Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-03
NAVY TO RETIRE
3SH|PS AHEAD OF
TREATY SCHEDULE
Plans to Lay Up Utah, Flor
ida and Wyoming at Saw
ing of $4,000, 900 Year.
VITAL DlSMANTLING
WOULD WAIT ON JAPAN
Work of Completing Scrapping
to Start When London Pact
Is Ratified.

The battleships Utah, Florida and
wyoming are to be retired from the
United States Fleet about october /,
without necessarily awaiting Japans
ratification of the London naval treaty,
according to a tentative decision dis
closed yesterday by the Navy Depart
ment. The treaty right to keep one
Of these ships in commission for year
and the other two for Is months after
the treaty goes into effect is to be
waived, regardless of whether Great
Britain and Japan. the, other principal
treaty powers, follow suit.
The plan is designed to save about
a 900 600 to the United States Treas
ury this year and also as a gesture of
International confidence. 1t assumes
that no situation could arise in view of
present world conditions which would
find the United States Navy handi-
capped in the next 10 months for the
lack of these warships.
1t was the first official word that the
United States would proceed imme-
diately to reduce its battleship feet to
the ultimate treaty level of Is units.
The alternative would be to reduce
hand in hand with the other two
powers. first going from the present
level of 10 American, 20 British and
10 japanese units to a basis of II, Is
and 10 units a year hence and six
months later to the final treaty limit Of
15-15-9.
Dismantling To Be Delayed.
While the Utah, Florida and Wyo-
ming are to be laid up soon after the
end of the Naval Reserve foreign cruise
the dismantling CT vital equipment will
not be started until Japan has actually
ratified. In the expectation that Japan
will raitfy within the next month or so,
however. fuel and supplies will be taken
of the ships in the meantime The
treaty goes into effect as between the
United States, Great Britain and Japan
when the last of them shall have rati-
ned, and the first two of these powers
already have done so.
Once the treaty is In effect, work will
be started toward completely scrapping
the Florida and rendering the Utah
and Wyoming unfit for Warlike serv-
Ice" The Wyoming, stripped down, is
to be held in reserve for training ship
and the Utah for target ship, as al
lowed by the treaty. There Is still
slight possibility that the Arkansas
Ii1EI1L DC SQDSt1ldpC0 III ttlC " yOl1h1Zs
but the Nays present disposition is TO
remove the Wyoming rather than the
Arkansas from the feet at this time.
They are sister ships and the treaty
makes the decision optional with the
United States Government
Within not more than a year two
battleships named in the treaty must
be taken out Of the British feet and
started toward the scrap heap, to be
followed out of that feet Six months
later by three others. two of which are
condemned 10 completed scrapping
within the specified period OF 30
months. To maintain approximately
the 5-5-3 ratio as between these
three battle fleets, the battle cruiser
Hiyei is to be retired from the japanese
feet within Is months OF the treaty's
going into effect and transformed into
an unwsrlike training ship.
Saves Maintenance Cost.
Underlying the American decision to
retire the Utah Wyoming and Florida
d year to eighteen months ahead OF
schedule is the view that the Govern
nrent might we'll save the cost of main
tanning them so long as it involves no
actual sacrifice to the Navy.
The fact is that, with new cruisers
coming in and the enlisted personnel
limited. the Navy is only too glad TO
lay up the condemned warships at the
earliest possible date Most of the
nearly 5000 trained men now manning
these three vessels are to be trans
ferred to other naval vessels which are
undermined under system which
CONTINUED on Page Q, Column So