Evening star., 1942-06-21
Senators Advocate
Fighter Planes on
All U. ). Warships
Service Journal Proposes
Converting Unfinished
BottIeships Into Carriers
B, the Associated Press.

B, the Associated Press.
A proposal to make every war
ship of the fieet-from destroyer
to battleship---a carrier of fight
ing planes was advanced yester-
day by members of a Senate
committee considering a House
approved $500, ,000,0 900 naval ex-
panSion bill.
Expressing satisfaction at the
Navy's decision to concentrate i'm
mediately on the construction of
aircraft carriers instead of battle
ships, Senator Gillette, Democrat,
of Iowa, a member of the Senate
Naval Affairs Committee, told re-
porters:
Il am hopeful that immediate
attention will be given to supple
menting carrier strength by COM
hining units for both offense and
defense as air compliments for all
warships large enough to accomo-
date them"
Senator Gillette said he was in
formed by a reliable source that the
japanese now were mounting fighter
planes and even small bombers on
destroyers, adding that all of their
larger vessels appeared to carry
some aerial striking units.
Planes on Smaller Ships Urged.
I'm this war" he said, "a battle
ship, a cruiser or even a smaller
vessel should not be entirely de-
pendent on carrier based planes but
should itself carry offensive and
defensive units consisting of bomb
ers, torpedo planes and fighters as
we'll as at present reconnaissance
planes"
Except for carrier-based
planes which have wheel landing
gear, aircraft borne by fighting
ships are equipped with floats or
boat hulls for landing in the
water after being launched by
catapultO
Recent editions of James Fighting
Ships show that the japanese have
installed four planes of undesig-
mated types on their newer bat
tleships, three planes on the older
dreadnaughts and four on their
cruisers. No reference is made to
planes on destroyers.
Similarly, newer United States
battleships of the North Carolina
class are listed as mounting four
aircraft, older battleships three,
and cruisers four.
Senator Stewart, Democrat, OF
Tennessee asserted that all ships
plying the ocean ought to carry
aircraft for their own defense, II
nothing else. He said this war
already had demonstrated that bat
tleships could not survive aerial at
tacks without aerial protection.
Senator Ellender Agrees.
Agreeing that all American war
ships ought to carry fighting planes
Senator Ellender, Democrat. OF
Louisiana predicted the Naval Com
mittee also would inquire into the
relative merits of small and large
carriers.
Meanwhile, conversion of partially
completed battleships into aircraft
carriers was advocated by the Army
and Navy Journal.
The service weekly, commencing
the Navys suspension of work on
six battleships which were in the
advanced blueprint stages, also sug-
gested editorially that the capital
ship of the future might be COM
bination of battleship and carrier
The Coral Sea and Midway battles
demonstrated, it said, that present
carriers are extremely vulnerable to
determined air attack.
within few months there will
be commissioned additional battle
ships which better would be trans
formed into carriers in view of the
present superiority the United
States and Great Britain enjoy in
this vanishing type" the Journal
said.
New Battle Line Craft.
"The new craft of the battle line
we will develop we can not foresee.
But it will be fast-our speedy and
maneuverable eight-inch gun cruis-
ers, which we regarded with dis
favor, are proving their value They
will be protected by thick armour
everywhere
They will be covered with anti
aircraft guns. They will have not
nine 16-inch guns. but four or six
14-inch guns. And they will have
a large force of planes, torpedoes
and bombers. with a deck long
enough to take off and return"
AS approved by the House, the
10000 ton expansion naval sill |
would authorize the construction of
500 900 tons of carriers, 100000 tons
of heavy and light cruisers and 590.-
600 tons of destroyers and escort !
vessels. One Senate committee
member said he was informed that |
small carriers of 10000 tons could
be built in six months or less. He
observed that it might be wise to
rush the construction of as many Of