The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-06-17


 The Navy has put air-going sailors on the bridge, and their imaginations soar unfettered even up to drawing -board talk of @ fly ing carrier, a dirigible, towing planes through the air.
 That may actually come, some- day. Meanwhile, January will surely see the Navy nearer 150 car- riers than seemed possible a few months go. Congress will soon vote 8 big new program to free the sea- gull's wings.
 The Navy is quietly undergoing a revolution in tactical doctrine toward air-power which is projected over the high seas by carrier much farther than the biggest shell is projected by gunflre.
 CARRIER RELACING
 BATTLESHHP
 Although it is now pretty gen. erally considered that the ,Mid- way victory was due largely to land-based Army bombers, still it clinched the value of the naval bombing plane, as demonstrated ill the Coral Sea. These air-sea battles of unprecedented nature are vital in naval history. Our fast carriers, with good warning devices, proved less vulnerable than expect cd to air bombing, certainly less than slow battleships. The flrst-hand facts, brought back by naval flying officers for the president, Admiral King and key Congressnnen, are having an effect as explosive as an aerial torpedo.
 The carrier Is in many ways talk ing the place of the battleship as spearhead of the fleet. The Navy's vast shipbuilding program is being reshuffled to bring the new trumps uppermost.
 Not "battle-wagons" but "cov- cred wagons" get the center of the road, If only to catch up with Japan whose carriers are more varied than ours and were twice as numerous before Midway.
 If they lost three sunk, or even one sunk and two damaged, this was 8 highly important result for the tactics of the American task force-to knock out their carriers. For all their carrier casualties save one were big carriers, and even though one of ours was damaged, the balance is tilted our way.
 Officially, we have with the fleet seven big .78-120 plane carriers, plus the first few of an ultimate thirty odd cargo ships now being converted to 15-30 plane carriers. The Navy corfesses nearly 8 score more big ones in the works.
 Big carriers are needed for strik- ing forces to bomb Japanese in- vasion fleets threatening Australia or other coasts, and later Japanese battleships and cities.
 Smaller carriers are needed for conveying ships bearing the car- goes now piling up, especially in Caribbean ports. Means of mass producing small carriers are now DCAAAS SVuNACN"
 We are learning how better to protect carriers, but they still need to be screened by other ships, SC we are building more cruisers and destroyers fast and nimble enough to dodge bombs and torpedies. EMPHASIZES ARE
 STILL NECESSARY
 Old salts are astounded at how naval construction and planning are swerving toward air-power Reels that were laid for some oi the 15 battleships now building will cut the water as keels of car riers. But not all.
 We must have surface warshipi so long as there are surface mer. chant ships to protect or sink; w must have surface battleships SC long as the enemy has them. Art today Japan has built or is building fourteen, including, some new giants.
 The American battleship nov looming through the spindrift o the near future will be powerful but very fast, carrying many anti aircraft guns and some long-raIlgt rifles, and not three planes, bu