The Washington times., 1935-06-17
NAVY WAR CAME
SHOWS NEED Of
PEARL HARBOR

TERnL nHnDUn
Following is the third of a
series Of authoritative articles
on the United States
BY RALPH B. JORDAN
ABOARD U. s. s. PENNSYLr
WANNA. WITH UNITED STATES
FLEET, June II Q.N.So.-PhaSe
Four of Problem Sixteen. this
years fleet war game, was the
prosaic task of putting more than
1856 ships into Pearl Harbor, the
Nays base adjoining Honolulu
Harbor. But in many ways it was
the most important business OF
the entire game.
No such concentration Of ships
ever before had been made in
Pearl Harbor, but Admiral Joseph
M. Reeves determined to squeeze
in his entire fleet because it
would have to be done in war
time.
The fleet got into Pearl Harbor
safely, except the huge aircraft
carriers which had to go 100 miles
away to Lahaina Roads, between
two islands of the Hawaiian
group. But the exercise focused
attention on some of the needs Of
the harbor to care properly for a
fleet. The channel must be
widened and Strengthened so the
carriers can get in. More dry
docking facilities must be pro-
Vided. The present dock is ex-
cellent but what will be done if
the fleet ever comes in with more
than one big ship in need Of re.
pairs? An enemy won't play
''King's x"
Important HarbOr
The Importance of Pearl Harbor
is thiS-if it can care adequately
for the United States fleet, a war
in the Pacific would be fought
2,400 miles off the American
mainland instead of perhaps
along the coast, not to mention
the security of the Hawaiian
Islands themselves.
It is naval adage that a fleet
Is no stronger than its bases. The
United States fleet would be
severely handicapped in carrying
a war away from the coast with
out q fine base in Hawaii. AS a
matter Of fact it has no satisfac-
tory base any place in the Pacific
now. Neither San Pedro, San
Francisco nor Puget Sound could
accommodate the ships properly.
American naval experts feel the
absolute necessity for an adequate
Pacific base and ask, why not
Pearl Harbor and extend our sea
frontier 2,40O miles from our coast
centers Of population?
Situation Explained
The defense Of the base is
primarily in the hands of the
Army and on insight into that
situation was furnished Interna.
tional News Service by Major Gen.
Briant Wells, retired, former COM
mandant of the Hawaiian De
partment. He said:
"An enemy fleet could not
attack the United States main
land from the West without
first sweeping the sea clear
Of our fleet. This would ne
cessitate capturing Pearl Har-
Dor and subduing the island Of
Oahu on which the base is To-
Gated. No enemy would go by
Hawaii and leave our fleet on
his flankS."
General Wells then said that
the fixed Notifications of Oahu,
the mobile guns and the air de-
lenses are such that the Army
could hold out "any reasonable
length of time" against an alien
power while awaiting reinforce
ments from the mainland.
That would indicate that the
crying need in the Pacific right
now is the finishing of the great
Pearl Harbor project. upon which
a tremendous amount of work has
been done of late years and is
being done at the present. Naval
officers are gratified at the
progress, but hope that the supply
of funds is not shut off before
the project is completed.
Jap Problem
In connection with the japanese
problem in Hawaii, a croSs-section
of opinion from public officials
and Army officers revealed little
trepidation, despite the fact that
the Japanese outnumber the eau
casianS two to one.