The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-10
Contracts for $50 Additional
Desuoyers Makes Total Of
787 Planned
ALL TO BE COMPLETED
In EIGHTEEN MONTHS
Cost of New Fleet Will Be
$l,l50,400,0O0 raining
Camps to be Extended to
Man Ships as Launched

Washington, October e.--America
leaped to the forefront today with the
biggest warship-buildlng program in
the world.
With the letting OF contracts for the
construction of 1t least lb0 additional
destroyers. the navy had 1871 warships
OF all types and classes building or
contracted for.
Ranging from saperdreadnoughts
20 speedy, seaskimming submarine
chasers. every one of the ships Will be
In active service within eighteen
months. ACCORDING TO promises written
into the contracts
The destroyers contracted for today
will give the United States the great
est feet Of that type of vessels In the
world. The navy depart1nen 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 complete
this country would have at least twice
as many destroyers as 1t has now
The total cost of the TS7 ships build
Ing will be sl,l50,4 600. according to
estimates. In "a number OF cases--espe-
cialIy to complete the new destroyer
proSram---it will be necessary for the
navy to obtain ground and build yards.
i IESG YhEAS W SiA pC AA SNAAASS~A1As " . -
the plants OF the companies holding
contracts At the end OF the work
the yards win either. be retained by
the government for further work or
will be. sold to the companies.
The destroyer program launched to-
day contemplates the expenditure of
practically the whole s35o.ooo,o0o
en- sr geney appropriation voted by con-
sresa. Part Of this vast sum will be
-F hA
building facilities
Six companies only received con-
tracts for the new destroyers, They
are the Bath Iron works. Fore River
Shipbui1ding corporation. New York
Shipbu1ding corporation. Cramp d
SON. the Newport News Shipbuilding
and Dry Dock company, and the Union
Iron works.
DESTROYER work Concentrated.
A number OF other companies had
endeavored to obtain contracts. but
Secretary Daniels on the advice Of his
construction chiefs, awarded the work
unly 10 those yards familiar with the
peculiar type Of destroyer construc-
ton He explained that while IL would
have been possible TO extend the work
over 81 wider territory and POSSIBLY Sc
cure quicker results. II had been de-
cided hest not TO give contracts 10
COMP RIlc8 WhiCD It6u mover CpitSNi w.
ed destroyers before. Furthermore
these other companies are all engaged
on government work and II was point
ed out that II they set in TO build de-
strovers the merchant ship program OF
the Emergency Fleet corporation would
suffer A working agreement be-
tween the navy and shiphutlding board
has been reached 10 prevent clashes in
the construction Of the respective
~, d. a
familiar as naval construction yards
shall NOT be ~iyen merchant ship con-
tracts while. In return. the navy win
not Distribute it's work among the
purely merchant yards.
Cost Plus Basis For builders.
The work will all be done on a cost
Plus basis, with guarantees that r.
certain fixed sum shall not be passed.
Contractors doing the work below
that sum wifi recs+vs q bonus
Delivery OF the new destroyers win
begin within nine months--until six
months ago It took twenty-five months
70 build destroyer-and the entire
1870 or more will be completed with
in eighteen months.
by the same time all the others of
the TsT ships will have been COM
rleted. according to expectations
Those include the final superdread-
nO1EniS OF tBS lnTSF- ySAF prog rSiiE anu
the great battle cruisers contracted
for Just before the declaration of war.
This is the greatest project we
have ever undertaken" said Secretary
Daniels three months ago II looked
az II Il could not he done. Orders had
already been given for all the destroy
ers the yards could build and almost
as many as the new program calls for
are now under construction or con-
tract.
''To build rapidly the additional de-
stroyers requires a great extension Of
shtpbuiIding facilities and the erection
of new plants for building engines.
The companies were unwilling to in
vest millions in these additions. SO
the government must build and will
own the new plants and extensions
which will he used by the builder.
we are putting every energy and
facility behind the project. Some of
the new destroyers are promised for
delivery In nine months and all with
in eighteen months.
1.-THE vessels will be of the largest
and most Improved type which have
been tried In our service and found
to be unsurpassed by any destroyers in
the world. The plans are all ready
and the adoption OF uniform type
will enable us to reduce the number
or types OF engines ana parts ana TO
turn them out In much less time. The
principal trouble Is in getting forg-
ings and suxiliaries, but the manu-
facture of these has been arranged
for and we will make every effort to
prevent delay.
Thousands of men will be required
to man these destroyers and we are
now busy training them. BY the time
the vessels are completed the screws
will be ready for them
Sixty Days for Lily,
Lily Mosby colored servant. WA
siyan sfxtv da>-S in tail yasterday hy