MARITIME.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 159, 11 December 1914, Page 7

MARITIME.

ADMIRAL JKLLICOE'S STATEGY. j BRITISH NAVY'S PURPOSE ACCOMPLISHED. j SOME OF AMERICA'S NEEDS. Washington, December 9. Before the House Committee of Naval Affairs, Brigadier-General Crozier Long said that as long as the German fleet was bottled up it was useless to Germany, and the British were following sound strategy in resisting the temptation to bring about an engagement. No , Commander-in-chief ought to risk his fleet against great forts or mines, unless it was intended immediately to force a general engagement. The British fleet had fully accomplished the purpose of its existence, even if it never fought the Germans. Brigadier-General Crozier asserted that the United States needed no siege guns of huge calibre such as Germany would, but undoubtedly they were useful for certain special circumstances, such as the taking of the French forts. The United States was selling large quantities of ammunition. It was known where this was despatched to, or if it went through Canada. A hundred additiohal submarines were required for coast protection. Rear-Admiral Fletcher agreed that submarines were necessary, but did not think that at the present day navies could possibly discard Dreadnoughts. Aircraft as an auxiliary for the navy were indispcnsible. They could-locate submarines at a depth of fifty feet. Experiments in the Carribean Sea had shown this.