PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 101, 22 January 1918, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

A surprise is sprung in the news of a naval action at the entrance to the Dardanelles. As reports stand the cruiser Breslau has been silnk and the battle-cruiser Goeben is ashore, badly damaged, at Nagara point, at the northern end of the Narrows, and is there being attacked by British naval aircraft. On the other hand, two British monitors have been sunk. Assuming that the Goeben is permanently out of action, the Turkish Navy has been deprived _of practically its last; effective ships other than torpedo craft. The story of the Goeben and Breslau is familiar. In the early days of the war they evaded Allied pursuit in tho Mediterranean, a.ml made their way to tho Dardanelles. They were embodied soon afterwards in the Turkish fleet and both were subsequently engaged on various occasions in the Black Sea, but little has been heard of them for tho past year. A year ago or more the Goeben was reported to have been very badly damaged, and her smaller consort was said to be in little better ease, bnt an extended period of inactivity perhaps made it possible to carry out effective repairs. This certainly is suggested in the fact that they were engaged at the entrance to the Dardanelles. It is unlikely that they emerged from shelter merely for the sake of engaging an Allied squadron, and the presumption is that they contemplated a raid upon tho Allied transport routes in the Eastern Mediterranean. They would hardly have been dispatched upon such a mission unless means had been found of restoring them to something like their former speed and efficiency. * * ... * * How the British" monitors met their fate is not disclosed at time of writing, but since ships of this type are particularly well defended against torpedo attack, it seems probable that they wore overwhelmed by tho shore batteries. Very possibly serious risks were taken under this head for the sake of attacking tho enemy ships. Some of tho later monitors arc armed with" naval guns of the heaviest calibre, and the larger of the two monitors destroyed is therefore likely to ro present a somewhat serious loss.

The progress mado by the United States in an impressive, programme of naval expansion is broadly indicated liy .Secretary Daniels in the annual report which he made public last month. It is shown that the personnel of tho American Navy has increased to 270,000 officers and men as against about 70,000 in Jan-

nary, 1917; and 60,000 civil cm-' ployees, as against about < 115,000. There arc about 1000 commissioned ships, against about :!00; a marine corps of 110,000 men, as against 10,00(1; and an average monthly oxpenditure of £12,000,000 as against £1,000,000. "Special interest," an American commentator observes, "attaches to the emphatic reception by Secretary Daniels ol belief that promotion should be. upon the merit system, and that tiie '.fetish' of seniority should be abandoned from ensign to admiral, coupled with a recommendation that the selective system be extended to staff as well a;i line. The chief complaint against the Act of August, 1916, in the Navy centred upon its provisions for promotion by selection, some officers being emphatically opposed, some approving, and others demanding more careful methods of choice; but the Secretary is determined to carry through the principle." As regards new construction, few details, of course, arc disclosed. Secretary Danielr contents himself with recommending that the remainder of the three year programme should be authorised, including three battleships, one battle-cruiser, three scout-cruisers, nine fleet submarines, and a number of auxiliary craft. All these ships are additional to a heavy programme of construction already in hand or authorised.