The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1942-02-13
197Destroyers
Now Building
Z Construction Pace Equals
Combined Power of Any
Two Axis Countries.

WASHINGTON.-T speed beinc
attained In the construction of Unit
ed States destroyers to help keep
open the sea lanes vital to defense
IS exceeding the highest expecta-
lions Of navy officials.
After subtracting the so over-agc
uestroyers transferred to Great Brit
am, the United States had in active
service at the end of 1910, 100 de-
stroyers, 80 more than those DOS
Sessed by Japan, strongest Axis
naval power. And this numerical
superiority does not tell the COM
plete story; military consensus cred
It's this country's destroyer force
with a speed and hitting power SUI
perlor to that of any other nation.
Japanese deStroyerS carry only six
10 nine torpedo tubes, as against 8
10 10 on similar American craft.
another technical achievement in
our favor is the fact that on our new
CT destroyers the torpedo tubes have
been mounted upon the superstruc-
ture to permit firing in heavy wealth
or. The Japanese tubes remain on
abe main deck. In both fleets the
destroyers' five and six-inch guns
nave been set in turrets, but the
American turrets have additional
light armament. In some quarters
Tokyo's torpedo carriers and sub
marine hunters are deemed top
heavy.
l97 Now Building
Two hundred destroyers were or
dered for the United States navy in
1910, and 1877 are now listed as
building" The speed with which
this program is being carried out
can be deduced from the production
record set between January l and
September 80 of this year. BY the
end OF September the keels had been
laid for 81 destroyers, 10 had been
launched and IL completed and
placed In active service. This is a |
construction pace superior to that
OF any two Axis nations combined.
An indication of the production
speed is provided by several de-
stroyerS recently completed. In |
World war days the average time |
Tor constructing l,200-ton destroy
er was nine months. When the Edi- |
son, 1,700-ton vessel of more COM
pick design than the World war
models, was launched, 81 months |
after keel laying, it was deemed an
exceptional achievement. But the
Bristol and Ellyson, both 1,70O-ton-
ners OF the same class as the Edi.
son, slid down their Kearny, N. j..
ways only 7l2 months after keel lay
ing
The deStrOyers are part of the
production of $4,000 men in the
country's shipyards
Cavalry Of the Sea.
. Another development which has
heightened the Importance of our de-
stroyer force is the nature of mod
ern warfare. DeStroyers correspond
to the army's mechanical cavalry
They are swift-moving and hard
hitting and are constantly being inn
proved. American destroyers can
be controlled from so many different
protected places that the chance
of losing control through enemy
gunfre is negligible. United States
destroyers are the only ones in the
world which can be refueled with
out stopping at sea. How this is done
Is a secret.
Latest reports which have reached
this country also show that the de-
stroyer is we'll adapted to combat
the dive bomber The speed and
maneuverability of the destroyer has
enabled it to avoid being hit by air
bombs In many Mediterranean and
Atlantic sea battles.