Evening star., 1947-02-15
Budget Cuts Threaten
To Stop Cruising by
Fleet, ForresfaI Says
By William J. WheotIey

By WiIIiom J. WheotIey
Active ships Of the United States
Fleet will be able to cruise only
three days a month under original
budget estimates, and cuts to be
made by an economy Con-
gress threaten virtual elimination
of ship cruising.
That was the prediction made
late yesterday by Secretary of the
Navy Forrestal as he warned that
further curtailment of defense forces
eventually will invite disaster"
The proposed reduction of funds,
he said, would mean laying up
additior1l ships of the fleet, cutting
out the Naval Reserve training
program, reducing essential research
and seriously affecting air develop
ment.
Without making a plea for special
consideration, Secretary Forrestal
answered newsmen's questions on
what the fleet would fail to to If
required to take the proposed cuts.
Reduced Cruising Explained.
Explaining why cruising will have
to be limited to three days a month
under the estimates submitted to
Congress, the Navy Secretary said
the original estimate for fuel alone
provided for only 10 days of steam
ing each month by the ships of the
active fleet. After the estimates
were submitted, however, the price
of fuel oil went up and the pos
sibilities of cruising went down.
This reduction alone, he ex-
planned, would seriously affect the
work of the fleet in training
thousands of new men coming into
the service to replace the highly
trained men who went out during
the rapid rehabilitation.
OF necessity, cut in appropria-
tions also would force a halt in
the proposed construction of three
8-inch gun, high-speed cruisers;
two 6-inch dual purpose anti
aircraft gun cruisers and a number
of submarines, Mr.. Forrestal said
Moreover, the training of the fleet
to a high state of efficiency would
be seriously affected because men
on the active ships would have to
be withdrawn from their important
training duty for the sole purpose
of assisting in the laying up the
ships selected for inactivation, he
added.
Personnel Shortage Serious.
The fleet has been in a serious
condition due to a personnel Short
age for long time. Secretary
Forrestal said that recently when
he went out on maneuvers the shore
activities at Norfolk had to be
drained of personnel in order that
an aircraft carrier might go to sea.
The same thing happened when a
squadron was sent to the Meriterra-
mean.
Mr.. Forrestal explained that a
reduction of activities Of the naval
establishment would have to be fig
ured out on a grade of relative i'm
portance as soon as the cuts are
made known. But it is certain that
any reduction in funds would cripple
the research program for the devel-
opment OF new naval fighting imple-
ments.
Wiping out Of the reserve program
would be regarded as one Of the
most serious setbacks.
The Secretary pointed out that
vessels built during the war provide
the basis of full-scale, operating
fleet and could be ready, from an
equipment point Of view, in 80 days.
He added, however, that those
ships will be of little use for the
duties for.which they were built un-
less they Can be nanzied by trained
technical personnel. The only way
trained men can be provided, he
said, is by an active naval reserve
training program. The Navy asked
$164, 900 900 for this program.
In addition, Mr.. Forrestal went
on, the Navy must keep up the
training of its regulars. so they
WOulu NC lCduy W ooooAAiS SAN5U~A
responsibilities in an expanded serv-
ice.
Mr.. Forrestal said the 36 laid-up
aircraft carriers require approx
mately 1000 planes. The storage OF
planes used during the war and ac-
quired since will provide for these
ships to some extent, but by 1850,
he predicted, the Navy will have to
get 2,100 planes annually, as models
of today become obsolete.
The Secretary laid down this Or
der of Importance in allocating
funds: Top priority for the fleet at
sea, then the naval reserve program,
the development of new vessels and
applied scientific development and
production