Evening star., 1924-12-13
SHIP M0DERN|z|NG
PLANS ANNOUNCED
U. S. S. Florida May Be First
Vessel to Be Sent to
Yards.

The battleship Florida, now at the
Boston navy yard, will be the first to
receive attention under the moderni-
Zation' program, it is indicated at the
Navy Department. Six of the old bat
tleships are included in the program
and the work will be started as soon
as the President signs the measure,
which was passed by the Senate
Thursday.
Conversion of six battleships. now
In need of new boilers, to oil instead
of coal burners and other essential
lection and installing "blister" un-
derwater protection, are included in
the program now authorized but still
lacking appropriations to carry out
the work. No determin ation has
been reached as yet, so far as known,
as to whether Congress will be ask
ed to make funds for this work i'm
mediately available when they are
included in the Navy supply bill for
the coming fiscal year. 1t appears
probable, however, that at least a
part of the $26, 900. 900 job will be ex-
pedited if the capacity Of the navy
yards to do the work is to be taken
advantage Of --'
Prepare for Maneuvers.
AS planned in advance at the Navy
zation work will not interfere with
the participation of the battleship
Wyoming, now in East Coast waters,
in fleet maneuvers in Hawaiian
waters next Summer. At no time will
all of the six ships be withdrawn
from active service, the department
having worked out a schedule for the
yards which will bring the ships in
relays into those equipped to do the
a a
trained personnel among the yard
employees. The work will require
about two years for completion under
this schedule.
Included in the authorization bill
is the provision for laying down eight
of the post-treaty 10,000-ton cruisers.
Funds under which contracts for
this work could be let will be in
cluded in the appropriation bill for
the next fiscal year. The extent to
which the Navy Department will
open contracts for these ships to bid
ding by private shipbuilding COM
panies has not been decided, nor has
1t been definitely determined whether
all of the modernization work is to be
completed in Government yards.
To Renew Fund Plea.
In his recent statement to the
House appropriations subcommittee,
Secretary Wilbur indicated that he
expected later to renew the depart
ment's request for authorization and
funds to elevate the main battery
guns of the older ships. There is as
yet no definite indication as to when
he will ask the House naval commit
tee to take up this matter. The prof.
ect involves an expenditure, in ad-
dition to that authorized for other
modernization work, of S6.500,000. and
since the gun elevation work and the
modernization program otherwise
could proceed simultaneously. thus
reducing the length of time any of
the ships will be out of the fighting g
line, there is some expectation that
the gun elevation appropriation will
also be asked of Congress in the near
future.
In addition to the work already au-
thorized to moderniZe six Of the older
battleships, seven additional capital
ships of the fleet will ultimately need
to be equipped with the blister pro-
lection, as the best form yet devised
for guarding old craft from the men
ace of submarine torpedoes. The
most recent battleships In the Navy
were designed with interior hull con-
struction to accomplish this defense,
but it is not possible to reconstruct
hulls of old ships and all navies have
been compelled to resort to the bills
ter" outside protection.
The Navy Department has not in
dicated as yet when it would ask au-
thority to proceed with the "blister"
work on the seven additional ships,
but it is to be assumed that this will
not be done until the six ships more
seriously in need of attention have
been modernized and are back in the
fleet line.