Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1934-01-17
81 NEW SHIPS
FOR u. NAVY
To Be Ready and In Service
For Respectable Defence
Arm By 1886
WILL DOUBLE THE NAVY

WaShlngtOn.-NlJn Oh 0SnLlnS
ships of the latest type now actu-
ally under construction. the United
States navy once more will be a
respectable weapon of defense when
the London naval treaty expires De-
cember 81. 1885. writes Fulton Lew
is in the Chicago Herald Examiner.
On that date, Navy department
figures reveal, the United States
still will have the smallest navy OF
the three major naval powers
Britain, Japan and this country
but she will be much nearer an ade-
quate size than she has been at any
time during the past II years.
On the basis of ships now under
construction and already In service,
the navies Of these three powers on
that date will be: Japan, 1873; Great
Britain, 161; United States, 10S.
Will Double Navy.
In other words, the present naval
construction will exactly double the
size of the American navy in 1886.
The "a ships now being construct
ed represent II vessels well under
way by past authorizations; 81
ships now being started under the
navys S23S,OOO,OOO allotment from
the public works administration,
and five ships not included in that
program, but now being started to
be paid for out of yearly appropri-
ations to the navy.
Upon their completion, the YES
sells will be assigned to duty, both
with the scouting fleet USUALLY in
the Atlantic) and with the battle
force, which normally stays in the
Pacific.
The exact assignments are not tO
be made until each ship is com.
pleted.
However, as the scouting force is
now in the Pacific and will remain
there for some time. such ships as
are completed within the next s to
II months probably will proceed tC
the west coast. regardless of what
their assignment is to be.
The 81 ships now getting under
way in the Presidents current pro
gram to furnish employment-the 81
directly under the public works pro
gram and the five under annual ap
preparation uthoriZations-will In
clude radical innovations in the
American navy.
Larger Destroyers.
One entire new class of ve3se
has been introduced-the 1,S50-tor
destroyer-of which eight are to BIZ
built. These are about $50 tons
heavier than any destroyers previ
ously built by the navy. The light
er class, of which 20 are included
in the new program, will have 6
displacement of 1900 tons instead
of the old figure of 1.400 tons.
All the new destroyers are to car
ry 5-inch instead of 4-inch guns
They are faster, more seaworthy
and considerably stronger in theil
armament and general construction
The two aircraft carriers under
the new program, the Yorktown anC
Enterprise. are to be models o.
floating air ports. They will retair
the old side-mast principle for tbs
smoke tunnels, but win be heavil!
armed for defensive work, and viii
incorporate a new elevation system
for bringing planes up to the fiigh
deck from the lower storage decks
In addition to these, the curren
program includes the cruiser Vim
cennes, four new-type light cruisers
the Savannah. Nashville, Brooklyn
and Philadelphia-and four subma
rines-the Porpoise, Pike. Shark
and Tarpon.
Two gunboats. the Charleston ant
Erie, also are being built under thu
public works program.