Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1922-08-10
BY JAMES p. HoRnApAY

is ready to begin the work of scrap
ping % battleships the day Great Brit
ain, France, Japan, Italy and the
United States exchange ratification of
the treaty limiting naval ornaments.
II Is estimated that it will cost $780,
100000 to wreck these fighters of the
sea.
The vessels TO be destroyed, new
and old, are estimated to represent
an outlay Of $5OO,O0O,G00. Most of
his money was expended on battle
cruisers and battleships not vet COM
pleted but on which construction was
started. Ii was figured that the Unit
ed States has invested in these new
vessels about S330000,0 600. Add to this
the cost Of the 10 old capital ships
that are to be strapped, and the half
billion mark is not far away. The ff-
teen old ships range from the Maine.
20 years old, to the Michigan, 10 years
old.
Thirteen uncompleted vessels, six
cattle cruisers of most modern type
and seven battleships are also to go.
The battleships range from II TO rs
per cent completed, the average being
about one-third. The doomed battle
cruisers are from - To 80 per cent
complete
However, two of the cruisers are to
0e converted into airplane carriers
The treaty permitting this--and the
actual scrapplng will apply to only
'our cruisers. The Lexington and the
Saratoga, each 33 per cent complete.
nave been selected for airplane car
'iers. The remaining four cruisers
Constellation, Ranger, Constitution
and the United States-must be used
as targets or sold for the metal that
Is in them
To Be Sold or Sunk.
In dlsposlng of all the vessels. old
and new. the naval board recommends
hat they 'be disposed of by sale I'M
ess sunk by gunfre" However. IT Ia
explained at the Navy Department, it
IS hard TO sell war vessels. They are
nnsuited for merchant use because of
The weight of their armor and small
- NAebA lhf fdDdtilN. HtIf ma
chinery will fit into no other ship. and
che expense and Inconvenience OF re-
moving the machinery are practically
prohlbitiye. The most that can be ex-
pected is a buying order from some
one who wants to strip the vessels of
their metal and furnishings.
Indications are. therefore. that most
OF the condemned vessels will he
lowed TO sea and sunk. The Navy De
partment. nevertheless. has ALREADY
sold two of the vessels-the Maine and
the Missouri. Each was bought for
hunk purposes. Completed capital
ships to be sold or strapped, most of
Them fifteen to twenty years old. in
clude the Virginia, New Jersey. Rhode
Island, Georgia, Nebraska, Connect
cut, Louisiana. Vermont, Minnesota.
Kansas, New Hampshire, Michigan.
South Carolina, Delaware and North
Dakota. Under the terms of the
treaty Ii Is permissible that the United
States snpplant the Delaware and
North Dakota with two new vessels of
The West Virginia type. Accordingly.
as soon as The West Virginia and Colo
RADIO are completed. they will be nut
INTO commission and the Delaware
and the North Dakota junked.
Seven Unfinished Hsttleships.
The seven uncompleted battleships
10 be scrapped-work ON them having
leased several months ago-are:
South Dakota, Indiana.
Montana, North Carolina. Iowa and
Massachusetts, The Massachusetts
low at Fore River, is only II per cent
on the other extreme the
now at the New York
company Yards is 1853
Ter cent complete. The remaining five
'ange from p to 80 per cent complete. |
I IS contemplated by the naval ex-
'erts that If an uncompleted vessel |
las so far progressed toward compile /
ion that she will float, the ship will
'e taken down the ways on to the sea.
where she will be sunk. Vessels that
ave not reached the floating stage In
will be broken up
Six of the uncompleted battleships
South Dakota. Indiana, Montana.
Worth Carolina. Iowa and Massachu.
etts-have percentage OF compile
Ion too small to contemplate launch
lg and they must be either disas-
embed or cut up on the ways. The
realty allows use of either the Della
ARE or the North Dakota as a target
hip and this plan eventually NAV be
dopted by the scrapping board The
GARD also is authorized by the treaty e
srms to salvage from the condemned
hips such machinery, guns, fittings
nd equipment as may be serviceable
'r other uses and the government will
alvage all the material possible.
oweyer, it is said that much of this
achinery and equipment will be sunk
long with the ships because II is or
III soon become obsolete and is diff 2
cult of removal and storage
Nobody at the Navy Department has
Fl been able To make even a rough
less of the asiount To be realized
? salVagfng The Screaming" nrocass