Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/349

NAVIES. name of the board, prevents the various departments from acting independently, and provides for the due execution of orders.

The total personnel of the British navy on April 1, 1902, amounted to 118,625; it will be increased during 1902-03 to 122,500. The sum total of the naval budget for 1902-03 was £31,255,500.

The principal dockyards are at Bermuda, Cape of Good Hope, Chatham,* Devonport,* Esquimalt (British Columbia), Gibraltar, Halifax, N. S., Haulbowline (Cove of Cork), Hong Kong, Jamaica, Malta, Pembroke,* Portsmouth,* Sheerness,* Sydney. Of these, the ones marked with a star are first-class yards in all respects. Secondary yards and naval stations exist at Ascension Island, Bombay, Calcutta, Colombo, Dartmouth, Delagoa Bay, Deptford, Greenwich, Plymouth, Portland, Sydney, Trincomali, Wei-hai-wei, and London (West India Docks). Naval cadets of the line are educated at the Royal Naval School at Dartmouth. The Royal Naval College at Greenwich is for post-graduate courses. The engineering college is at Keyham, and there are engineering schools at all the principal dockyards. The gunnery and torpedo schools are both located at Portsmouth. (See .) The strength of the British fleet is given in the table on a following page.

The navy of Greece is naturally small, but it is by no means insignificant. The quality of its officers and men and their organization and training have never been tested by war, as practically no use was made of the fleet during the war with Turkey. In 1901 the Government decided to expend annually the sum of 2,500,000 drachmas ($482,500) for the purpose of repairing and adding to the fleet. The fleet consists of 3 small battleships of 4885 tons (launched 1889-90, rebuilt 1897-1900), 1 old armorclad of 1774 tons (launched 1868, reëngined 1897), 4 small cruisers of 1000 to 1800 tons (launched 1879-85), 1 old school-ship of 1300 tons, 11 gunboats of 380 to 410 tons (launched 1859-84), 1 torpedo depot ship of 1100 tons, 1 old training ship of 2030 tons (launched 1869, reëngined 1897), 3 torpedo mining vessels, several smaller vessels of no particular military value, 31 torpedo boats of 18 to 85 tons (launched 1878-85), 2 old Nordenfeldt submarine boats, purchased in 1886 (probably useless), 20 torpedo vidette boats.

The Haitian navy consists of one steel gunboat, 260 tons; one iron corvette, 1200 tons; two iron sloops of from 500 to 900 tons; and one gun vessel of 900 tons. The steel gunboat Crête à Pierrot, 940 tons, was sunk by the German gunboat Panther, as a punitive measure, September 7, 1902.

The modern Italian navy dates from 1860, when the fleets of Sardinia and the Two Sicilies were combined. Immediately after the formation of the Italian Kingdom the construction of a powerful navy was commenced. The newly constructed fleet received a severe setback at Lissa in 1866, but it was continually added to, and in 1890, so far at least as ships were concerned, it was the third navy in the world. It then reached the limit of size permitted by the national finances. Since 1890 it has preserved about the same strength of fleet, but the increases in the navies of the United States, Russia, and Germany have forced Italy to sixth place in naval rank. The head of the navy is the Minister of Marine (an admiral), who is assisted by the ‘superior council’ of the navy, composed of 1 vice-admiral (or admiral), president; 3 vice-admirals (or rear-admirals), 1 director-general of the civil personnel, members; 1 rear-admiral (or captain), who is a member and secretary; and lastly the chief of the bureau or office whose affairs are under consideration. By the law of November 23, 1889, the Navy Department is divided into 10 sections, as follows: (1) General Staff and Cabinet, which consists of (a) cabinet of the minister, which coördinates the different branches; (b) questions of a general military kind, strategy, and tactics, auxiliary fleet, defense of the coast, and fleet manœuvres; (e) rules and arrangements concerning the service, discipline, dress, etc. (2) Direction of the service as regards personnel. (3) Naval Construction. (4) Armament and Equipment. (5) Merchant Marine. (6) Hydrographic Service. (7) Medical Department. (8) Military Engineering (fortifications, works, etc.). (9) Office of Revision. (10) Accounts.

The Naval Academy and College is located at Leghorn. The principal dockyards are at Castellamare, Spezia, Venice, Taranto, and Naples; naval stations at Genoa, Messina, Licata, Cagliari, and Palermo. The Italian fleet as it existed in 1902 is summarized in the table given later in this article.

The modern Japanese navy may be said to have commenced with the purchase of the armored ram Stonewall (renamed Adzuma), which was built for the Confederate navy and sold to Japan at the close of the Civil War. Since then the strength of the navy has steadily increased, but it was not until 1894 that it began to take rank among the navies of the great Powers. In that year two large battleships were ordered, and during the next eight years four more battleships and six large armored cruisers were built. These accessions placed the Japanese navy in 1902 seventh among the naval forces of the world. The principal navy yards are at Yokosuka, Kure, Saseho, Onohara, and Nagasaki. The comparative tables show the strength of the fleet.

Until 1901 the navy of Mexico consisted of a small cruising training ship of 1200 tons (launched in 1891), and four gunboats of 425 to 450 tons (launched 1874-75). In 1901 a building programme was laid down providing for the construction of eight gunboats of 1000 tons and 16 knots, and two torpedo boats. Two of the gunboats in 1902 were nearly completed.

The navy of Morocco consists of a small cruiser of 1200 tons (launched 1892) and one gunboat of 450 tons (launched 1898).

In the days of sailing vessels the navy of the Netherlands was a powerful one, but the great cost of modern fighting ships has prevented the Netherlanders, a naturally seafaring race, from maintaining a powerful fleet. The navy is represented in the Cabinet by the Minister of Marine. The administration, presided over by the Minister, consists of a chief (a captain) of the general staff, 1 director of naval construction, 1 director (commander) of the personnel, 1 director (captain) of pilotage, 1 director (captain) of the hydrographic service, 1 inspector of pay, provisions, and clothing, 1 medical inspector.