28 ON THE MAXIMUM DIMENSIONS OF SHIPS. 
which you can count on the fingers of your two hands, when the idea of hurling 
through space a mass of steel impelled by a gun will be as obsolete as the sling of 
David. There will be a change in the offensive power of ships, and that will be 
carried in larger and larger ships. That is a prophesy. I probably will have to 
be called to account for it, but I believe it is absolutely in the making at the present 
time. 
Of course, you can make a great argument as to the tremendous disadvantage 
of losing one ship. Possibly when a commander gets into battle, it is wise for him 
to think of the possibility of the loss of his ships, but the best thing for him to 
think about is to disregard the possibility of loss of his own ships and think more 
about accomplishing the destruction of the ships of the enemy. Ifa great powerful 
ship can strike heavier blows, and do more complete work, and be more successful 
in sinking other ships, the fact that a vulnerable blow on the part of the enemy’s 
ship does put out of commission the tremendous power of the big ship, is not an 
argument for not having the power, because you can shoot a big ship as well as a 
little one. 
As to the waves that would impede a large ship, would not they to a greater 
extent impede a small one? 
I did not have an opportunity to examine the paper before coming to this 
meeting, and I had to study it as well as I could while it was being presented by 
its distinguished author. It is a paper which contains the opinion of a man whose 
opinion should have weight all over the world. The mere fact that some of us 
do not agree with him will not trouble him. 
Sr Wiiam Waits :—Not in the least. 
THE PRESIDENT:—Are there any further remarks on this paper? 
CapTAIN WM. Hovcaarp, Member:—The arguments of this paper are set forth 
in such masterly manner and the arrangement of the subject is so clear and ana- 
lytical, that one cannot escape seeing the points where difference of opinion exists. 
In point XI it is stated that the limit of speed in the big Cunarders in rough 
weather is fixed, not by size but by considerations of local damage to fittings and 
navigational appliances as well as dangers to the personnel. Now it appears to 
me, that although any ship, however large, will have a limit of speed due to this 
cause, still, this limit must be higher for the larger ship, since its freeboard can be 
made higher and hence its weather-deck can be ona higher level. Thus, for instance 
a ship twice as large as the Lusitania should be capable of going up against a certain 
sea at a higher speed than the Lusitania. ; 
In regard to steadiness in a seaway, the author explains how ships of moderate 
size may often be more free from rolling than ships of extreme dimensions, in spite 
of the fact, which is likewise stated in the paper, point XI (6), that larger size, if 
properly utilized, is conducive to greater steadiness and better behavior at sea. The 
reason of this anomaly is that on account of limitations imposed by harbors and 
