The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-12-08
.fORTY-TwO WARSH|PS
ON DANIELS PROGRAM
Three Battlcs.Ips and One Battle
Cruiser, Three Scouts. is De-
stroyers and 10 Submarines
MUST PRESERVE OIL RESERVES.
Would BE Calamity Not To. Secrc-
tary of Navy Ayers In Annual Re-
port to Congress-New BattIeships
to Garry 18-Inch Guns.

ships should Congress adopt the
! recommendations made by Secretary
! Daniels in his annual report. made
, public tonight. Secretary Daniels
recommendation, in so far as new
construction is concerned. Is practi-
cally that agreed upon last year when
the fve-year building program for the
new navy was condensed into three
years
Besides four capital shjps-three
battleships and one battle cruiser
Secretary Daniels program, to he
appropriated for at the present ses-
sion of Congress, includes three scout
cruisers, fifteen torpedo boat destroy
ers. four fleet submarines, fourteen
! coast submarines one fleet submarine
tender and one destroyer tender-a
total of forty-two vessels.
This building program is somewhat
less than that advocated by the Naval
General Board, Of which Admiral
Dewey is president The recommen-
dations of this board. which are made
i public as an appendix to the secre-
tary's report. include in addition to
Secretary Daniels's program. one more
I battleship. an additional battle cruiser.
and considerable increase in the
, number OF smaller craft.
Secretary Daniels, however. makes
/ II plain that his disagreement with
the General Board only results from
! his adherence to the program laid
down by Congress and from his con-
viction that the present crowded con-
dition Of shipyards will not permit the
immediate construction of more craft
/ than he has recommended He says:
/ Shtpyar,ls Are Crowded.
Congress, at its last session, fixed
| a specific program for the construc-
ton of Sc ships and appropriated
money to begin work on sixty-six. leav-
ing ninety TO be commenced during
the coming two years. My recon-
mendation is to begin on approximate
ly one-half of the ninety in the fiscal
year 1918, leaving the other half to
| be appropriated for in the naval bill
for the fiscal year 1919.
THE crowded condition of ship
yards. the difficulty of securing labor
and material. and reports made to me
by the officers of shipbuilding yards
all unite in convincing me that the
largest program that can be construct
ed, under present shipbuilding condi-
tons in this country. Is that which I
have recommended and which under
stand meets the policy which Congress
/ incorporated in the last naval bill. to-
wit. So ships to be commenced in
three years.
The report shows that with the
craft constructed from the present
program. the navy will have the fol-
lowing vessels completed and in COM
mission in 1921, the number being
| based on the general boards estimates
of survival for the present vessels of
the navy:
Battleships, first line. twenty seven;
battle cruisers, six; battleships second
line. twenty-five. armored cruisers,
nine: scout cruisers. thirteen; cruis-
ers. first class. Ave; cruisers second
class. three: cruisers, third class, ten:
! destroyers, los; feet submarines.
twelve: coast submarines, 1870; mont
tors. six; gunboats. eighteen; supply
ships. four; fuel ships, fifteen; trans
ports. 5; tenders to torpedo vessels,
six, special types. eight ammunition
ships, two.
Big Work Under Way.
Incidentally, the report shows that
the $4,000 tons of new cOnstructio
authorized by the 1917 act is greater
than the total tonnage authorized in
the ten preceding appropriations. and
that the $4,000 tons of new construc.
tion to be begun as soon as possible
Is five times the average of the pre-
ceding ten years. No statement Of
the relative standing of our navy,
either today or at the completion of
the program, is attempted by the
secretary as, he explains the naval
increases of the heiligefents in the
present war are being withheld.
Expressing confidence that the pres
ent determination to provide an ade-
auate navy will be carried out in the
future, Secretary Daniels says:
'.In the past. within the short Pc
Rod OF less than a score of years, we
have seen the navy of the United
States rise from the fourth or NTH
position among the worlds navies to
good second and then seen IL slip
back in 1911 until it was a doubtful
third. This generation will not again
see such an indefinite hating. uncer-
tain navy policy"
Sixtcen-Inch Guns.
Interesting details concerning the
new ships are presented. The new
battleships will carry l6-inch guns in
stead of 14-tnch, and the new battle
cruisers. which will carry unprece-
denied horsepower. are expected to
attain a speed OF thirty-five knots an
hour. This will give them an excess
Of speed of fourteen knots-nYer- the
battleships. which the secretary says.
rs believed to be sufficient TO insure
that these vessels will retain their adj
vantage OF speed as compared with
the heavily armored battleship type,
throughout their life
The advantages Of navy yard man
ufaCturlnS plants In time OF war Az
an immediate source of war supplies
and for the repair of the fleet. are
pointed out by Mr.. Daniels, who az Is:
The paramount necessity of utiliz-
ing all of our facilities in order to
relieve the burdens thrown upon
builders and manufacturers already
booked years ahead with orders. ad-
mits Of no dispute. 1t may be neces-
sary to ask from time to time for rp-
preparations to provide our yards with
the facilities they require.
1T would be q national calamity
for this country to fail to preserve
its oil reserves" declares the secre-
tary. pointing out that since all new
ships are to burn oil for fuel. the navy
will require 6.72l,Oo0 barrels with the
completion OF the three-year program
He emphasizes that because of the
greater speed control OF smoke. radius
Of action, SIS per cent reduction in Are
room force, increased ability to fuel
at sea. all resulting from use OF oil.
the new battle cruisers and destroyers
cannot be built II coal Is to be used as
fuel.
CITY AUDITORS OFFICE.