Sea Power

The symbol of France is a spunky, militant, land-lubbing Cock; but for one day last week Frenchmen raised the three-spiked Trident of sea power. For once the name of "Admiral of the Fleet"*Henri Salaun loomed on a momentary par with that of Marshal Ferdinand Foch. The occasion was twofold: first a review of the Grand Fleet, off Havre, and second the inauguration, at Havre, of the new docks and deep water basin--a prodigious puddle capable of accommodating simultaneously the two largest ships in the world, the Majestic and Leviathan.

President of France Gaston Doumergue stood like a florid Neptune on the bridge of the destroyer Jaguar, so-called fastest war boat in the world. Steamed past the Jaguar in a double line six miles long 80 war boats, of which 42 have been completed since the close of the War To End War.

Overhead droned and Doomed in salute 100 naval aircraft. Slipped and slithered beneath the waves a goodly representation of the 98 submarines built or building, which ensure the safety of France from her friends, since the navies of her enemies have been virtually destroyed. Most potent of the new French surface ships are the cruisers Duquesne and Tourville, each of 10,000 tons, and capable of hurtling toward an enemy at 40 miles an hour.

French editors professed to be shocked, last week, that the U. S. had lavished on naval appropriations, since the armistice, five times as much as France. Citizens of the U. S. are vexed when they reflect that France has lavished enough to pay off one-fifth of her debt to the U.S.

Jovial Neptune Doumergue promised, last week, in a mellifluent oration that France will never loose her sea dogs in a war of conquest, will employ them solely as sea watch dogs.

The new deep sea basin was formally inaugurated by President Doumergue on the quay, and ebulliently toasted at a champagne banquet aboard the French liner Paris. There Neptune, confronted by a noble fare, beamingly exchanged his metaphysical Trident for a fork, and proved once more that his control over unruly liquids is an honor to France.

*Approximate English rendering of his peculiar French status as the Vice-Admiral actually in command of French warboats.