Evening star., 1936-10-04
NAVY IS SEEKING
Stronger BASES
Would Place Pacific De.
fenses on Par With East
ern Operating Points.
BY ALBERT Z. WARNER.

"A strengthening OF poth the nse
and its operating bases, with particu
lar attention to putting coastal de
lenses Of the Pacific area on q pa
with Eastern operating points. i
projected in Navy Department plan
involving building program ant
base construction for the next year
1t was disclosed yesterday.
The Navy program tentativel.
slated to go before the next Congress
includes the following:
Six submarines and eight to
twelve destroyers, all to be built
within the limits Of the London
naval treaty Of 1880 although that
treaty expires December 81 and no
ouantitatiye limitations are left.
Continuation Of two replace.
ment battleships which are prob
ably to be started in January with
funds In hand.
Increase of enlisted men by
5000, provided White House ap-
proval Is forthcoming for this move
actively operating vessels.
Construction Of Sl2,000.000
naval supply base in San Fran
cisco Bay on the Oakland water
front and next to the new naval
air base to be built at Alameda.
This will give the fleet its first real
operating facilities in Northern
California.
Building to BE Done.
The Navy Department is under.
stood to be content to rest on tht
limits Of the expiring naval treaty
but that gives it some additiona
building yet to do, as well as replace
ment construction. With seven bat.
tleshtps reckoned as over-age in Jan.
uary, the naval command would like
to see two battleships started every
three years in a regular program oi
construction which would cover
steady work on warships of all types
The object is to build up and main
tain the old treaty limits. avoiding
the humps and low spots of irregular
construction.
For this reason, II two battleship.
are started next January the number
of destroyers requested for the coming
fiscal year might be cut to eight insteac
of the IL otherwise on the program
Twelve destroyers we're authorized II
the budget of the current fiscal yea
and the same number had been orig
inally projected for commencement il
the next year.
Air Base Report Submitted.
In line with the Nays emphasis OF
defenses in the Pacific area, the Wa,
Department also was disclosed yes
terday as having carried out the frs
step toward creation of an Army al
base in Alaska. A board of Arm!
officers, after an inspection of avail
able sites. has drawn up a recon-
for the War Department
on the basis of which a request fe
funds may be directed to the mex
Congress. 1t has been rumored tina
the new base will be near Fairbanks
The board of inspection included Col
WiLmot A. Danielson, Maj. Otto G
Funk and Maj. A. L. Parsons.
Authorization for q system of Arm.
air bases reaching across the CONT
nent and up to Alaska has alread.
been given by Congress although fund
were not provided. Further enlarge
ment OF Army defense works in Hawai-
Is also projected for consideration a
the coming congressional session.
Operations by both the Army an
Navy also will stress Pacific Coas
defense in the year ahead. tn
annual feet maneuvers will be he'll
between the West Coast and Hawaii
returning near the scene Of operation
q year and half ago. The War De
partment plans to ask for funds 70
troop concentration and militar
maneuvers in the Puget Sound are
in the Northwest Pacific.
3S0-Acre Naval Base.
The proposed new naval base a
Oakland will cover a 390-acre trac
to be donated by the California city
It will increase the effectiveness o
the fleet, which hitherto has de
pended on Mare Island to the south
Warehouses, refrigerating plants
power houses, water supply lines ant
administration buildings are to b
erected. Piers will be built ant
channels dredeed to accommodat
cargo and naval vessels. Naval sup
ply facilities will be transferred from
the navy yard at Mare Island bu
existing supply services for the fee
at Long Beach and San Diego vii
be continued.
The construction Of two battle
ships, the first to be started sine
the signing of the Washington nava
treaty, was made contingent by Con
gress on q presidential finding tina
battleship building was to be renewe
by some other country. Great Britain
has appropriated for two such yes
sek to be laid down in January
President Roosevelt has not yet givel
the Navy Department final word II
proceed.
(Copyright, 1861