Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-05
II. s. STILL FAR BEHIND
WITH CRUISER PROGRAM
Will Take Some Years to Catch Up
With Other Powers if Present
Building Speed Continues.

which were laid down last year, but
which have not been launched. In
addition there are two more, not yet
named, and known as the No. z and
No. &, which have not been laid down
IN the ship building yards.
These figures show that the United
/ States has building. but which will not
! be in commission for several years,
! eight modern cruisers with an aggre-
/ gate tonnage of 10000; the British -
/ commission and In various stages OF
! construction. totaling l36.300 tons. and
! the japanese eight commissioned. build
ing and authorized, with total tonnage
of $4,000.
} While 1t appears from these figures
that the United States Is away behind
Great Britain, with which empire It
should be on par. 1t is little ahead
of Japan from building standpoint,
/ but will be on par, when Japan S
cruiser program Is completed
United States Is Far Behind.
On the other hand. from a fighting
standpoint the United States is away
behind both Great Britain and Japan,
having but 10 modern cruisers OF the
6.60o-ton type, mounting IL six-lnch
guns. and speed of "a knots. Their
the Omaha. Milwaukee. Richmond, De-
trcit. Concord and Cincinnati. COM
pleted in 1923; the Raleigh. Trenton
and Marb,ehead. completed in 1924 and
the Memphis completed in 1925.
AS against this is Great Britain's
modern cruiser tonnage of 246.776.
divided among 40 ships. not one OF
which will become otSoi - before 1887
and the majority of them making %
knots or more and mounting tor thu
most part 6-inch batteries. four OF
them having 7S-inch guns.
In this modern cruiser group, Japan
has Is vessels. totaling l26,4l5 tons,
practically all--with only two excep~
tionS-heing 33-knot boats, and four
of them having S-inch guns, the others
having 5.5-inch guns.
Great Britain does not have IN COM
mission any obsolete cruisers, all of
those completed prior to 1911 having
been strapped or lost. However, the
United States has % of the old type
vessels. which would be nonentity in
modern naval warfare, with Tonnage
of l64.I00. and their average age is
more than "a years. Naval experts
have settled the point that naval
vessel is obsolete at 20 years. Japan
has IL of this type of vessel. with a
tonnage of 73,025. and an average age
The oldest of the United States
cruisers is the Rochester. completed in
1898. which made her obsolete in 1913.
She has four 8-inch guns. while the
latest in this group are the Birnling-
ham. Chester, Salem, Charlotte and
Missoula, completed in 1903. which
technically went on the naval scrap
heap this year The latter two have
four 10-inch guns, while the others In
this group have four 5-inch guns.
Part Of Programs.
In the Is years between 1908 and
1923, the United States did no cruiser
building. but between 1928 and 1924
commissioned 10 modern 6-fnch gun
cruisers. of $500 standard tons each |
They were a part of the 1915 building
program. and we're laid down prior to |
the Washington Arms Conference. !
These 10 6-incf gun cruisers are the |
only modern cruisers the United States |
has afioat However. in this same period. |
the British built many cruisers for |
urgent war use. They now have a., |
6-inch guns. one mine-laying !
cruiser. and four of almost 10000 tons. |
each mounting seven 5-inch guns, all |
of which modern completed cruisers /
Y EE1GkGAC &TVs 10 NiAdS 1la6 kAdA-
tically the same period Japan has COM |
pieted 25 modern cruisers aggregating |
i26.4I5 standard tons.
II will BE- observed from these statis- |
tics that while other treaty powers have |
been going ahead in a naval cruiser |
race. the United States has been left at
the stake, and viii be left there for
some time unless Congress comes 10 the
support and provides authority for
building ct least the Is ships provided
In the bill now pending.
The argument which has been used
by the British TO support their cruiser
building program is that 1t needs them
for its outlying possessions. but the
United States, IN addition to having a
very lengthy coast line divided by the
Panama Canal has interests to protect
in Central and South America: it has
its Chinese troubles, along with other
nations, and far away island and terri
torial possessions. including the Philip
pines, Samoa. Hawaii. Virgin Islands
Porto Rico and Alaska. TO say nothing
of that important waterway which
makes possible quick passage between
its East and West coasts, the Panama
Canal