The Washington herald., 1921-01-29
Board Perfects Plan for
800 Foot Sea Monster
With 32N Knot Speed.
CONSTRUCTION COST
FIXED AT $2S,OOO,OOO
Vessel Would House 20
Flying Machines Capable
Of Launching Torpedoes.
By FREDERICK WILLIAM VILE.

Monster ships of great speed, to
carry whole fiotillas of torpedo
plane" aircraft, may be adopted by
the United States navy to displace
the battleships and the battle-cruisr
ers. The writer learns in an au-
thoritative quarter that the Bu-
reau of Construction and the Gen
eral Board of the Navy have con-
CURED in the recommendation of
two vessels of that character. AL
though carrying few guns, which
will be of light caliber, the ships
will bo capital ships" from the
standpoint of size, speed, equipment
and cost.
As at present planned, they will
be 800 feet long, with a beam of 100
feet. fitted with oil-burning en-
gines capable of generating nearly
100000 horsepower. travel at 321s
knots. displace $4,000 tons and cost
$2S,0O0.0OO. Their outstanding fea-
ture, however, will be their cargo"
That will consist exclusively of
torpedo planes" and their projec-
tiles. The plans call for space for
from twenty to thirty airplanes of
that type, each powered so highly
that it can sail at $50 to 200 miles
an hour.
To Convert Cruisers.
Congress has not yet been asked
to appropriate funds for the big
torpedo plane carriers. But the fact
that our most expert naval engi-
neers and strategists think 1t worth
while to enter upon a program for
their construction shows the trend
of opinion in the United States
navy. The proposal has been put
forth that the six battle cruisers OF
the Constitution class
(43s500 tors, -lSs,eso horsepowcr,
3Sh knots, with eight 16-inch guns,
and costing between S3O.00O,O00 and
$35,000,0O0) should be converted at
once into torpedo-plane mother
ships" None OF them is more than
just begun. There would be a con-
siderable saving in armor and guns
If they could be redesigned for the
new purpose.
Opinion in the American navy,
as in the British navy, is divided as
to the future efficacy of the bat
tleship. The older and "conserva-
tive" school of thought-though
" TN hCN"Dit FNStpllOHS ike rear
Admiral Bradley A. Fiske, retired,
who patented the worlds first tor
pedo plane in July, 1912, inclines
toward continued dependence on
the battleship. Our younger and
progressive" school of officers is
strongly in favor of not only keep
ing pace with modern developments.
but of leading them. They say
Z IL
of the American navy and claim
we have more than any fleet in the
world.
Could Destroy Fleet.
Although the big torpedo plane
carriers recommended by the navy
experts are almost as costly On-
cluding their extensive aircraft
equipmenD as our newest battle
ships and battle cruisers. each one
of them is imT sIsurably more valu-
able in effectiveness. That Is TO
say. every $2S 100000 torpedo plane
"mothership" will contain in her
capaCious belly the weapons with
which to put an entire fleet Of bat
tleships out of commission. Set
down in figures, such a $4,000, 900
craft theoretically could sally forth
and return untarnished after send
ing S2S0.000,000 worth of old STYLE
armOred warships to Davy Jones'
locker. For given sum Of money,
in other words, a navy that went
in exclusively for torpedo plane
carrying vessels would possess far
more effective naval power than II
the money were spent on battle
ships and battle cruisers.
Bitter Fight Brewing.
II Senator Borah's resolution
adopted by the Senate this week
leads to an inquiry by the Naval
Affairs Committee, facts herein
made public for the, first time are
certain to be brought to light. IT
is by no means sure the battIeship
and battle cruiser are doomed in
the American navy. As hot a fight
prospectively will be made for their
retention as is being made by their
partisans in the British navy. But
the officers who believe future naval
battles will be won by bombing
planes. torpedo planes, submarines
and mines will be heard from in
stentorian and persuasive tones
when the time comes. They hope to
have the American public with
them, for their program. they de-
clare. spells not only efficiency but
economy without jeoparidizing ma
tional security by injudicious dis
armament"