Evening star., 1937-10-07
NAVY SECRET!vE
IN SABOTAGE QUIZ
Name ofWarship Involved in
Probe fer Damage Clues
Yt,, Not Revealed.

A jbint investigation by the Justice
and Navy Departments is proceeding
into reports of sabotage aboard an
unnamed warship, Admiral William
D,} Leahy, chief of naval operations,
cortoeded today. He aclined to reveal
the name of the vessel or its type
Apparently, officials here said, no naval
personnel is involved in the alleged
sabotage.
So. secretive has been the inquiry
that even Navy officers who ordinarily
would know of such proceedings were
not advised of the move. The depart
ment has thrown shroud of secrecy
around the investigation and Admiral
Leahy declined to reveal the extent
OF the damage to the vessel in question
Naval authorities are said to be
proceeding on the theory that there
has been arrangement of some ma
chinery." This may have taken the
form of throwing sand into delicate
parts, short-circuiting of electrical
connecting cables, interference with
the steering gear or other interrupt
tlonS in the mechanism. Just what it
Is naval officials decline to say.
Some observers believe the cruiser
VincenneS is the warship involved.
In January the Vmcennes, which was
constructed at the plant of the Beth
lehem Shipbuilding Co. at Fore River,
Mass, was put through her trial runs
on Rockland, Me. A. that time, it was
announced, she successfully passed
tests given by the Navy Board of In
spection and Survey.
Communists in Yards.
In recent years the Navy has been
having construction difficulties with
its new vessels and there have been
strong indications of sabotage 1t is
known alleged Communists have been
at work in shipyards at which naval
vessels have been built, and the Office
OF Naval Intelligence has kept close
watch on such developments.
The earlier cruisers developed weak
neSseS in their Steerir posts and these
had to be rectified. There was definite
indication about five years ago of
sabotage aboard the battleship Colo
RADIO, when naval authorities dis
covered some one had placed phono-
graph needles in electrical cables
aboard the vessel, causing a fire.
Serious damage to the reduction
gears on the turbines of the new
10,000-ton cruiser Quincy was reported
in December, 1885. There was hint
of sabotage then.
100000 Damage.
In August, 1885, fire was reported
to have swept the main cable room of
the vessel, soon after it was launched
This was represented to have caused
damage to wiring and electrical equip
ment totaling around 100000. The
Quincy was launched in June, 1885.
The reduction gears of the new air.
craft carrier Yorktown were found to
be unsatisfactory during her trials in
July. The Navy Department an
nounced on September % that Rear
Admiral Frank H. Brumby, command
ant of the 5th Naval District at
Norfolk, was authorized to accept the
Yorktown and commission her on
September 30. This was done.
The Newport News Shipbuilding
and Dry Dock Co., builders of the YES
sci, have agreed to replace at an early
date the allegedly defective reduction
gears, officials here said. Capt. Ernest
D. McWhorter commands the York
town.
The aircraft carrier Enterprise is
now under construction by the New
port News Shipbuilding Co. and is
about 95 per cent completed. The
Yorktown and the Enterprise are sister
ships. each being 761 feet on the water
line.