The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-05-31
WASHINGTON. D. C.. saturda

'wASHINGTON. D. c.. Saturday.
 ME first of the new fleet submarines
 now building for the United States
 Navy, which are the biggest, most Improved craft of their kind actually under construction in the world, called the T type probably because use had been found previously for other letters of the alphabet. Three other fleet submarines now building at the Portsmouth Navy Yard and six for which bids are now under considera- ton will be known the V-boats.
 Though the new vessels contain many novel features of design, the most striking advance with regard to their construction is their speed and great cruising radius. Nearly 100 feet longer than the best types of German U-boats, they swift enough to keep up with the main body of the feet and their huge oil tanks give them cruising radius equal to that of the most modern battleship. They have a length of 300 feet, beam of 27 feet and a tonnage of about 5000 tons Cnot of1ciaD. They will carry 100 men.
 In speaking of the "most modern battle ship 1t may fttingly be said that the United States now has under construction six craft which when completed, will be superior to any ship of their type af1oat. They the six battleships of the North Carolina class. authorized under the building programme of 1916.
 BattIeship Still the FIeet's Backbone.
 Tn Opinion of U. s. Naval Experts Though Secretary Daniels ana his advisers agree that the submarine proved in the world war that it has a field in naval warfare which can be filled by no other character of ship and are convinced that the American Navy cannot afford to be without an ade- quate number of the most improved types. they still believe that the battleship is the backbone of the fleet.
 The battleship North Carolina and her five sister ships will be 6S4 feet long, 1O5 feet beam and will have a displacement of 43,2OO tons. Her speed will be twenty-three knots hour and sine will have an arma-, n1ent of twelve 16-inch guns and sixteen G. inch guns. The contract price for the hull and machinery of each of these giant craft will be in the neighborhood of S22. 100000.
 When these battleships and the six battle cruisers. now under construction are com pleted. as they are expected to be by 1923. the United States, according to Secretary Daniels will be the first naval Power of the world in respect to major ships and gun power In total ,onnage and effective fight ing ships the United States will be equalIed by Great Britain
 The American Navy. however. will be con- siderably weaker than the British Navy. Secretary Daniels asserts. in light cruisers and other ships used for protecting the main body of the fleet and in conducting block ading operations. We will be slightly in ferior in submarines, even when all twelve of the fleet submarines contemplated by the present programme completed. and the lack of fleet aviation forces will place us at a disadvantage with Great Britain Secretary Daniels Points Out
 Weakness of Our Navy Equipment "This means" the Secretary has said. that while our battleship force will be sufficiently powerful to cope with any navy in the world in main fleet engagement be- tween battleships. yet our main fleet would be open to torpedo attack by the enemy's torpedo forces. We would also be handi- capped in obtaining information of the enenny's movements and maintaining the blockade of the eneny's ports. Due to this weakness in ships of this class, We would be handicapped in conducting attacks against the enemy's fleet with torpedoes"
 In view Of this statement it is not diffi- cult to understand why naval men are deeply interested in the new fleet submarines.
 The following table shows the present strength of the navies of Great Britain and craft:
 No. of Ships, Tonnage: Great Britain. 9S S5.5o5 United States. 54 35.361 When submarine craft now authorized or projected are completed the table. including Japan. will read as follows:
 No. of Ships. Tonnage Great Britain. 117 1O7.475 United States 97 73,461 Japan 1O sooo New Craft Several Knots Faster
 Than the Famous Deutschland When the Deutschland poked her peri scope out of the off New London after her epoch making voyage across the At lantic the world looked with incredulous snnazemeat. Even well informed men found it hard to credit reports of her power and size. The fleet submarines. however, are not only more than one hundred feet