Evening star., 1937-01-31
tons displacement. about the same as
existing battle wagons"

tons displacement. about the same as
existing battle wagons"
Secretary Swanson said that each
ship will carry either nine 16-inch
guns or twelve 14-inch guns. Italy and
Japan have until April l, under pres
ent international agreements, to decide
whether they will adopt the IA or Is
inch guns. Upon that decision, Uncle
Sam will act and make plans accord
ingly. Naval officials assert that
contrary to popular opinion-it Is not
necessary to determine the size of the
guns before the keel of the ship is
laid, and some authorities hold that a
vessel may be as much as go per cent
completed before decision is manda-
tory.
The Navy Department expects to
start construction of the two new
batleships about June l, and each will
cost s5o,000,000 and-as naval au-
thorities often point out-the materials
for their building will come from every
State in the Union
Chemists. metallurgists. engineers,
ordnance men. navigators. marine
architects, craftsmen, riveters-and
thousand and one other callings-wil
pour their combined genius into the
thing of steel" that men will call
Americas latest battleship. The strides
that science has made in the huStling
days since the World War will be in
corporated into the new floating fort
resses. There will be air-conditioning,
radio, public-address systems-perhaps
television - automatic printers and
many Of the other marvels that have
come out Of the magic cauldron OF
science to make Uncle Sans new
fighting craft the very IatesJ-Just as
comfortable as is consistent with ef-
ficiency in modern warfare-juSt as
beautiful as an engine Of destruction
can be-just as much Of a maritime
| juggernaut as the minds of studious
men, in the quietude Of their book
lined dens, can envision her, in the
heat Of battle. when the admiral in
charge, on the bridge, calls out the
command, over the electrical system.
STAND by for battle!"
TNCLE SANS decision to build two
~ new battleships will give rise
again to that rather frowsy argument,
a bit motheaten now, as to whether
it wouldn't be better to put our money
into aircraft. Columns upon columns
will be written about 1t, and micro
phones all over the land will doubtless
be called upon to transmit millions Of
words upon the subject.
Two battleships will explode whole
series of discussion mines, ranging
around size, armament. guns, general
effectiveness in warfare-and what
not.
Hector c. Bywater, the noted
British naval writer, thus set down his
opinion in the March. 1926. proceed
ings of the United States Naval In
stitute:
when the torpedo has acquired
the range and precision of 16-inch
gun; when submarines have become
as swift, as seaworthy, and as habit
able as big surface vessels; when the
| IaQluS anu CdIIylUS power VI oh ~ oAS
have increased tenfold, and bomb
dropping is as accurate as gun prac-
tice, then, but not till then, will the
primacy Of the battleship be en-
dangered."
What then, Is the present-day status
of the battleship in the great navies
| Of the world?
In 1885, Germany-reportedly beat
en- to her knees in the World War, in
19l8-started to surge forward again.
as q sea power. She laid down two
26,000-ton battleships, a couple Of
10,000-ton cruisers, 16 destroyers, 20
submarines and variety Of smaller
craft. This, in effect, junked the
Versailles Treaty's naval clauses, and
now the German naval strength Is
fixed by treaty at IS per cent Of that
Of Great Britain.
Now, Germany has 35,0oo-ton
ship under way. and Is expecting. ac-
cording to European advices, to lay
down q sister ship this year.
Great Britain Is laying down the
King George v. and the Prince OF