Evening star., 1942-05-15
Greatest Building Race
in History Outlined

LONDON, May Is (R.-Spare out
lines of the greatest battleship build
ing race in history, that between the
embattled na"ies of the United
States and Japan, are sketched by
the new edition of James fighting
ships, the authoritative naval an
nual made public yesterday.
To previously known details OF
the Japanese capital ship program
a huge effort in relation to Japans
resources, the new edition adds the
names of the last three OF group
of five fighting monsters OF more
than 10000 tons"
Two of the five, the Nlssln ana
Takamatu, are completed or near
completion. the annual indicates,
while the other three, now ldentl-
fed as the Xii, Dwarf and Tosa'
probably are not far from reaoy'
the last having been laid down 21a
years ago. ,o,e,s
Against these the new James
describes progress on II TREMENDOUS
IInited states battleships and SIX
battle cruisers.
II Carriers and 40 Cruisers.
"Never before has such quantity
of capital ship construction oeeil
under construction at the same
time for any country" says the
foreword "A similar remark ap-
niles to aircraft carriers and cruls-
ers for the United States Navy
numbering II and 40, while tne
number of destroyers building cnal-
Ienees comparison with the program
of 1918 (when America was carrying
out the largest destroyer program
In history. ,,,.,,
~AIl six of the 35,000-ton WASH
tngton class have been launcneo.
Two OF them are in service ana one
If not two, may. pc ready before the
next issue Of this annual appears.
six 4battleships of the Iowa class
Of $4,000 tons and five OF the Mon
tana class either are under con-
struction or are in process OF being
laid down.
"The first Of class of six battle
cruisers, the Alaska, was lalo oo"h
In December, 1941."
IA Battleships in All.
Completion of Japan's five new
battleships is expected to give her
battle line Of at least IA ships, IN
Guiding nine pre-Washington Con-
ference vessels and excluding the
Haruna. listed in United States
records as sunk off the Philippines.
(The United States lists two
others as damaged. United States
capital ship strength is given In
latest Washington tabulatlons as
Is. including the North Carolina
and Westinghouse the new
35OOO-ton class-and excluding
one battleship sunk and one
damagedD
Concerning the British Navy the
new editions most interesting con-
tribution is pictures OF new cruisers
of the 8.OO0-ton Mauritius class and
the 545O-ton Dido class. 1t also
includes a picture Of the 33,950-ton
battleship Nelson under way after
being holed by an Italian torpedo.
The new book records a class OF
$4,000 or $4,000 ton Japanese war
Alps apparently modelled after
Germany's pocket battleships and
known as the Chichibu class. James
says these actually are heavy ar
mored cruisers rather than battle
ships. 1t lists them this year in
place of three similar ships identified
last year as the Kadekura, Kasino
and Hachijo, to which the 1910 edi-
ton attributed six 12-inch guns
each instead of the 8-inch guns car
ried by most cruisers and larger
than the 11-inch guns of the Ger
man pocket battleships.
Actual Number Not Positive.
Before Japan entered the war
lin December, 194D a good deal OF
fresh information had been collect
ed, some of it certainly of less def
mite character than could have been
desired but enabling a clearer ac-
count to be given of the Japanese
Navy" the annual said 1.-THE actual
number of capital ships under con-
struction still is somewhat doubtful
nor are the names absolutely GER
tain"
The Nissin, it added, may turn out
to be an airplane carrier while the
Takamatu may wind up in the
Chichibu class of pocket battleshipS.
These two, however, still are listed
in the group of five 100000 -tonners.
The Xii, Dwarf and Tosa all are
named for ancient provinces of
Japan in keeping with the nomen-
clature which assigns names OF
provinces or famous mountains to
capital ships. They take the place
of three huge ships of these names
which Japan had laid down or pro-
jected in the great program which
xr,oe erropned aS result of the