Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-10-10
PROGRAM FOR NAVY
SETS NEW RECORD
Never Before Has World Seen
So Huge Armada in Course
of Construction.
BUILDING TOTAL OF 1877 SHIPS
They Range From Super-Dread-
noughts to Speedy, Sea-Skim-
ming Submarine Chasers.

WASHINGTON. October 9.-America
leaped to the forefront to-day with
the biggest warship building program
in the world With the letting of con-
tracts for the construction for at least
159 additional destroyers, the navy had
Ts7 warships OF all types and classes
building and contracted for.
Ranging from supcr-Dreadnoughts
to SPEEDY. sea -skimming submarine
chaseTs, every ore OF the ships will
be in active service within eighteen
months, according to promises written
into the contracts.
The destroyers contracted for to-
day will give the United States the
greatest fleet OF that type of vessels
in the world. The Navy Department
withheld the exact number contracted
for. but 1t was stated that $50 was
the lowest figure estimated and that
when the new destroyer program was
completed this country would have at
least twice as many destroyers as It
has now.
TOTAL COST OF PROGRAM
WILL DE S1,15O.4o0.OO
The total cost Of the 7S7 ships build
ing will be s1,150.400,0oO, according to
estimates. In a number of cases-es-
pecially TO complete the new destroyer
program-it will he necessary for the
navy 10 obtain ground and build yards.
These yards will be in connection with
the plants Of the companies awarded
contracts. At the end Of the work the
yards either will be retained by
the government for further work or
will be sold to the companies.
mt -
day contemplates the expenditure of
practically the whole s350,000,0 600
emergency appropriation voted by
he used for the construction of the
new building facilities.
Six companies only received contracts
for the new destroyers. They are the
Bath Iron Works, Fore River Ship
building Corporation. New York Ship
building Corporation, Cramp e. Son,
the Newport News Shipbuilding and
Dry Dock Company and the Union Iron
| Works.
| "A number OF other companies had
! cndeavored to obtain contracts. but
| Secretary Daniels. on the advice of his
construction chiefs. awarded the work
only to those yards familiar with the
| peculiar type of destroyer construction.
| He explained that while it would have
! been possible TO extend the work over
4 wider territory and possibly secure
quicker results, 1t had been decided
| best not to give contracts to COM
panics which had never constructed
destroyers before. Furthermore. these
other companies are all engaged on
government work, and it was pointed
out that II they set in to build de-
| stroyers the merchant ship program of
the Emergency Fleet Corporation would
suffer. A working agreement between
the navy and shipping board has been
reached to prevent clashes In the con-
struction OF the respective fleets. Th.
basis of this is that yards familiar as
| naval construction yards shall not be
| given merchant ship contracts while.
in return. the navy will not distribute
! It's work among the purely merchant
! yards.
WORK WILL BE DONE
ON COST PLUS BASIS
| The work will be done on a cost
| plus basis. with guarantee that a GER
tain fixed sum shall not be passed.
| Contractors doing the work below that
sum will receive a bonus.
| Delivery of the new destroyers will
| DeGln wltnln nine mOntnS-until SIX
months ago 1t took twenty two months
to build a destroyer-and the entire
$50 or more will be completed within
eighteen months.
| BY the same time all the others OF
the 1877 ships will have been completed,
according to expectations. Those in
clude the final super er-Dreadnoughts of
the three-year program and the great
battle cruisers contracted for Just be-
fore the declaration of war.
This is the greatest project we
have ever undertaken" said Secretary
Daniels. Three months ago it looked
as IL 1T could not be done. Orders had
already been given for all the de-
stroyers the yards could build, and al
most as many as the new program calls
for are now under construction Of
contract.
ITO build rapidly the additional de-
stroyers requires great extension of
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