ON THE MAXIMUM DIMENSIONS OF SHIPS. 23 
I wish to introduce into this subject considerations which I have never seen 
before advanced at all, and that is, that comparing a small battleship with a large 
battleship the efficiency of each gun on the large battleship is enormously greater 
from a variety of conditions. In the first place, in a small battleship, everything 
is more or less close together, all the turrets are necessarily near the machinery, 
or the magazines are necessarily more or less near the heated parts of the ship. 
If the dimensions are too small, it is impossible to obtain any effective protection 
against submarine attacks, and the seaworthiness of the vessel is less. Of course, 
it is possible to produce similar rolling conditions in smaller ships, but stability 
nor rolling conditions in a seaway do not constitute seaworthiness. They are a 
very small fraction of it. 
In the larger vessel, in addition to these features which I have described, there 
is a human element of efficiency which affects every gun compared to the smaller 
ship. In the first place, in the large ship there are greater safeguards with regard 
to the supply of power, the supply of ammunition and the supply of every essential 
element that goes to the gun. In the next place, there is a very much greater 
crew, a very much greater complement of officers, and there is this inevitable 
human fact, that the best men go to the best ships. 
Now, these considerations which I have only advanced to you in the most 
brief outline are those which, in my judgment, influence the wisest naval officers 
and the wisest seagoing officers always to vote for the biggest ship. Admiral 
Bacon said that the bigger the ship becomes the less vulnerable she is. I say that 
in the biggest ship the human element of efficiency adds enormously to the power 
of every gun. 
THE PRESIDENT:—Mr. Nixon, may we hear from you in discussion of this 
paper? 
Mr. Lewis Nixon, Member of Council:—Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, 
I share with Admiral Bowles in the pleasure we have all had in hearing this most 
excellent paper by so eminent an author. His reputation in the world as a naval 
architect gives to it a great weight. I may say that in reading it I find argu- 
ments for increased dimensions. 
Admiral Bowles has gone into some of the technical points, which effect this 
matter, and my desire is simply to touch upon a few of the reasons which Sir 
William advances as against the possible increasing dimensions. 
I think the limit is not as stated in paragraph III, but the power of utilizing 
to the fullest every ton of displacement you have. Size I consider a complement 
only in the development of the steamship to the various uses to which it may be 
put. Of course, we cannot have all the ships large, and hence a good deal of this 
argument which covers the use of ships of the ocean would not apply, because we 
have the smaller ships ready to take part in this particular service. 
Sir William dwells a great deal upon the question of harbors and docks. The 
