Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-05-06

Creator(s)

Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936

Recipient

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Lieutenant Commander Sims responds to Captain Mahan’s paper from the United States Naval Institute. He generally agrees with Mahan except on the argument of speed, and can modify his own paper to be conclusive.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-29

Lieutenant Commander Sims reports the success of the United States Navy’s tests in long-range gunnery in Cape Cod Bay.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-14

Lieutenant-Commander Sims addresses recent conclusions A. T. Mahan drew in an article on the battle of the Sea of Japan during the Russo-Japanese War. Sims contends that while Mahan’s conclusions may have been correct given the facts he was working from, the facts were inaccurate. Addressing each argument, Sims refutes Mahan’s arguments prioritizing gun-power over speed, asserting that all-big-gun ships are mistakes, and saying that the size of ships should not greatly increase. Sims illustrates how the converse of each of these would lead to a stronger, more modern navy.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-27

Lieutenant-Commander Sims updates President Roosevelt on the warship training exercises held in Cuba. Sims states the marksmanship of the men has greatly improved and has now surpassed that of the British navy.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-05

Lieutenant-Commander Sims reports on experimental target practice of battleships and advances in understanding the requirements for battle firing. Key to the success rate was fixing problems with the gun sights, and the skill, earned through practice, of the officers in controlling the fire of the guns.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-10-01

William Sowden Sims encloses a confidential letter for President Roosevelt and asks William Loeb to deliver it unopened due to its sensitive nature.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-09-01

William Sowden Sims introduces his report of naval gunnery information obtained during a trip to England. He highlights mistakes made by the British, the Japanese, and the Russians.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-07-25

In a memorandum, Commander Sims addresses the need to appoint a new Engineer-in-Chief for the Navy. The Board on Construction’s sudden decision in 1904 to design smaller battleships was due to Senator Eugene Hale’s influence with the Engineer-in-Chief and the Board. Hale has a history of influencing the Navy, and Sims recommends appointing a new Engineer-in-Chief who is not controlled by Hale.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-06-01

Commander Sims submits his comments in response to a critical report by Admiral George Albert Converse.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-14

A memorandum containing summary of Commander Simon P. Fullinwider’s letter from December 6, 1907, which criticizes Brazil’s construction of large and expensive dreadnoughts and says they may be Japan’s project. He recommends the United States ready their fleet accordingly and dismiss Japanese men aboard the ships, who he thinks could be spies. Commander Sims writes that the officers will learn more while in Rio, and he shares Fullinwider’s concerns about “foreign servants” and enlisted men sharing confidential information.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-12-19

This memorandum from Commander Sims of the United States Navy describes the results of firing practice done by several armored cruisers. The results were very good, with all measurements of accuracy and speed increasing from the previous year.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-17

At the direction of the Joint Army and Navy Board, William Sowden Sims compares the methods used by the Army and Navy to aim and shoot heavy artillery. The report examines the relative efficiency of the gunnery methods of the two services, and concludes that the Army method is expensive, complicated, and unreliable, while the Navy method is much more reliable.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-07