Evening star., 1935-09-10
NAVAL AIRCRAFT
BUILDING PUSHED
Planes to Keep Pace With
New Ships Being
Contracted.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
While speeding it's treaty strength
shipbuilding program with new au-
thorization for % new vessels, the
Navy disclosed today that construc-
ton Of faster and more deadly naval
aircraft was moving forward in pace
with increased marine power.
OF the new warships an aircraft
carrier, eight destroyers and three
submarines will be built by contract
in private yards and one light cruiser,
seven 6estroyers and three submarines
will be constructed in Government
yards.
Ship contracts awarded yesterday
totaled SIS, 9,225 500, but estimates Of
cost for vessels to be built in Navy
yardS-expected to aggregate less
than the contract sum-were not
made public.
Believing planes and ships must
be "inseparably tied up together" If
Uncle Sans sea strength is to equal
that of other great powers, one high
Navy official said today that I'VE
have got to have" an adequate air
force to balance and supplement
warshipS.
|. Held of Vital Importance.
Refusing to raise the old issue of
the comparative value of ships and
planes, he expressed the view that
aircraft is of vital importance to
the Navy in dozens of ways"
In the five-to-seven-year building
plan a total of l.l90 planes is con-
templated. These will be combat,
bombing. observation and patrol
types.
Although details Of the plane-build-
ing program are kept secret. it is
known that experiments in new and
speedier aircraft are going forward
along two lines.
The Navy itself. through its Aero
nautical Engineering Division, is con-
stantly working for improvement and,
under a recent congressional act, will
build 10 per cent of its planes in
Government factory at Phila-
delphia.
One training plane has been COM
pleted there and Navy officials said
privately that tests had shown it
perfectly satisfactory"
Another prod to increased effec-
tiveness of Navy planes is the plan
under which contracts are awarded
to private manufacturers.
The Navy lays down general speci-
ficationS and the companies COM
pete to better the requirements. A
broad effort for improvement thus
is constantly under way.
AS to its warship building, Navy
files showed that prior to the con-
tract letting and Government yard
ALLEGATIONS yesterday, two aircraft
carriers, three heavy cruisers, seven
light cruisers, 10 submarines and 40
destroyers already were under con-
struction.
With the completion Of all YES
sells now building, under contract or
allocated to Government yards, one
light cruiser, 36 destroyers and 18
submarines will be needed to bring
the Navy to treaty strength.
List of Contract Awards.
The contract awards, announced
yesterday. subject to adjustment for
changes in the cost OF direct labor
and material within certain limita-
ton, follow:
One aircraft carrier to Bethlehem
shipbuilding Corp. Ltd, Quincy,
Mass, s2O,737,0O0.
Three 1,85O-ton destroyers. Bath
Iron Works Corp, Bath, Me, So ,882,-
500 each.
Two 1,500-ton destroyers, Bethlehem
Shipbuilding Corp, Union Plant, San
Francisco, s3,675,00O each.
Three l,500-ton destroyers, Federal
Shipbuilding g. Drydock Co., Kearny,
N. j., s4,000,000 each.
Three submarines, Electric Boat
Co.. Groton, Conn, s2.497 900 each.
To Government Yards.
ALLEGATIONS to Government yards
were authorized as follows:
Two submarines to the Portsmouth,
N. H, yard.
One submarine to the Mare Island,
Calf, yard.
Two 1,5oo-ton destroyers. Boston
Navy yard.
One 1.5o0-ton' destroyer, Philadel-
phia yard.
Two 1,500-ton destroyers, Norfolk,
Va, yard.
One 1.500-ton destroyer, Charles
ton, S. c., yard.
One 1,500-ton destroyer, Puget
Sound yard.
One 10,000-ton light cruiser, New
York yard.
Estimates of construction cost for
the vessels to be built in Government
yards we're not made public.