In the North Sea

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 67, 7 August 1914, Page 3

In the North Sea

(■KinUNY'S <ii!KA'!' XAV-U !;.\SE. Faith, we know, will wiTk ii ir.wii'ji in 'the w.iy of performance, wrote a corre.s-I-ondent after a visit to Germany, and Germans have already got as far as a be.ief in the superior battle-training of their sailors, of their reserve naval wan-power, of their gunnery, the gunpower A ti)<;ir ships, and of "the quality of their big gnus. For these latter, which ■. re constructed on a different principle to ours they claim great; • curability. Indeed, Admiral Tirpitz has publicly declared as .much. All these points have been flung at ite in the way of friendly argument by German naval officers, and tb«y are worth notice as established articies of German belief. I have moreover been assured by Gcrn.ans, with the utmost confidence" that our resorves of these huge weapons—which take two years to build —are si insignificant that our fighting power would tend speedily to evaporate through the deterioration o! our big guis .1 one. They are also iu.'tly proud of having surpassed us in the creation of powjr for tile autppt of gun-moun; iegs.

"This," said a German officer to ma, "is taiicamouut to an output of ships. For of what avail are. they without ginsT I give these opinions for what theyare worth. They, at aK events, sen-o to illustrate German faith, and Genua') inspiration at the present time, and I have oeen assured by a British navil officer cf high) standing "that there is a good deal of truth in their claim?, and more is leaking into tht'in every day, esoecialJy with regard to our r». serves of seamen and big guns." But if there is one thing • the Germans nay justly pride themseives on j:.ore t.ian another is the wonderful progress they are making in the development t-f the North .Sea territories ilto a stupendous offensive and defensive naval ba3e. In spite of the larg-; expenditure required for shipbuidin;. no oxpeisu is being spared over the rapid equipment of this area wide harbors, doc<s, canals, and mi 'itary railnays. Anyone who can remember Wilheiusthafen a few years ago as a shallo.v gand-em'iarnused inlet, constantly si'.i ing up, would be astounded at til.transfomiiition which has been effected b\ Gcnrin energy and re-o utii n. Wiihiymsha.cn to-day is the .second large-t »»vul harbor in tho world. A GREAT HARBOR.

The r agnilurfo of the- '.\orks hi' - .' impress i~ Dili.'. profoundly. Cm: is foiled to realist' tile iiiu.; ".uity of the, Josign .Mid the rastness of the conceptions wa.ich have supplied such tremeadoiH eiauls. One, feels instinctively tliat ono is here brought '"ace to la > • with some great unrealised future, fo: - the present does net fit in with th: scope of the works displayed throughout the Nor.k Hea territories, from Kiel to Emden. At Wilhcimshafen, three new doc 5havo been constructed, capable of ta< ing ships far larger tlian any in being. In fact, vessels of 20,000 ton's and cv'n larger tiian these, have been provide 1 for. Tho third entrance to the harbor has bosn enlarged and deepened, mil i' closed by a lock 2T>O metres in widL'i. Also, to. the south of the harbor, i large b»dii has been formed, pr»tecei! by high sea-walls, and capable of l.oating the largest ships. To oo tipleta tliin great ta»k a lar." - fleet of dredgers has been working - da .' ;uid niga.. and the material brought - .ip it being built info the embankiii.ii'. round tji.i ba.Mii. This latter is extended to Hi.- ba-in of the ljius-.lahdc can'', T.hifh' thu, forms an additional ciiaurr'l for thu I'onveyanee of supplies ail n.unitions to the fleet. The formation of these Luge works i» at present pi >- (i-cted ly an iniineiise sea wall aboii 70 yard* in thickness at the base, an ! tke area which lias been drained by the erection of the enormous moles, dik"s and wall*, am'vunts to about 000 acr;'. But t'ere are other wonders, both al Wilhelaisluifeii land Kmden. The d', ,- trict immediately to the foilt'i of the -.'. piace«, :i - '.in which the (Jermiins exhibit no little anxiety to cxv'.lld"

is e.o-cly scaned with cnnv. r,'in_» lines of railway wide ai.l mil >'e i..nvo)aiice for -i];.v number o f lr.,<>,->. stores a/id muni.ion-, of war which it may be iiMv.---.ii-y ; t any time to niiii' >!om Liu: garri.-ons >outh ami cast to lhc-o frreat' sail-,-ports <.f T«-u----lonic VV'ilt-l'olitik. These Him-s, a- mav 1» notice i in flu' case, of other Gorman liiilwiiy-", ' avo been laid Willi phi'if' nil, Hll-ll \TUiI lice pelmamnt Wav. the 'eason b<-i:u that in each ca-o to allow for lice pa•>;;;»(■ of ariil'iry and wafrgous whenever necessary.

