Laurel outlook., 1945-07-04
Repair Work in
Navy Slows Up
Damage Is Increasing and
Need for More Workers
Is Very Great.

WAof1lNG ION. In the race OF
increasing Jap air attacks, the
home front battle of ship repairs
IS not progressing satisfactorily
and large numbers of additional
workers are needed to restore YES
sells to fighting condition, the navy
declared, according to the Associ-
ated Press.
At a news conference, navy lead
ers said workers were quitting their
jobs in west coast repair yards de-
spite the manpower shortage and
growing work load.
Only the necessity for keeping
valuable information from the en-
envy, it was emphasized, prevented
recitation of facts and figures to
back up the urgent appeal of the de-
partment's heads for shipyard
workers to stay on the job and for
others to answer the call.
In lieu of any precise disclosure
of numbers of ships involved, Secre-
tary Forrestal cited that 4,270 per-
sonnet of naval supporting forces
had been killed or were missing in
the battle for Okinawa between
March IS and May %, as compared
with 1882 for the ground forces In
the same action.
Shifts New Construction.
Adm. Frederick j. Horne, vice
chief of naval operations, COM
mented that it easily could be seen
what that must mean in ship dam
age" Every ship damaged in
action, Horne said, reduces the
fleets fighting power by just that
much" He added:
"As the war approaches the Japa-
nese homeland, the fleet more and
more is subject to Japanese air at
tack. We hear about many Jap
planes being knocked down, but
they still have a lot. Every attack
is in the hundreds. . If critically
needed workers don't come forward
more and more people will be
killed on the beaches"
Specifically, the navy department
revealed:
That some $500, 900, 900 in new ship
construction, originally scheduled
for the west coast, had been trans
ferred to the east coast to release
facilities for ship repairs.
That it would take nine months
to get the damaged carrier Frank
lin back into action.
That some cruisers would require
six months and some ~destroyers
three months.
That destroyers, intended for over
haul after $1,000 miles, were now
operating after 240, 900 miles with
out overhaul. ..
That the Mare island (Calif.)
navy yard was 5000 workers short
and lost 600 net last month despite
widespread recruiting drives and in
tense efforts to keep workers; the
Puget sound (Wash.) navy yard was
5 1000 short and lost 600 net last
month; Hunters point (Calif.)
naval dry docks was 5000 short
and lost 700 net, and "the situation
comparable in private yards"
May Continue Beyond War.
In an effort to solve the problem,
The navy-at the urgent request Oh
Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz, Pacific
1eet commander = in = chief, OBJ
aimed blanket deferment of skilled
workers in west coast yards, gave
to repair work over new
construction and agreed to provide
transportation and subsistence to
workers. recruited in the East and
West. -,
Undersecretary of the Navy Ralph
\. Bard said in a broadcast recent
Y: "The navy department believes
hip repair and ship maintenance
naval vessels will continue for
It least one year after the end OF
!ostilities with Japan"
Broadcasting from Guam on an
JBC war bond program, Nimitz
sked for more workers to get
damaged ships back to US, and
ew ships out to u.s." Nimitz called
Dr. more volunteer shipyard work
rs to maintain the 5000 mile
bridge of ships across the
'acific. Ill
Asserting that ''the support and
uccess of our whole Pacific war
epends on ships" Nimitz said the
alton must not only maintain "the
ridge of ships" but also 'lengthen
nd widen it so that the ever
lcreasing demands for munitions
nd supplies can be brought to the
,rces that are fighting ever closer