Evening star., 1943-03-06
Submarine Killers
To Be Navy's Answer
To U-Boat Wo|fpacks
Sleek Vessels Called
Destroyer Escorts to Be
Ready Soon, Says Knox
BY the Associated Press.


Fresh hope that Allied sea forces
will be able to crush Germany's re-
inforced U-boat fleet this summer
was expressed by naval authorities
today after Secretary of the Navy
Knox disclosed that a new fleet of
submarine killer ships is at last
coming down the ways on a mass
production schedule.
Several score of the sleek little
vessels. known in the Navy as de-
stroyer escorts (DEs), already have
been launched, the Secretary told a
press conference late yesterday, and
hundreds of others are being or will
be built. Each ship requires about
four months for construction, less
than half the time necessary to
build a regular destroyer.
Crews are being trained at a pace
to match the speed of construction
and the first DE squadrons should
be IN operation soon-later to be or
ganized into teams of ships-Mr
Knox said.
Answer to U-Boat.
These beams Of sub killers, work.
ing in close cooperation with planes
and blimps where possible, are con-
sidered by some well-qualified au-
thorlties to be the answer to the
Nazis' deadly U-boat wolfpack
methods.
That they will be badly needed in
the Atlantic this spring and sum-
mer is generally accepted, for all
evidence indicates that the German
Navy has prepared an unparalleled
undersea offensive against Allied
Atlantic shipping.
Already Admiral Karl Doentiz.
Nazi naval chief and U-boat expert,
has an average Of more than 100
underseas craft on constant duty
In the Atlantic, and this number is
expected to be increased to the ex-
treme limit of Germany's ability to
wage that kind OF war.
Set Production Record.
Secretary Knox said recently the
Germans had 800 to 400 U-boats
available for service and most other
authorities have placed the total
much higher. Observers say that by
conservative estimate the Germans
should be able to operate about one :,
third OF their force at any one
time, and may exceed that ratio COM
siderably.
Mr.. Knox discussed the DESTROYER
escort program at press conference
at which he also reported that Feb
ruary set new production records for
both ships and aircraft.
More than 1,400 planes were built
for the Navy, of which better than
half were combat types, the rest be-
Ing trainers or transports.
In another answer to the U-boat.
the Navy and Maritime Commits
sion revealed that ship production
reached new highs in February.
80 New Ships Built.
American shipyards turned out
$50 new warships Of about 200 900
tons and 130 cargo vessels with a
total displacement of ,239 200 dead
weight tons. Merchant ship con-
struction In the first two months of
this year thus totaled 233 ships Of
2,247 800 deadweight tons, the num-
Der exceeding the total for the first
six months of 1912.
I'VE are going still faster and we
expect more in March," Mr.. Knox
said, referring to both ships and
planes.
He reported that more than 100
landing barge-l00 OF them large
types that could be used in any type
OF invasion-had been produced dur
ing the record-breaking month of
February.
OF the new warships, he said, 100
represent wholly new production
while 20 are cargo craft converted
to combat use. Mr.. Knox did not in
dicate the apportionment of the
tonnage among the various types of
warships.
CheeFed Over Program.
Mr.. Knox was obviously cheered
over the destroyer escort program.
He said several hundreds would be
built and that he meant more than
3OO."
The DE's are bigger than the
British corvette types and generally
more powerful. They were designed
as sub-killers by Rear Admiral Ed
ward l.. Cochrane, chief of the
Navy's Bureau Of Ships, back in 1910
when he held lesser rank and a
position in the bureau.
Why none has been built prior to
the last few months was not ex-
planned.
A DE costs about $500 OOO-half
the price of a destroyer-and 1t can
be built in four months, whereas a
destroyer requires nine.