All water and steam pipes should be laid beneath the protective deck and below the water line and fitted with risers at such points as may be considered necessary.
The board also found that the ships Infanta Maria Teresa, Almirante Oquendo and Viscaya were destroyed by conflagration, caused by the explosion of shells in the interior, which set fire to the woodwork. The upper deck and all other woodwork on their ships was entirely consumed except the extremities. This shows the importance of fireproofing all woodwork on board ships.
Many of the guns on board the burned ships were found loaded at the time of the board's visit, indicating the haste with which the crews were driven from the guns.
With talks with experts the following was developed as to what the war showed:
First—That the gun is still the dominating factor in war.
Second—That rapid-fire guns are especially valuable, but that it is advisable to retain guns of large calibres.
Third—That smokeless powder is absolutely essential for modern warfare.
Fourth—That there should be a great reduction in the amount of woodwork on board ship and that that left on board should be fireproof, some going so far as to say that woodwork should be eliminated entirely, its place to be taken by some other substance.
Fifth—That armor should be distributed over the entire ship rather than be limited to the section where its vitals are located.
Sixth—That monitors are useless for cruising purposes or for fighting in rough waters.