Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 68, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 March 1917 — KEEPS THE LOCATION OF SHIPS SECRET [ARTICLE]

KEEPS THE LOCATION OF SHIPS SECRET

Uncle Sam Chary About Telling People Where His Fighting Vessels Are. PRESENT STRENGTH OF NAVY There Are 359 Vessels of All Kihds Fit for Service and 53 Vessels of Different Classes Under Construction—Recruiting for Navy. By EDWARD B. CLARK, (Washington Correspondent of Western Newspaper Union.) Washington.—Uncle Sum makes no. secret of the number and thekindof ships which he has for the protection of his possessions. Just now, however, Uncle Sain is chary about telling concerning their whereabouts might be heard by someone “who would know what to do with the Information.” _ Within two years, and-possibly under the spur of .need, the United States government will have a good many more men of war=of various-degrees of offensive and defensive strength than it has today. Next year’sr naval apprbprlatiori bill probably will make provision for a total expenditure of $532,000,000. Today there are 359 .vessels of all kinds fit for fighting or other service in behalf of the colors which they carry. In addition to these there are 53 vessels of different classes under present construction. To these must be added 63 ships authorized and for which appropriations have been made. Then again must be added the shops for which congress made provision in the last hours of the present session. There are 14 battleships of the first class now in commission, and five are under construction, while the building of four more already has been authorized. Nowadays they call these firstclass battleships, “battleships, single caliber.” The second-class battleships are called "battleships, mixed caliber.” Of these latter there are 23 fit for service.

Is Guarded Secret. In a general way the public knows that so many of our battleships are in the Atlantic and that so many of them ~are Tn Hm Nb bne~today, however, is allowed to say definitely, even If he knows. Just where the Atlantic fleet is sailing or harboring. It can be said, because the information is public matter, that a good many of our battleships of the second class are in harbors along the Atlantic coast, Where they are being made ready' for possible hard service, —TortnyThere are no battle cruisers bT the kind possessed by both the British and the German navy, carried on our list of active-service ships. Four battle cruisers, however, already have been authorized, and the money has been appropriated for -their construction. The time when they will be ready for cruising has not been disclosed.—Of other ships of all classes the United States has today In the service or soon to be ready for the service these vessels: Armored cruisers, 9; first-class cruisers. 4; second-class cruisers, 8; third-class cruisers. 16; monitors, 7; destroyers. 78; coast torpedo vessels, 16; torpedo boats, 17; submarines, 105: tenders to torpedo vessels, 8 ; gunhoats, t-ansportn. 5; nnnnly shins. 5; hospital ships. 2; fuel ships, 23; converted yachts, 14 ; tugs. 49; special type vessels, 9; and vessels unserviceable for war purposes, 20. To these must bp added the ships provided* for in the present naval appropriation bill : Battleships. 3 ; battle cruisers, 3; destroyers, 15; destroyer

tender, 1; submarines, 18; submarine tender, 1: The Navy League of the United States furnishes the following Informationconcerning recruiting for the navy: "In the summer of 1916 there were 53.Q00 enlisted men in the navy. Congress then authorized an increase Up to 77,956. But despite the efforts of the department and its officers, the en-listed-force is now only 53,500 —or 24,50|feshort of even our peace-time \-onipWent. Not only is the Atlantic fleet short of seamen, but the 16 battleships in the reserve force of our eastern coast have only about 25 per cent of their needed crews. “In recruiting the navy competes for men against Industrial concerns and civil employment, where high wages now prevail. Further,4nen in clvil life. do not kimw -t4u>- jmvy. and shun it as being mysterious and forbidding. They do not k now the ad vantages and the pleasure it.offers. Recruiting officers ■are handicapped by being strangers In the district where the work takes them —and our people are incredulous to the offers of strangers.” It is the intention of the Navy league, acting with the sanction of the na.vy department, to ask its members to aid the work of recruiting for the navy, throughout the country by supplying Information concerning just what the navy does for young men and tire advantages it offers them in peace times. Of course it is expected that in war time the ordinary patriotism of the people will supply the recruits that are needed.

It seems likely as a result of legislation that a large sum will be put at the disposal of the president to be used if necessity arises. The legislaAla., a quantity of letters and papers tfon reads like this: “To enable the president to secure the expeditious delivery of materials, equipment and munitions, and to secure the expeditious construction of ships authorized, for the purchase or construction of such ships, torpedo-boat destroyers, submarines, submarine chasers, and such other naval small craft, including aircraft and ammunition for all of said vessels and for each and every purpose connected therewith as the president may direct to be expended at the direction and in the discretion of the president, $150,000,000, or so much thereof as it may be necessary, and to to be immediately available.” The big guns and the general armament of our naval vessels have been made from time to time a matter of public Information, but today there is no strdiigdeslre on -the part of the United States government that undue publicity be given to the strength of Its “ships in armor plate for defense and in batteries of guns for offense.