The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-03
War Talk Revives Ghost Ships
Destroyer Base At San Diego Is Running
BY HAROLD KEEN

NEA Service Special Correspondent
 San Diego, Calif., Dec. - The navy Is scraping the rust of 16 years off a ghost fleet in the destroyer base here, refitting every ounce of floating strength for whatever action the new world arms race may bring.
 In 1922, after only a comparative ly brief service, Uncle Sam Steered these World War raiders into the 'tred-lead row" of San Diego base, ordered the 48 destroyerS decom- Inissioned under terms of the Washington Treaty. The world was getting ready for peace.
 Today, behind closely guarded gates, the navy moves at feverish pace to recondition these same de- stroyers.
 So the navy's preservative fred lead is coming off these days along with the corrosion and rust accum- nlated since 1922 and the familiar ''battleship gray" emblem of the active warship, is going back. When the job is finished the present strength of the destroyers in the battle force will have been almost doubled.
 TREMENDOUS
 UNDERTAKING
 It is a staggering task. Superin- tending the job is stocky Captain Byron McCandless. When Captain McCandless took over the reins of the destroyer base in January, 1887, the "tin cans were in deplorable condition. The base. had been a virtual junkyard to which shippers of active vessels looked for re- placements whenever they needed another valve or a gear.
 Promptly Captain McCandless went into action. The destroyer base began to vibrate with new activity. Today the base is on virtual wartime foting. Vigilance of the marine sentries at the gates has been doubled, swarms of skilled, hand-picked crews of enlisted men, machinists, electricians, carpenters, gunners, torpedo men are on duty around the clock.
 One by one the destroyers are being pulled out of ''red-lead row." missing parts replaced, sludge cleaned out of the bilges, stacks removed and renewed wherever corroSion is discovered. The boilers, gears, torpedo tubes, rigging, even the ice boxes in the galleys are being thoroughly reconditioned.
 Eventually the fleet of 12 divi- eli will k@a <Jxv ka rok -kr take on personnel and provisions ana sail in 8 few hours time. AL though they will not match the speed or the destructive power of the 1500- and 1850-ton vessels, all will be efficient fighting ships. They will give Uncle Sam naval equality with Britain's light cruisers, and wi4h Japan who repudiated the Washington Naval Treaty.
 Since the big job started here, it has become harder to get into the destroyer base than into any of he other numerous naval bases in southern California. The answer, says Captain McCandless, is just this:
 We may as well face the fact that sites of the naval bases are infested with spies. They're all around us and I'm determined to prevent their learning how quickly we can recommission a destroyer, the state of our laid-up fleet, and our methods of preparing a ship for war action
 Thus the whole affair here pro- 1-
 ''The day was is declared" ayers Captain McCandleSs who talks of it with no qualms, tour ghost fleet will be ready to go out in the fighting line immediately. Each ship will be able to fire its guns, re- lease depth charges and torpedoes with the best of them. And each will be fit to live on far out at sea.