Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-04-18
KeeIWorkStarts
On Biggest Navy
AirpIane
Service Apparently
Wins Craft Capable
Of A-Bomb Attack

NEWS UOQdy, tlluS giving dI ledSL
partial answer to the question of
whether this country's high mill
tary strategy will include such
warships in the future.
The start of work ended week
Of uncertainty as to whether the
65,000-ton super carrier would be
built. President Truman and Sec
rotary of Defense Johnson both
declined last week to answer ques-
tons whether the Navy would get
its giant carrier.
At 8:45 am. giant dockside
crane picked up 15-ton bottom
shell panel. including a keel plate
from the floor of the biggest build
ing dock at the Newport News
Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. plant
and deposited 1t on keel blocks
approximately at midship position.
Installation of keel blocks began
about a month ago.
Center of Hot Battle.
The super-fattop has been the
center of hot controversy be-
tween the Navy and the Air Force.
The Air Force regards the $780,
100000 carrier as an invasion OF
the field of long-range strategic
bombing, a field to which the Air
Force claims exclusive rights.
The Navy denies this and con-
tends its planes of 1852 should
have correspondingly up-to-the-
minute seagoing airstrips to OPP
crate from. The United States is
big enough to handle bombers
capable Of carrying atom bombs.
The United States will be built
in a craving dock and floated at
completion by flooding the dock
with water from the James River
rather than being launched from
conventional building ways. She
is scheduled for completion in
1852.
Ceremony Is Lacking.
Only q handful of persons wit
messed the keel laying, the AS
ISOLATED Press reported. They in
cluded a half dozen naval officers.
several shipyard officials and re-
porters and photographers.
The carrier. first ship Of the
Nays postwar building program,
will be 1000 feet long. She will
have a beam at the water line of
100 feet with a maximum fixed
width above, the water line of
100 feet. She will fly from her
flush deck the latest type carrier
planes and will be equipped with
the most advanced armament of
her time.
Secrecy Invoked.
Secretary johnson had invoked
secrecy - although detailed plans
for the carrier, including dimen-
sions and other pertinent details,
long since had been announced Of
ficially. Orders to say nothing
about the decision to go ahead or
to stop construction were imposed
from the highest level on all per-
sonnet of the armed forces.
There was no question that the
idea of constructing giant carrier
had initial approval in the highest
quarters. Former Defense Secre-
tary Forrestal approved it. Con-
gress authorized funds for starting
1t. About $4,000. 900 is being spent
In the current fiscal year (Which
ends June 800, presumably for the
vast amount of engineering and
blueprints required for the ship.
The request for the next fiscal
year, beginning July /, is $43,-
100000.
But criticism of the project
arose early.
Air Force Opposed Plan.
The Air Force, which at con-
ferences of the joint chiefs Of
staff with Mr.. Forrestal was given
primary responsibility for strategic
bombing, took a dim view. Air
men not bound by the Injunction
placed upon USAF officials against
publicly opposing the Nays
super-carrier spoke out. And in
Congress, arguments against so
great an investment in money,
manpower and planes in a single
and possibly vulnerable weapon
were raised.
Chairman Mahon of the House
Subcommittee on Armed Forces
Appropriations told an admiral
during a recent hearing that while
he. had not ADVOCATED abandon
ment of the carrier project "if il
is ever to be abandoned it should
be done now when there has been
relatively small amount spent
on it."
Estimates of the eventual cost
Of the carrier have risen since the
project was first disclosed
The original Navy announcement
placed the cost at $124, 000, 900.
81 Millions for Armament.
OF the current estimate OF
$l86. 000, 900 about $37,000,000 is
for armament-the defensive guns
aiming equipment and aircraft
detection system. It is assumed
the figure does not include the
cost of the fighter and bomber
aircraft for the carrier. an item
which would run the total cost OF
the carrier and its aircraft between
100000. 900 and $500, 100000.
The designs for the United
States" provide a Flush deck
type. This means a flight deck
unobstructed by the usual els.
land" superstructure, 1880 feet
long. The deck, tremendously
strengthened beyond those Of
existing ships, could handle planes
A.. l. s~~r~.