Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-03
|PARLEY MAY LIMIT
| FAST PLANE SHIPS
Small Aircraft Carriers Put
in Service Recently to
Be Taken Up.
BY PAUL SCOTT MowRER.

BY Radio to The Star and Chicago Daily
news Copyright, 1880.
LONDON England, February 3.-The
Chicago Daily News Bureau is able to
state that an unforeseen problem of an
entirely new modern type of warship-
namely, the small independent aircraft
carrier or gunless cruiser-is going to
be raised virtually by common consent
before the Naval Conference gets much
further
The Washington treaty limited car
riers OF more than 10000 tons, but not
those under that tonnage. At that time
-192l-22-it was believed that carriers
had to be huge ships whose function
would always be to accompany main
battle fleets. The American carriers
Saratoga and Lexington, for example,
register $4,000 tons.
But just as modern naval thought
seems to be slowly turning against
large battleshipS in favor of small, DOW
erful. last cruisers, so there is an evo-
luton away from the huge carrier to-
ward the small, fast type which can OPP
crate quite independently of the battle
feet.
Have 4,O0O-MiIe Range,
These small carriers are armed. not
with heavy guns, but only with a
squadron OF or planes and q few
anti-aircraft batteries. They are said
to have cruising radius of 1000 miles,
and whereas ordinary cruisers guns
can shoot only few miles from ship,
these "gunleSS cruisers" sending out at
any moment from any point their fast
plans, can strike anywhere within a
radios Of 1000 miles.
Their efficacy as commerce destroyers
Is Infinitely superior, 1t is estimated, to
ordinary cruisers or submarines. They
are an entirely new factor in naval
warfare, theories concerning which are
just now undergoing so many funda-
mental revisions.
Japan's navy yards are supposed to
begin this month the building of the
Ryujo cruiser carrier of 8,l00 tons,
hence not subject to Washington limi-
tatlon. The United States is about to
build 13,800-ton cruiser carrier.
which, however, being over 10000 tons,
does fall within the Washington limi-
tation.
The Washington treaty allows carrier
tonnages as follows; The United States
and Great Britain. 1875, 00I tons; Japan
6l.OOO tons; France and Italy, 10000
tons.
French Study Smaller Type.
France has one big carrier, but IL Is
oelleved to be studying the smaller type.
1Laly is SO uncertain which type is best
that it has built none.
IL IS therefore widely believed in in
side circles here that serious limitations
must be fixed without delay on the
gunlesS cruisers" else the conference
will have overlooked one of the most
important elements of modern naval
strength.
With regard to the American pIan for
f1ve-year, f1ve-power naval disarna-
ment treaty, based not on ratios but on
readJusted building programs and re-
placements, the Japanese suggest that a
clause should be inserted that If any
signatory decides not to build I'D to the
new treaty figures, it may propose at
any time still further limitation by
agreement with one or more of the
other signatories.
The delegations, which have been
working over the week end on the
French transcontinental proposal per-
hitting tonnage shifts from one category
Of ships to another on one years notice.
will hand in their written observations
on this subject tonight preparatory to
tomorrow's full meeting. It is believed
that the British will propose to exempt
capital ships, aircraft carriers, 8-inch
gun cruisers and submarines from pos
sible transfers, which, therefore, &C.
cording to the British idea, could be
made only between destroyers and small
cruisers.