The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-12-13
NAVY vYREPOR7HAS LARGE NUMBER
 OF DISCLOSURES

Washington, Dec. 13-One month before the armistice with Germany ended the war, the American navy was operating a total of 1859 vessels of all descriptions, of which 264 car rying 42,O0O men were actively par ticipating in the war in European waters.
 These figures were disclosed to- day in the annual report of Rear Ad- niral Griffin, chief of the bureau ot steam engineering. Daily expendi- lures of the bureau during the war year covered by the report exceeded $777,0O0.
 Admiral Griffin said the regular navy on the date of his report con- sisted of 570 ships, supplemented by 93 vessels from the Coast Guard, Lighthouse Service, Coast and Geo. detic Survey and Fish commission. In addition the navy was then oper- ating 937 converted merchant craft, yachts and the like, and the Naval Overseas Transport service, consisting of PAY Shipping Board and other SUD- ply vessels, with 112 more about to be commissioned. Construction under way for the regular navy at that time included 376 new ships of all kinds and 52 tugs.
 Since the United States became a belligerent," the report states, "the | magnitude of the engineering work of the navy both mechanical and electrical, not only in its actual amount but in the rapid development of facilities for it's execution - has been without parallel for the same i period of time in the history of the worlds navies."
 | To keep up the fleet abroad, three | repair bases were established in France, one in Great Britain, one at | Gibraltar and two in the Mediter- ranean. These were supplemented by six repair ships which achieved re- markable results in repairing vessels l at sea.
 The report makes the first official announcement regarding development of the submarine detection devices 1 and shows that American equipment for this purpose has been placed aboard both British and French naval craft. Details are not disclosed, how ever, the report in this connection ! confining itself to the following para graph:
 Previous to July 1, 1917, there were two devices for submarine de- lection in service. One was the Fes- senden esciIlator, primarily intended for sending and receiving underwater signals; the other was a device de- veloped by the General Electric Go Since then eight other devices fol submarine detection have been devel. oped and made in quantity not only for our own navy, but for thN British admiralty and the French Ministry ot Marine. Modified forms of these de vices have also been designed for use in protection of the Atlantic coas of the United States.'
 Taking up naval radio development Admiral Taylor shows that through the new high power plant at Annap
 oils and the station built by the navy in France and nearing completion provision had been made which would |; have kept the United States govern
 ment in touch with it's forces 1T Europe constantly even if every sub
 marine cable had been cut. The IdulO CO1llIIl ulI1CdllOIl oySISIIl 1ldi been extended vastly, S4 additiona main stations having oeen built dur ing the year.
 Striking achievements are noted 1T
 development of radio outfits for maya :. aircraft. Communication from ma
 chimes in flight to shore stations i. now possible at a distance of 20( miles, the report says, while the land station can communicate with a ma. chine in air 50 miles away. Through the radio telephone, the aircraft car talk to stations 60 miles away anG receive verbal instructions from sta tion 15 miles distant. Both system. have been employed with the coasta patrol maintained by aircraft.
 Tables annexed to the report show
 that the battleship Mississippi, 12
 destroyers, eight of which are 35
 knot boats, and A submarines hat
 been delivered prior to the first O.
 last July. At that time destroyer
 Nos. 70 to 344 inclusive were undel construction, all but the first two be
 ing 35-knot craft. The chief difficult to be overcome in carrying out tn,
 huge destroyer project was building
 the engines, yet on July 1 the driving
 plants of the 275 boats then buildin,
 were well advanced. Many of tn,
 vessels since have been delivered. : Of the big ships, engines for fv,
 out of eight new battleships had pass
 ed the 20 per cent. mark. No worl
 beyond preparation of plans appar
 ently had been done on engines fo
 the six authorized battle-cruisers ant work had not much more than starte, :, on plants for three of the six author , ized scout cruisers.
 Submarines building on July numbered 10, and the tables sho7 . that engines for 28 were more tha. . 60 per cent. ready; 14 of them befn
 well past the 90 per cent.
 1 cf A DOIrNrn IlI2n nHIHI!.Io r,r, ,rz1r,rcn,uA