The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-10-03
CARRIER
LAUNCHED BY
NAVY
Sec. Wilbur Praises Depart
ment as Lexington"
Takes to Water
BY international News Service

modern a1rplane carrier the navy
has ever built, the Lexington, slid
into" the water here today to the
p!audits Of a great crowd, and the
declarations OF high naval officials
that in the construction of this
great ship the navy has furnished
proof that. it recognizes the value of
aviation in sea fighting. Lexing-
ton is a sister ship to the Saratoga
Every blow of the hammer used
in her construction said Secretary
OF the Navy Wiltur, who made the
principal address, gives vocal pro-
test to the unthinking declaration
that the American navy is hide
bound with conservatism and i'm
movably anchored by barnacle-en.
crusted chains tO things of the
past.
IF so thoughtless and idle a
claim needs refutation, look today
from the aircraft landing deck of
this ship, with it's 10000 horse
power turbine engine, it's electric
drive, it's $4,000 tons of metal, to
the wooden, wind driven Constitution
locked in yonder harbor in Boston.
Count the steps that lead from the
deck of the old Constitution across
the Monitor and the Merrimac to
the deck Of the Lexington, and you
will find q conclusive answer TO
the charge Of unreasonable conser-
vatism in the American navy.
More Than Ship
THE Lexington is more than q
ship; it is q monument to faith, 10
hope and to progress. This monu-
ment is a witness bearing silent tes-
timony to the belief of men and
officers of the navy in the use Of
aircraft in national defense. .
The Lexington, which was CHS
tened by Mrs. Douglas Robinson,
wife of the Assistant Secretary Of
the Navy, is g. vessel of 1000 tons.
It is SSS feet in length over all,
with beam of los feet.
1t will be electrically driven, and
will develop a speed of more than
80 knots or 81 statute miles per
hour. The vessel will have carry
ing space for u planes of various
types.
The power will be derived from
four As, 0O0-horsepower motors
while the electricity will be, gen.
Grated by eight 22,50O kilowatt tur:
bine generators. A battery of Is
boilers will be necessary to pro-
vide steam to drive these genera
tors.
The Lexington will carry eight
S-inch guns mounted in four 2-gun
turrets. A battery of anti-aircraft
and machine guns will also be in
eluded in its armament.
Others Praise Navy
Like Secretary Wilbur, other
naval spokesman of the anti-Mft-
chell school, cited the construction
of the Lexington as proof of the
navy's keeping abreast aircraft de-
velopment, instead Of, as charges
by Colonel. William Mitchell, cling
ing to obsolete theories Of naval
supremacy in warfare.
Rear Admiral Moffett, chief Of
naval aviation, and one Of Mitchell
bitterest opponents, struck at Nit
chelTs advocacy OF an unified air
force in his speech, saying:
THE fundamental principle on
which this development has gone
ahead is that to succeed in naval
aviation we must be an integral
part of the fleet.
which are useful to the fleet and
not lust useful to themselves.
ave view with great alarm any
change in organization which VIII
tend to deprive the navy OF Its
aviation or to separate aViation
from the fleet because the Tleet
and naval aviation are mutually
and absolutely inter-dependent.
Taking another dig at one OF
MitchelTs theories-that ariplanes
should defend American shores ana
that the navy is a back number as
the nations first line of defense
Moffett continued:
This great carrier represents a
powerful instrument on the offen'
sive. I am convinced that a bomb
ing attack launched from such car
riers cannot be warded off by de-
fensiye aircraft based on shore.
1.-THE navy is the front line of the
nations defense, and by that l
mean a navy equipped with air
craft"
Secretary Wilbur praised the high
spirit and morale Of the navy
from the time John Paul Jones said
II have not yet begun to fight"
down to and including Commander
Transformers l3conic command
aboard the Inflated dirigible Shenan-
doah: 1--WE will go through to-
gether."
1T is this spirit of courage, of
subordination, of resourcefulness, OF
daring, of initiative. of advance,
here defeating new ship to the
cause of liberty and the preserva
ton Of American rights and privi-