«Jl'K';i UKI'OUTATIOX AliH-VNUE-MHNTci. lint p ■ naps'the mo.-t -ivjiiibant complcmoul u> these troop Mm, ami their naval termini is lllat tl.r a-.si.!ili.ii-manufac'. ..re and storage wh ; i-h at Km - of !aiiiiiii|4 *Uj,'iis similar t.i tliu..<! w.scd lor the .Japan.-.- at (.'lu-uiiilpo to facilitai.. Liu- rapid diM-mb.irkaliou of tmeps 110.11 sideboard on an .M-ilv =.l .-lviiiL! voart in.:. l>o,-ii.:y tie following experience may ill -onm mea-me serve to i liiiiiinali' tbo manufacture of IliU -i'liilicanl mat. rial. S-ine- iittlc v.hih. sine: I en vi-ilin..: :■ relative 111 a bureau . f lile t.c.m.'.ii War J)-uarl:nent. While tin-re. an op-r-ortuni'v came my way. which 1 ilo not wish lo dc-cribc in d'-liil, of c'o-e y c\aniiniiio a ma|i of tin- liritish Isle, Hp-ll w.'ii.-li teilain parts of tlic fn.:>' line were annotated and chartered will. including 1 lie liintei'land of eaeli :-]«>>. 10,, I'.ai.i.-niariM'il. Th--o point-. whicli wiiu fairly nuirrvnii.-. > .-ciinvu. shcivin:.. -hole fad it..!-,; tiic bni.lin.: of Iruo'..-. J may add tint lr- d u incut to wiii'li tili.-, above mention.-.! chart aa, ati.iebed proved to bo a pan el the (or-nan plan for the .li-emh.n k a I inn oi a hn-e for.-.- in ,cv. nil d.-ta.-h----li cut* '.ion the sboiv- of i::-,.,i I',/. aim Tiie -•or,wane ~f i he landinj: -(', '■ at Kind ■ i. ili.-n-f.in-. is n- i ibiiVult t , . cr.-oiv.-. 'Hum., of which iin.i.,-n-,- ran; h.r, iia-o- ~!rcadv been boil; ami -: .red with a n.-iliodi.'.l airan-.i.ieni in ,o----i or-! ..,- with tln in- p-vi-i.-,- ..,•.."..ap'iYal ly ill O'o mil organic tiom tlie f.'.-rm Hi Army. |V| .VXD W'ATI-.iIW'AY-. Anolli-i- feature of that trend-n----nous organisation for war, which .'s traiii>fui-!i.. ; ng the Ormaii N'orlii Sea I. rrilo'-i.-s ,nto an innm-ii-.- -{rateLoc b. si', is ill vast sy>t"in of waiorway-. or ship c. mil-, which i, m w -kilfully ilc-if/n-'d to ii.-rmit (he -oonian -.p.eidvons to move (ju inferior *iu■ ■ -= b -!.:; i i tlu. protective barrier - f their im '. fionth-r:. Thin, in addition to ih- itn-men.-e enlargement of the Kui-er \\" '- I liekit Canal, which is no.v pioceediii'.,. ' a new canal has been Josifju-il. and it i i» to he taken in hand with' ut delay. from Ki.-l lo the Elbe, with ai. outran..: into the river near tiluehsburg. This. Which will act ag an auxiliary to the

Kaiser Wilhelm, will be constructed by the mvnicipaiity of Kiel through the medium c' a loan, and its completion will enormously increase German naval mobility between tho Baltic and the Xorth Sea. Hut even this does not finislu Germany' pli.ns for the perfecting of her protected inland waterways. The latest move, which I am told the Kaiser was exceedingly anxious to carry out in the linl-ing up of the Williclmshafen and the Elbe by a deep water canal cutting the line of country between the two inlets. This will enable the German warships, should i.eed arise, to proceed aJI ths way iron Kiel to Wilhelmshafen, behind the cover of land without on"'.' having to put to sea. Moreover, should this larger system of canalisation be extended to Emden (as is thought quite probable) the whole of Germany's North Sea ar.d Baltic dockyards, harbors and arßenals will b." svai'rable to her warships from each one of tho entrances to thru wonderful system of nland water communication. It is a system whose completion, in conjunction with its' areas of military roadways, will enormously increase Germany's maritime power by giving it a vast strategic base unequalled in the naval history of the world. And the resolute energy with which it is bein. 1 , developed is pregnant with sinister signifieanoe.