Evening star., 1940-08-04
BY MAI. GEORGE FIELDING
ELIOT.

There is a good deal of talk now
both open and otherwise, about the
possibility or advisability of trans
ferring certain overage destroyers
from the United States Fleet to
that of Great Britain.
The statement most frequently
made is that we have 60 destroyers
which are really surplus, which we
do not need, which are of World
War vintage anyway and which
might make all the difference to
the British in dealing with an at
tack on the Island of Great Brit
ain or in maintaining their con-
voy system. 1t is difficult to tell
how this arbitrary figure of 60
is reached, and it may be we'll to
recapitulate the facts.
The ships under discussion are
our World War destroyers of 1000
100 tons displacement, 35 knots
designed speed, armed (for the most
part with four 4-inch guns, one s.
inch anti-aircraft gun and II tor
pedo tubes. These ships were laid
down in 1917, 1918 and 1919, and all
became, by present standards, over
age at the expiration of Is years.
They are all still serviceable ships
for such duties as anti-submarine,
convoy and patrol assignments.
Uneconomical to Operate.
However, they are getting old, they
are uneconomical to operate because
Of the increased cost of mainte-
nance and the increased length of
time necessary for overhaul, and
few of them would now be in COM
mission were it not for the fact
that from 1920 to 1881, inclusive.
we did not lay down any replace
ments for them, despite the re-
peated warnings of successive Sec
retaries of the Navy that some day
we would have to replace all of
them in hurry or have no sea-
worthy destroyers at all. Begin
ming in 1882, we began to lay down
new destroyers, but we have not in
eight years been able to make up
for IL years of neglect. Conse-
ouently, even in normal times it
has been necessary to maintain
many of these old destroyers in
service.
A modern fleet is a balanced Or
eanization, with the battleship di-
visions as its foundation and in
Guiding it's proper proportion of
cruisers, aircraft carriers, destroy
ers, submarines, mine craft and
auxiliaries. 1t has been said-and
this is probably true-that no ad-
miral in war will ever have enough
destroyers, so many are the uses
of this handy, fast, formidable type
of fighting craft: but since calcula-
tions of strength cannot be based
upon inf1nity, it has been roughly
assumed that our fleet ought to
have about eight desmoyers for
each battleship.
ORGANIZATION Altered.
On October l, 1899, when the last
Navy list and directory was issued,
there were IL battleships serving
with the Battle Force and 95 de-
stroyers. There would have been
103 destroyers if all destroyer squad
rons and divisions then assigned to
the Battle Force had been at full
strength. Subsequently the organ
iZation of the feet has been altered
and destroyers have been assigned
to the Scousing Force. While de-
tails of The present organization
are not available for publication,
it may be pointed out that sug-
gested organization not dissimilar
in principle to that now in actual
being was published in the United
States Naval Institute proceedings
for May, 1899, by Rear Admiral
j. K. Taussig, U. S. N. And this
organization, based on IA battle
ships, called for liz destroyers.
In addition to destroyers with the
Battle Force, there were on October
l, 1899, two destroyer squadrons
totaling 38 destroyers assigned to
the Atlantic Squadron and one OF
13 destroyers assigned to the Asiatic
Fleet. Two destroyers each were
assigned to the Special Service
Squadron in Caribbean waters and
to the European Squadron. -Four
destroyers were assigned to expert
mental duty. This will give some
idea of the number of destroyer
missions" so to speak, which we re-
quire for normal feet operation and
other assignments
To recapitulate, these normal
assignments may be assumed as
follows:
Fleet exclusive of Atlantic
Squadron 112
Atlantic Squadron 38
Asiatic Fleet 13
European Squadron
Special Service Squadron
Total 167
81 Craft of Older Type.
To meet these needs we have now
In commission 76 under-age new
destroyers, leaving 81 billets which
have to be filled by the older types.
OF these older ships, we may begin
with the figure of 1859, which were
ION the Navy list as of October /,
1889, and still exist. The first de-
iduction which we have to make is
sthose which have been or are going
ITO be converted into other types.
sThe Navy has been making good
suse of these older destroyers in OBJ
staining new and experimental types
.of ships, thus enabling the develop
,ment of such types for our fleet
without the expense and uncertainty
of new construction in experimental
fields. OF the 1863 old destroyers
I'VE had on October l, 1899, eight had
sat that time been converted into
light mine-layers, and were serving
las such with mine craft, battle
force; two had been converted into
small seaplane tenders, two into mo-
sbile target vessels, and one into an
Experimental ship with the subpa-
lfine force. Subsequent to that date