Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-08-09
EDITOR
Building Our Navy

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to go home
The navy, however. has always been rated as a
arm of the fighting and defensive power that shout
always be kept at the highest state Of efficiency :
it is that in time of war or rumors of war the tirs
appropriations have been for the navy. and as 500
the people feel confident that the development 0
the navy is going forward a plan equal to tn
OCCASION they breathe sigh of relief and feel re,
sOnaby safe.
Perhaps Secretary Daniels appreciated this fac
and so recently gave to the public a sketch Of Wha
record breaking and comprehensive navy buildin
plan has been made possible through the appropria
tiOns made by Congress.
1t is safe to assume that the work is being carrie
forward with all possible despatch, though the me
who have for years advocated larger navy may e1
perence a SILVER of doubt when they read the word
"now building or projected" In days gone by tn
nightmare of active men has been the list of detail
long remaining under the head "proected."
But necessity and danger at the door drive an
one experiences much satisfaction in reading tn
statement of the secretary that with the shipway
now being built or projected, United States nav
yards will be able to have in course of construction
on the ways and at one time sixteen war vessel
in addition to submarines and submarine chasers
naval construction campaign which is at ono
gratifying and impressive. He says:
"Seven of the vessels could be b: ttleships, tw
auxiliaries such as transports, fuel ships hospita
ships, etc. and seven destroyers. Should the need
of the nation require battle cruisers instead of bat
tleships, it would be possible to substitute them OF
the longer slips for equal number of battleships
GAS much work must be done on vessels before tn
HonIc 1o;I fko.
under construction at one time in the yards at leas
double the number of vessels for which slips ar
available. This construction work is in addition
to the repair work and rebuilding of the fleet whic
must be carried on.
"There are now under construction in govern
ment yards three battleships, four destroyers an
number of submarines and submarine chasers Il
1912 the shipbulding facilities Of the navy yard
consisted Of one ways for battleships at New Yor
and one ways at Mare Island for auxiliaries At tn
beginning of the present year the facilities avail
able we're: Boston, auxiliary; New York, bat
tleship; Philadelphia, auxiliary; Norfolk. 1 des
troyer; Charleston, 1 gunboat; Mare Island, bat
tleship and destroyer. At Portsmouth N. H.. W
now have four ways for submarines which mean
that from six to eight will be under construction
one time. The navy yard at Boston has one ways TO
auxiliaries.
"The navy yard at New York now has a ways TO
largesized battleships, and second is being bull
for battleships. At Philadelphia there Will be tw
ways, one for large battleships battle cruiser
and another for large battleships third, alread
built is used for auxiliary vessels.
Norfolk has one ways for destroyers and viii
have for large battleshios Charleston will hay
five ways for destroyers. The navy yard at Puge
do liz Gov,
Mare Island has ways for large battleship and TO
a destroyer
"The new building plans involve not only tn
construction of ways, but also machine electrical
structural forge and pattern shops, in addition t.
foundries storehouses, railroad tracks and powe
plants We must also secure electrical machiner,
and TOOLS well employ thousands of skilled anc
unskiled laborers.
"The increase in building capacity also provides
more repair resources, enabling the government
yards to handle all repair and rebuilding work fol-
the feet as we'll as much for the new merchan
marine. Owing to the fact that we had only
small merchant marine previous to the war, the
drydock and repair facilities of commercial char
acter were restricted. We had some small CONNER
cial docks, but few large enough to care for the b!
ships in the ocean trades and none for ships sucl
the large ships docked in England or Germany anC
when dOcked here permission had to be secured fo
the use of naval docks.
There are now three naval docks under construc
ton which will be capable of handling the larges
ships and two similar private docks are being built
one at San Francisco and one at Boston, which il
being built by private company and the state o
Massachusetts,. These are being encouraged by tn
government by annual guarantees for dockage.
Cali this work at navy yards is being rushed tn
men working overtime and in shifts. and in mos
cases bonuses offered for completion ahead O
the Schedn1e"