Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-21
Administration Program Calls
Also for a Thousand Ad-
ditionaI Officers.
STRENGTH OF THE FLEET
AS PLANNED FOR 1925
Additions to Consist Chiefly Of
Dreadnaughts, Battle Cruisers
and Submarines.

Thirty thousand men and ! 900 ofh-
GERS will be added to the navy within
the next five years if the new building
program to be recommended by Secre-
tary Daniels Is approved. 1t will re-
quire that many additional men, ac-
cording to estimates of department off,
Gals, it was learned. to man the 1856
new ships which would be added to
the navy under that program.
They would be in addition to the in
creased personnel of 1880 men and
800 officers which Congress will be
asked to provide for this year. The
total strength of the navy would be
approximately 100000 or virtually dou-
BILE the present establishment of $1,000
men and $500 officers.
United States Navy in 1925.
The strength of the navy in 1925, If
the program is carried out, will be as
follows:
Dreadnaughts of the first line, TWEEN
ty-seven. These ships would all carry
more than eight big guns each, most
of them mounting twelve fourteen-inch
ffty-caliber rifles. the new weapon re-
Gently developed by the ordnance bu-
reau and believed to be the equal or
With two exceptions they would all be
able to steam more than twenty knots
an hour.
Dreadnaughts of the second line, four
teen. These ships carry four heavy
guns each, and some Of them have a
speed of nearly twenty knots
Reserve battleships of the predread-
naught type, nine. These ships are all
now in commission or in reserve. The
Oldest ship is the Iowa, commissioned
n no
Massachusetts and Indiana, will have
gone to the scrap heap within two or
three years.
Six Fast Battle Cruisers.
Battle cruisers, six. They will mount
eight fourteen-inch, so caliber rifles
and have speed of thirty-five knots.
Scout crisers. thirteen. This includes
the Salem, Chester and Birmingham,
the only scouting ships now in the
navy.
Destroyers. ninety-six. This figure
allows for the retirement of sixteen
destroyers built before 1898, and does
not take into account nineteen tor
pedo boats, many of which are still in
service.
Fleet submarines, eighteen. The
Schley. first vessel of this type de-
signed for any navy, will be launched
q
ty knots on the surface, while the
others will make twenty-five knots or
more.
Coast defense submarines. 149. This
figures all submersibles of this type
now built or building and allows for
the retirement of nine boats of the A
and B classes, which are now doing
duty in the Philippines and at Panama,
and giving satisfactory service despite
the fact that they are twelve years old.
Navy officers believe most of them will
still be available for harbor defense in
eight years time.
Gunboats, thirty-one. These vessels
are for river and Shallow-harbor use.
The new program will add only two
vessels of this type.
Cruisers for Reserve Duty.
In addition to the foregoing there are
ten armored cruisers. five protected
cruisers, four second-class cruisers,
twelve third-class cruisers and nine
coast defense monitors available for
reserve fleet duty. 1t is not planned to
build any more ships of these types.
For the task planned for navy de-
slgners by the new program it is prob
able that considerable additions to the
civil employees in the departmental bu-
reaus will be necessary. The bureau
Of construction and repair. which will
draw plans Tor the new ships, has
huge job before it, since the weight of
every rivet or bolt that goes into a
32.00Oton battleship must be calcu-
lated in order that she will be in
proper balance, submerge to the proper
depth and have the desired displace-
ment. 1t is a matter of pride with the
department that no navy designed ship
for the last twelve years has been
overweight, a record unequaled by any
foreign navy.
Million for Laboratory.
The navy estimates also will include
81, 000, 900 for a start on the S., OO0, 900
laboratory for the navy advisory board,
headed by Thomas A. Edison.
The War Department estimates will in
clude an appropriation for Notifications
at San Pedro, Cal, where sxteen-inch
guns will be mounted. Additions to the
San Francisco defenses of sixteen-inch
guns to command the harbor and a wide
reach of the coast line to north and south
also will be proposed to Congress. Other
defenses of the same character will he
for Puget sound.
TO WAIT FOR MONEY.