have been serious and far-reaching from a similar situation.

In the time of the Boxer uprising in China, when the allied powers landed their forces to restore order, it was believed that Captain McCalla, an American, campaigner of long experience in China, would command. But Great Britain, with foresight in 1900, just as today, had hurried Vice-Admiral Seymour to the scene of action. He outranked the other officers. Great Britain wanted to dominate the situation. Vice-Admiral Seymour surprised everybody by going ashore and taking command himself. To the Chinese —from

mandarin down to coolie —Great Britain was the ruling power. American naval officers on the Asiatic station say that thd opinion formed then continues. "~i Among officers ot the American navy whose duties take them on a continuous round df foreign capitals, there is constant embarrassment. Almost invariably the American trails after the British, German, Austrian, Italian* Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, Japanese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Turkish, Argentine, Brazilian, Chilean, Peruvian. Chinese. All outrank him. All have vice- admirals and most of them full grade admirals. Foreign war vessels which come Into Vera Cruz today salute the British colors first, steaming silently past the rows Of American ships, some of them as large as all three "limeys,” as the Britishers are called. ———_ Native Mexico sees. Mexico also pays respect to the British. If America had admirals or even vice-admirals in command of its imposing fleets, the situation might be reversed. In the Atlantic fleet along the east coast of Mexico, centered at Vera Cruz, are six rear admirals. All are of equal rank, but hold precedence according to the date of their promotion. The commanding organization, according to precedence among the rear admirals consequently is: Charles J. Badger, commander-in* chief Atlantic fleet, March 8, 1911. Cameron McR. Winslow, command ing special service squadron, September 14,1911. ■— Frank F. Fletcher, compianding first division, October 17, 1911. Frank E. Beatty, commanding third division, April 27, 1912. Clifford J. Boush, commanding second division, March 26,1913, Henry T. Mayo, commanding fourth division, June 15, 1913. In any Ame/ican commercial organization of the maghitude of the AV lanttc fleet there would be an ascending order* of ranks, the officers diminishing in number as (he rank ascends. In almost any other navy there would be an admiral in command of such a large fleet and two or more vice-ad-mirals and rear admirals in command of each division.

The men in a division of a fleet outnumber those in a brigade of the army. A single ship cdmpares to a regiment in men. In armament it equals three or four regiments of artillery. The smallest battleship has between 600 and 700 men. The entire Twenty-eighth regiment of infantry here has only 550 men. A dreadnaught has between 1,100 and 1,200 men. The Seventh —the largest regiment here — has not 1,000. A battleship is a city in Itself —homes and workshops in which the population must be drilled and, when occasion requires, turned out to fight. A division consists of five battleships—one of which usually is docked for repairs—and when in fleet organization a varying number of auxiliary cruisers, gunboats, destroyers, colliers and other craft A fleet of five divisions would be much larger than an army division. A captain in the navy ranks with ■ colonel in the army. A rear-admiral ranks with a major-general. Rear Admiral Farragut after the Civil war was made an admiral. David Porter was made a vice-admiral and on Farragut’s death succeeded to the full rank of admiral. The rank of admiral died with Porter. T Appointment of temporary admirali for command of fleets has been suggested. They would always be outranked by admirals of other nations because of length of service, as political pressure would be strong to pass the honor around as rapidly as possible. The result is that the great American navy, which has been built up to hold the nation in a place as a world power, is always at a tactical disadl vantage when its commanding officers are forced into back seats by the officers of other nations.

Rear Admiral Cameron' McR. Window.