Evening star., 1937-08-04
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
The Navy intends to ask Congress
at its next session for funds to build
two new battleships and two light
cruisers
This was announced today by Ad-
miral William D. Leahy. chief of
naval operations, in response to ques-
tions at his press conference as to
the Nays future building program.
Leahy, discussing other phases of
the shipbuilding program, said also
that mechanical defects discovered in
the almost completed aircraft carrier
Yorktown probably would keep that
vessel from joining the feet for an
additional year. She was due for
delivery to the Navy by the Newport
News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. OF
Newport News, Va. on August Is.
Ieahy said preliminary trials con-
Quoted by the Navy two weeks ago
showed the Yorktown's reduction gear
was unsatisfactory and that there
were other minor mechanical defects.
Regarding the battleship program,
Leahy pointed out that two super
dreadnaughts of $4,000 tons each
were authorized at this session of Con-
gress. Their keels are to be laid down
this year.
Hope to Build to Limit.
Leahy said the Navy's objective was
to build up to the limit provided in the
old London naval limitation treaty
which expired last year. and from that
point to follow continuing program
for the replacement of vessels as they
become overage.
The two new battleships, which will
be asked Of Congress next year as well
as the two to be laid down this year.
are intended to replace the oldest bat
tleships of the fleet
Seven battleshipS now in service are
classified as overage. This, the admiral
said, would insure the fleet of the
maximum number of Is battleships al
lowed under the old treaty inasmuch as
present intentions are to retire from
active service those obsolete vessels as
and when modern craft are built. The
same program applies to cruisers OF the
fleet.
Leahy said that the two new light
cruisers which will be asked for next
year will be Of the 7,500-ton class to
replace present overage vessels of the
same size.
Builders May Protest.
Spokesman for private shipbuilders
meanwhile planned a protest to Presi-
dent Roosevelt today over the award of
contracts for construction Of the bat
tleships Washington and North Caro-
lima to the Philadelphia and Brooklyn
Navy Yards.
Contending that one or both of the
5,OO0-ton vessels should be laid down
at commercial yards, a delegation
that included representatives of la
Dor, business interests, local authori-
ties from Camden, NJ j.. and Newport
News, Va, and members of Congress
paved the way for their appeal to the
White House yesterday at a confer
ence with Louis Compton, assistant to
the Assistant Secretary of the NAVY,
They argued that the commercial
yards should get the work, both as
an employment aid and because it is
necessary that the Government turn
business their way in peace time If
they are to be in position to flu
naval contracts in emergency.
Naval officers declined to comment
on the conference except to say that
plans to construct the two ships in
government yards were proceeding
according to schedule. The nsyv
yard bids, they said yesterday, were
approximately $4,000 900 under the
lowest commercial bid-that of the
New York Shipbuilding Corp. of Cam
den, whose figure was $47,s29, 1894
The Philadelphia Navy Yards bid was
36,560,300 and the Brooklyn wards
$37,265,843.
Sealed proposals for construction OF
four destroyers were being opened to-
day at the Navy Department