France Cannot Proceed Without Paris!

Emergency Repairs to a Battleship
By Lieutenant J. Desmarais, MN

The steps taken during the substitution by the crew of the
Paris, have been taken together in this article for the reason that, while they demonstrate little new knowledge, they involve simple principles of maritime electro-mechanical engineering in a most instructive manner. The work undertaken emphasizes one fundamental principle, that great care must be taken to retain apparatus onboard men-of-war so that in a state of national emergency they may complete their tasks with the greatest efficiency. This point was demonstrated in the attempts to obtain a suitable motor from locations away from the usual naval facilities in France, and the difficulty in restoring one of our finest ships to full locomotive power.

The main circulating pumps of the
Paris are of the centrifugal type, and are driven by impulse turbines developing _____ at ______ when driving the pumps. Steam is taken from auxiliary steam line at boiler pressure and expanded in nozzles down to the back pressure of th auxiliary exhaust. Consequently the turbine casing is not ordinarily subject to greater pressure than the back pressure and is designed on this basis. At the time of the accident the pumps were being secured as the battleship stopped outside of Stockholm. The machinist had closed the throttle by hand and, upon seeing the pump stop, had closed the exhaust. Seeing steam leaking from around the glands, he started to close the throttle with a wrench, but before he could do so, the turbinge exploded, blowing out the exhaust side of the casing. It was later ascertained that the relief valve had been frequently lifted by steam before the explosion.

Examination of the turbine showed it to be damaged beyond repair by the explosion, though the casing was the only part of it rendered unfit for use. Steps were immediately undertaken to rig some sort of substitute, and, in the meantime, the two condensers were cross-connected by means of the main drain, allowing the remaining circulating pump to serve both condensers. This method limited the battleship's speed to about __ knots, sorely limiting the mobility of the vessel. Only the extreme cold of the waters at this high latitude allowed even this speed to be met.

Two alternatives to repair the pump presented themselves...
 
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The Origins of the European War
By Raymond Poincare, former President (1913-15) and Prime Minister (1915-16) of the French Republic
pp. 196-200

...during this sinister day of Saturday, July 25, which we spent at Stockholm, we had to go from ceremony to ceremony, presenting smiling faces in spite of the deteriorating diplomatic situation. King Gustavus, the Swedish Government, and the population had arranged a fair reception for us, but our thoughts were more concerned at that time with events in Vienna and St. Petersburg. In the King's palace I met the Russian Minister, M. Nekludoff, whose disposition I found most pacific. In light of the sad events that were to take place so soon afterwards, my expression of the hope that we might be able to stave off the crisis seems quite hollow at the present day.

I transmitted to the King of Sweden the friendly assurances given me by the Russian Emperor, and the promise he had given me that the abuses of which Sweden complained should be ended soon. Even at this time, however, I felt that peril would soon engulf the northern nations.

Upon learning that the German Emperor had returned from Bergen to Kiel, the question arose as to what decision we should ourselves take. We had not yet been asked by the French Government to return, though Ferry's pleas weighed heavily on us. To go at once direct to Paris might perhaps alarm public opinion and further strain international tensions. We would have to break out word to Denmark and Norway.

We were left with little choice, however, when we learned that the
Paris had suffered from a machinery explosion earlier in the day, limiting her speed. As France remained unable to fight an opponent at her state of completion, we had no other recourse but to make best possible speed for France out of the Baltic. M. Viviani and me telegraphed messages to the Kings of Denmark and Norway that our ships' embarrassments and the gravity of the international situation rendered our return imperative.

On Sunday, the 26th, we were steaming through the open Baltic when a wireless message told us that the German Emperor had arrived in Kiel. For a time after this we no longer received any precise information from either St. Petersburg or from Paris, and we became more and more anxious in our solitude, our remoteness, and our lack of mobility.

Early on the following morning, wireless messages from Paris gave us the impression that our return was rather impatiently awaited. Ferry informed us that public opinion and the Press were reproaching us for not returning home sooner.

On the evening of the 27th, when we were to the north of the Bay of Mecklenburg, a German cruiser met us and saluted us very correctly in passing. A German destroyer, on the contrary, made a right about turn on sighting us, and made off at full speed in the direction of the nearest German port. Both vessels had obviously been sent to ascertain our location.

A terrible decision now had to be made: we had been discovered, and our location was known. We were restricted by the limited mobility of
Paris, and by the complete unpreparedness of France for battle in case an engagement with the German Navy was to be fought. After conferring with the captains of the two battleships, I reluctantly agreed to proceed back to St. Petersburg, where a friendly reception could be ensured. I had to explain to M. Viviani the situation, which he was having difficulty grasping. "France cannot proceed without Paris!"
 
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