3| |---------------------------------------------|------|------|------| |Value of offensive at beginning A| 970 | 569 | 841 | | B| 800 | 200 | 500 | |Damage done in 1st period by A| 97 | 57 | 84 | | B| 80 | 20 | 50 | |Value of offensive power at end 1st period A| 890 | 549 | 791 | | B| 703 | 143 | 416 | |Damage done in 2d period by A| 89 | 55 | 79 | | B| 70 | 14 | 42 | |Value of offensive power at end 2d period A| 820 | 535 | 749 | | B| 614 | 88 | 337 | |Damage done in 3d period by A| 82 | 54 | 75 | | B| 61 | 0 | 34 | |Value of offensive power at end 3d period A| 759 | 526 | 715 | | B| 532 | 32 | 262 | |Damage done in 4th period by A| 76 | 53 | 72 | | B| 53 | 3 | 26 | |Value of offensive power at end 4th period A| 706 | 523 | 689 | | B| 456 | 0 | 190 | |Damage done in 5th period by A| 71 | | 69 | | B| 46 | | 10 | |Value of offensive power at end 5th period A| 660 | | 670 | | B| 385 | | 121 | |Damage done in 6th period by A| 66 | | 67 | | B| 39 | | 12 | |Value of offensive power at end 6th period A| 621 | | 658 | | B| 319 | | 54 | |Damage done in 7th period by A| 62 | | 66 | | B| 32 | | 5 | |Value of offensive power at end 7th period A| 589 | | 653 | | B| 257 | | 0 | |Damage done in 8th period by A| 59 | | | | B| 26 | | | |Value of offensive power at end 8th period A| 563 | | | | B| 198 | | | |Damage done in 9th period by A| 56 | | | | B| 20 | | | |Value of offensive power at end 9th period A| 543 | | | | B| 142 | | | |Damage done in 10th period by A| 54 | | | | B| 14 | | | |Value of offensive power at end 10th period A| 529 | | | | B| 88 | | | |Damage done in 11th period by A| 53 | | | | B| 9 | | | |Value of offensive power at end 11th period A| 520 | | | | B| 35 | | | |Damage done in 12th period by A| 52 | | | | B| 4 | | | |Value of offensive power at end 12th period A| 516 | | | | B| 0 | | | -- ---------------------------------------------------------------- The main advantage of superior speed in naval operations is the ability it gives to secure tactical positions of advantage, and to make desirable strategic dispositions; ability, for instance, to T or flank an enemy force, and to prevent the enemy from T-ing or flanking; also to catch separated parts of an enemy fleet before they can unite, while retaining the ability to divide one's own force without undue risk.

For these purposes, speed is an element of the highest value; but the high price that it costs in gun power or armor protection--or both--and the fact that speed cannot always be counted on by reason of possible engine breakdowns and foul bottoms, result in giving to war-ships a lower speed than otherwise they would have.
Owing to the fact that, for any given horse-power put into a ship, the speed attainable increases with her length; and owing to the further fact that the weight that any ship can carry increases more rapidly than the displacement (weight of the ship complete), the best combination of gun power, armor protection, and speed is attainable in the largest ship.

In other words, the larger the ship, the more power it can carry in proportion to its size, and the more quickly that power can be placed where it can do the most good.
_Strategic Operations_ .-- These may be divided into two classes, offensive and defensive.

The two classes are distinct; and yet there is no sharp dividing-line between them any more than there is between two contiguous colors in the spectrum.

Defensive operations of the kind described by a popular interpretation of the word "defense" would be operations limited to warding off or escaping the enemy's attack, and would be just as efficacious as the passive warding off of the blows of fists.