Evening star., 1944-08-13
BY the Associated Press

BREMERTON, Wash, Aug. Ia
Following is the text of Presiden
Roosevelt's address at the Puge
Sound Navy Yard here tonight:
1t is just 80 days since / lef
Washington but I have been at al
times in close touch with the worl
there and also in daily communi.
cation with our forces in the Euro.
pean and Far Eastern theaters O.
war.
1t is good to come back to thu
Puget Sound Navy Yard, for, as yo,
know. have been coming here of
and on since 1918 or 1914.
Since my visit here nearly two
years ago I am glad to know of thu
splendid progress that is being
maintained both here and at many
places on the Pacific Coast in turn.
ing out ships and planes and mu.
nitions OF almost every other va.
riety and in the training of mer
for all of the armed services. So
thought that you would be inter.
ested in brief summary of my visit
to Hawaii and to the Aleutiar
Islands and Alaska from which
am about to step foot ON shore ir
the continental United States.
When I got to San Diego, and TO
three days before going on boart
ship, I had the opportunity to visi
many of the patients in the hos
pital there, large number o1
whom were just back from the fight.
Ing in the Marshall and Mariana.
Islands.
Saw New Type of Landing.
Also witnessed large practice
landing operation on the beaches
OF Southern California between Los
Angeles and San Diego, the kline
OF warfare which has been so sue.
cessfully developed by us during the
past two years. This is of wholly
new type, requiring all kinds of new
equipment and new training anc
I think can safely say that nc
other nation in the world has worked
1t out as successfully as We have
shown within the past few weeks
In the capture of Saipan and Tinian
and the recapturing of Guam, re-
sulting in new threats against
Japan itself and against all of
their operations in the Southwest
Pacific.
1t takes a personal observation of
a landing maneuver, such as l saw
from high bluff overlooking the
shore below, to understand how well
the application of experience is be-
ing carried out. The landing craft
"a wholly new type of ship-came
to the beach from the transports
oftshore under cover of fog. They
came on in waves, the marines and
infantry getting the first toe-hold,
followed by other waves and then
by all manner of equipment. am
munltion and wire and tanks, all
protected by air coverage. and pre-
ceded theoretically by devastating
commandment from heavy ships ly-
ing offshore. When a beachhead d
was obtained to a depth of a mile
or two there followed the unloading
of great quantities of supplies of
all kinds, including tanks and trucks
and jeeps.
Timing of Great Importance.
Timing is of the utmost import
snce in an operation of this kind.
together with instantaneous COM
munication from the shore to the
ships and planes. Here was demon
strated the perfect cooperation
between all of the services-Armv,
Navy and Marines-and to this
should be added the teamwork for
the immediate care of the wounded
and their quick transfer back to the
hospital ships.
We, in our comfortable homes
ought to realize that to all troops
and marines who are to conduct a
new landing expenditure on some far
distant island in the Pacific, as well
as on the coast of France, this am
phlbious training is being given at a
number OF places in the United
States before the expedition even
starts. Hundreds of instructors are
required, nearly all men who have
participated in actual combat oper-
atoms beforehand. Many of these
instructors will, of course, accom-
pany the troops in the actual oper-
atoms OF future landings.
The cruiser on which I went from
San Diego to Hawaii is one of a
number of what we call "post =
treaty cruisers" much larger and
more powerful and faster than the
pre-War cruisers, which were linn
lted by treaty to 10000 tons. This
particular ship joined the Pacific
Fleet less than a year ago but has
ALREADY engaged in Is operations in
the western and Southwest Pacific.
Hers is magnificent record, Her
SKIPPER and crew have brought her
through all Of these many offensive
missions unscathed, and because of
the experience thus gained she is an
even more powerful weapon than
she was the day she ioined the
feet.
lhe voyage was uneventful and
We arrived at Pearl Harbor on
July Goth.
Amazing Change In Hawaii.
What an amazing change since
my visit there 10 years ago. Up
to that time the Pearl Harbor
Navy Yard had maintained
steady growth, like most of our
other Navy yards, but today it is
capable of making repairs to the
heaviest ships and employs a force
nearly 10 times as great, many of
the mechanics coming from the
West Coast.
All of the battleships and smaller
craft which were sunk or damaged
in the attack on Pearl Harbor on
December 7, 194l, have been raised
with the exception of the Arizona.
In her case, because of the ex-
ploslon of her forward magazine,
salvage was impossible but her main
battery of heavy guns was removed
(Es q