1937-05-15 — Page 11

THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 15, 1937.

Page

Are Existing Cruisers Obsolescent?

N°

the

O doubt many readers when first tain's, Italy's, and Germany's 30-34 United States Navy is not imme- deed! That is just the point, crui-

seeing the question which is (?)-knot capital ships. the title of this article, will think cruisers, however, are not in the rapid capital ship, but it will be if

Her other diately threatened by the ultra- sers have never been given either it very unreasonable and bold, for same happy category. The 25-knot Great Britain and Japan, America's the armament or protection to en- cruisers in modern naval. warfare Jeanne d'Are wouldn't have a ghost only possible serious adversaries at able them to fight battleships, but have ever had very important strategic and tactical roles. It

a chance; even the 10,000-ton, sea, should follow 26-knot Deutschlands.could

the lead of they have always been fleet enough not the purpose of the writer

catch Europe's leading to and sink her with ease.

navies. All of minimise for an matant the value knot Dugway-Trouin and her

The 33- America's cruisers, heavy and light,

to get away. Now, however, of the cruiser

two are ince the Sino-Japan- sisters will have only a two or three which speed is on the low side as mises to be that most of them will

in... the 32-33-knot category, situation a few years hence

pro- 1895, but recent deve- knot nominal superiority over the regards the 30-knot-plus battle-ship, not even possess sufficient speed to lopments in most pow

several of the world's German and Italian ships, while the No reliable information is as yet indicate ful navies would seem to six 31-32-.5-knot

Galissoniere available regarding the speed hat a few years hence the class are even worse off in this re- the capital ships Japan and Great type!

of escape from the more powerful of present-day cruisers will spect. The fairly good protection Britain may be expected to lay down ry uncomfortable one.

given these latter ships would be of in the near future.

ese War of

positi

be

La

battle Japan

disturbing developments just little avail against the 15-inch shells rred to are the not very dis- of the British and Italian

commissionings of powerful cruisers, or the. 11-inch projectiles and extremely swift battleships by of the Scharnhorsts. France, Italy and Germany. The

advent of these ships promises not Italy only to upset the capital ship situa- tion in European waters but the cruiser situation as well!

Great Britain

In the course of the next few years British cruisers in home waters will be faced with a rejuven- ated, highly modern and efficient German Navy, possessed of two fast

In a fleet engagement this mat- ter of the relative speeds of the capital ship will be too occupied in -engaging its similars in the enemy ambitious and powerful oriental nation has built up since line to bother much with hostile the war, at the cost of heavy taxes cruisera. But then, is it not true on her poverty-stricken people, a that many senior officers of

This

By Walton L. Robinson

åll:

The Royal Italian Navy is in a splendid array of heavy and light navies believe the fleet battle to be very enviable position as regards the cruisers, as well as strong destroyer a thing of the past, and that future future situation of her cruisers in' and submarine flotillas. respect to the extraordinarily fast nificent cruiser force will suffer a tirely to vast unprecedente quer- This mag- naval actions, will be limited en- battleships which France will have great reduction in relative in the Mediterranean a few years and importance if America

value rilla warfare? Certainly France and does not intend to limit the tac- tical and strategic employment of her four 30 (?)-knot ships of the Dunkerque and Richelieu classes to that of her half-dozen 20-knot Bre- tagnes and Courbets! Nor is it at

concentrated with the slower ones. all likely that Germany and Italy keep their new, fast battleships On the contrary, these swift battle- ships will certainly be employed either on entirely independent work

in

battleships-Scharnhorst and Gnei- hence, as well as the battle cruisers Britain follow current trends

· senau. These are expected to be which Great Britain at present has capital ship design. All of Nippon's capable of 30 knots at

least. If stationed at Brita historic body of modern cruisers have been design- this figure turns out to be correct, water. think of the sorry plight one

ed for 82-33 knots; this would give Britain's "C" or "D" class

for them only a little better than even of old service, twelve fine 5,000-8,000-ton chance of getting away in light cruisers would be in if she light cruisers of

good Condottieri weather from 30-knot capital ships,

of Italy has, practically ready

the

sion.

chanced to meet one of this Ger- classes. These ships are capable of and a very slim chance in rough or as part of a fast raiding divi- man pair! Rough weather or calm 35-40 knots in good weather, and seas. weather, she would have little pos- even in the frequently choppy waters sibility of escaping destruction. The of the Mediterranean they should same applies, in a slightly lesser de- be able to out-distance such ships Conclusions gree, to the rearmed 6-inch gun, as the Richelieu and H.M.S. Hood. 100,000-ton cruisers of the Haw- This is also true of three of Italy's 10,000-ton cruisers. The other

kins class.

As for Britain's

T

In view of all this, it is likely that the ultra-rapid battleship will mark the beginning of as revolu tionary an era in naval construction as did the famous Dreadnought In answer to the comments made 1905. Future naval strateg more modern four, however, capable of only 32-33 readers will immediately reply that fluenced greatly by the advent

in the foregoing paragraphs, many tactics will also undoubte light cruisers the "F" class, Lean- knots, might find themselves in dif- cruisers are not intended to engage the 30-knot-plus capital ders, Arethusas, Amphions, and ficulties. Southamptons,

Unfortunately, these and her thirteen slower cruisers have no

capital ships. So they are not in The Navy. "County" class heavy cruisers, the armament, and this is precisely the torpedo situation promises to be almost only defence a cruiser has against equally serious. Their speeds of a capital ship from which it cannot 31.5 to 32.5 knots would give them escape.

in good weather only a very slim A few years from now Italy will margin of speed superiority over have a fleet composed of powerful, the swift German giants, while in ultra-rapid dreadnoughts, cruisers, heavy seas they would be in grave and destroyers, and danger of being overtaken, for, as marine and aircraft

strong sub- forces. She

is well known, a smaller, lighter will then be a very dangerous op- ship loses a much greater percent- ponent for any nation, if she is not age of her best speed in heavy wea- already so indeed.

ther than does a larger one.

In the Mediterranean the position Germany

The designed speed of Germany's

and

will be much the same. In these waters France and Italy in the course of the next few years will 10,000-ton, 8-inch cruisers now each have a pair of fast 35,000-ton building is reported to be about 33 battleships. France's Richelier and knots. This will give them a mar- Jean Bart (new) are expected to be gin of only two or three knots at capable of at least 30 knots, while the best over Britain's battle crui- reports from some sources are to the sers and France's Dunkerque effect that Italy's Littorio and Vit. Richelieu classes. In the North Sea, torio Veneto will be able to steam where poor visibility is extremely 34 knots! If this report should prove common, one of these cruisers might not to be exaggerative, think of the suddenly find itself under the 16- unhappy position in which the fine inch or 13-inch guns of a British Londons would find themselves. Their or French capital ship. The power- 8-inch guns and 3-inch deck proter ful torpedo armament tion could offer no serious resistance

of the German cruisers, however, to the 15-inch guns and thick side might give them a very good chance and deck armour of the Italian in a brief, confused action at close ships.

France

:

range. The same reasoning is also applicable to Germany's five newest 6,000-ton light cruisers. As for the oldest, the 29-knot Emden, she is in exactly the same situation as Bri- tain's "C" and "D" light cruiser

This nation is fortunate in pos classes. sessing a trio of cruisers (Duquesne,

Tourville and Emile Bertin) cap United States able of such a high rate of speed.

that in good weather they could east-

The value of the splendid,

re-

ly escape the powerful guns of B. cently created cruiser force of the

.

Cook

by

Gas