The Washington times., 1938-05-20

dirigible.
The request was made by Chair
man Vinson of the House Ma i
Affairs Committee, author of the
expansion act, following a confer
ence with President Roosevelt ana
high ranking officials of the Navy
SWANSON ESTIMATES
At the same time it was dis.
closed that Secretary Swanson has
submitted estimates totaling ap.
proximately $16.000,000 to the
Budget Bureau to get the i, 20
posed building under way this
summer.
This would be in addition to
a SOS, 100000 request already ap.
proved by the budget director for
initial construction on two replace
ment battleshlpS and expansion of
facilities in all Navy yards to &C.
commodate the new building pro
gram.
Apparently moving with full
support from both the Admins
tration and the Navy Department,
VinSon said he would ask the
House Appropriations Committee
to include both requests in the
forthcoming deficiency appropria-
ton bill which Congress is ex-
pected to approve before adjourn
ment.
16 MILLION REQUEST
1t was strongly indicated that
the Budget Bureau will approve
the $16,000,000 request within the
next "a hours for submission to
the committee, now in the process
of drafting the measure.
The two cruisers for which funds
are sought would be in the light"
cruiser category mounting SiX-inch
guns, according to Vinson. Their
ultimate cost is expected to exceed
$22, 100000 each. They would be
in addition to 10 now afloat or
building.
The proposed aircraft carrier
would have a displacement Of
10000 tons and would be in addi-
ton to six now built or building.
The complement Of auxiliary craft
would include two large and one
small seaplane tenders, one de-
stroyer tender, two oil tankers, two
fleet tugs, one n1ine-layer and a
mine-Sweeper.
MOSQUITO FLEET
The MOSQUITO" fleet Is
Shrouded in mystery. While it
is expected to be patterned after
Italy'S fleet Of small, high-speed
torpedo craft, details have been
kept highly secret. Vinson said
the request would simply be for
81 100000 to start construction Of
the experimental" vessels whose
tonnage per vessel must not ex-
coed 5000 tons under the new
expansion act.
The proposed dirigible was the
subject Of heated controversy be-
fore the act was finally approved
by Congress and signed by PreSi.
dent Roosevelt this week. Authori-
zation for the ship was written
into the measure by VinSon at
the request of the Navy, and sub
Sequently okayed by the House.
DIRIGIBLE ROW
When the bill reached the Sen
ate, the Naval Affairs Committee
struck the item out and the meas
ure passed the Senate without it.
It was restored at the insistence of
the House before Congressional
action was completed.
The dirigible will ultimately cost
100000 when built. It will again
put the Navy into the lighter-than-
air field, abandoned after a series
of crashes which wrecked the ILL
fated dirigibleS, Macon, Akron and
the Shenandoah.
COMPARATIVELY SMALL
The only remaining Navy dirigi-
BILE, the comparatively small Los
Angeles, was decommisSioned sew
eral years ago, leaving the service
without a training ship. The new
authorized lighter-than-air craft
will be approximately the same
size as the Los Angeles, and will be
employed for training purposes
and to test possibility Of dirigihles
acting as airplane carriers.
MFMnRIA| RnW