Evening star., 1949-02-21
Navy Maneuvers Start
Today 10 Seek Defense
From Atom, SnorkeI
By the Associated Press

The Navy shoves of today for
q mock battle with the two things
that give 1t goose fiesh-atom
bombs and "snorkel" submarines. |
Major warships. including the
45,o00-ton carrier Franklin D.
Roosevelt and the equally big
battleship Missouri, are sailing
from East Coast ports for the mid
Atlantic and later, the Caribbean.
Billed as the Navy's biggest
peacetime exercises, the games will
combine some $4,000 men. 100
ships and several hundred aircraft
to practice the latest tricks of sea
warefare.
The Navy Is on the alert not
only for its first deep-sea trial of
fighting ships against the A-bomb,
but also because of disparagement
of naval power by air power en-
thusiastS.
Imitation Bombs to Be Used.
In particular. the Air Force has
criticized the Navy's yet-unbuilt
65,000-ton carrier as q pushover
for bombers.
The Navy has argued heatedly
that even the A-bomb could sink
no more than one ship out of
task force because of the wide dis
persal between ships.
The Atlantic Fleet will be be-
deviled by two imitation atom
bombs, simulated guided missile
attacks" and an assortment OF
new high-speed submarines that
are practically invisible on radar
screen. /
One mock A-bomb will bur$t !,
above the ships, another below
the water In an effort to disrupt |
the amphibious assault landing |
that will climax the tests in mid
March.
To Follow Bikini Test Pattern.
This follows the pattern of the
1S4e Bikini tests when a guinea
pig fleet was attacked above and
below the water by the new
weapon. The underwater blast
lashed the ships with radioactive
water-the real thing was turned
loose at Bikini-and made the
bottom of the lagoon dangerous
to this day.
Admiral w. H. p. Blandy, who
was in charge of the BiSiri ex-
pertinent, will direct he exercises.
He now is commander in chief
Of the Atlantic Fleet.
The British home fleet last De-
cember fought off an imitation
= A-bomb attack-with the Ameri-
can vice chief of naval operations.
Vice Admiral Arthur w. Radford,
an interested spectator.
Watching the Atlantic Fleet
meet its mock A-bomb will be
Admiral Radford's former host,
Admiral Sir Rhoderick r. Nc
Grisor. commander in chief of the
British Home Fleet.
The exchange Of such high
ranking observers, plus q con-
tingent of the Canadian Army
taking part with the American
soldiers. sailors. and Marines
underlines the close American CO.
operation with BritisaA fokes in
preparing defensive mea4kFSs.
Just how closely the training
of the two fleets is tied together
cannot be learned.
A simulated, guided missile at
tack will be launched against the
maneuvering task force by P2v
Neptune hombers. The Navy did
not say what missiles would be
used, but described them as the
latest prototypes"
In the battle against subma-
rines, q naval striking force pro-
tected by 1and-based aircraft and
antisubmarine ships will fight IA
'pig-boats," six of them equipped
with the "snorkel" breathing tube.
The Navy has done lot of pub
lie worrying over this tube which
allows q submarine to remain hid
den below the water for weeks at \
o time. This. plus very high un-
derwater speed. make the new
submarines one of the gravest |
problems facing a big feet today. /