Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-06-27
Fleet Expansion
0. KdbySendte
In Secret Debate
Revolutionary Changes
Cenisrins in Carriers
Rushed 10 Roosevelt

Rushed 70 RooSeNelt
WASHINGTON. juno - up
Legislation authorizing seven
ocean feet and embodying a revo-
Iutionary change in naval warfare
in which aircraft carriers viii re-
place battleships as rulers of the
sea today awaited President
RooseveltS signature.
The Senate sped the Ss,5oo,0oo =
900 feet expansion bill to the
White House after the first secret
legislative debate IN is years.
ADDS 2 MILLION TONS
The measure approved by voice
vote. superimposes 10000 tons
of warshipS upon the current two
ocean navy program--ltSelf the
most ambitious building enterprise
in hiStory-to give the United
States a 5,649, 4S0-ton naval strik-
ing force.
During the session. held behind
locked doors lest ANS sources
learn valuable information, mem
hers were told by Senator DAVID
I. Walsh tD) of Massachusetts.
chairman of the naval affairs COM
mittee. that the battleship--once
the backbone OF the fieet--has
been outmoded and is to be sup
planted by the carrier with It's
covey Of planes.
Also discussed were construction
statistics on the old "two-ocean"
programs authorized when France
was falling before the Nazi on
slaught.
AMAZING PROGRESS
Senator Allen J. Ellender CD
OF Louisiana, q committee member
who attended the session, said the
information showed that amazing
progress has been made IN our Ell
fort TO build and complete our
two-ocean navy"
The new legislation ignores bat
tleships, but calls for 100000 tons
OF aircraft carriers-or about 20 to
30 ships Of this type. 1t also pro-
vides for 100000 tons OF cruisers.
900 900 tons OF destroyers and
escort vessels and some 300 small
patrol craft.
Passage came after senators
shouted down an attempt by Sena-
tor Bennett c. Clark CD OF Mis-
souri,, to end further battleship
construction. 49,,
Clark maintained that 10 forbid
further construction would merely
carry out the announced intention
OF the navy department which. ne
said. had notified Walsh that II de-
ferred indefinitely work on the last
FIVE battleships authorized by Con-
gress.
NAVY PLANS AWAITED
He added that construction
would not be undertaken until the
navy consulted with the naval az
fairs committee of both houses.
Senator Ralph o. Brewster (R)
of Maine, revealed last week that
the Ave ships were Of the Montana
class, designed as 60.000-ton super.
dreadnaughts, the biggest and most
powerful fighting ships ever
planned.
Brewster said the navy. instead
Of going ahead with these vessels,
would expand its aircraft carrier
program proportionately in the
light Of the lessons of air and naval
warfare learned in the Coral Sea
and Midway Island battles. lr
these engagements, carriers proved
10 have the deadliest sting OF any
naval vessel.
But only Clark was heard e
vote in favor of writing the legis'
lative death knell of the battle
ships, and among those whc
shouted down his amendment was
Senator Tom Connally CD, o.
Texas, who reared:
'Pm not going TO vote today
20 send q message to the MI
kado; Come on over, we're not
going TO have any battleships to
resist you"
NOT YET OBSOLETE
Connally interpreted the navy
statement, which Walsh had giver
the Senate In confidence, as no.