Evening star., 1952-01-13
Navy Planning 10 .Supercorriers
In Next 10 Years, Hopes Some
Of Them Will Be Atom-Powered
Funds for Second Ship
Of ForrestuI Class to
Be Sought This Yeor
By John A. Giles

night that the Navy plans to build
one 60,000-ton super aircraft car
rier a year for the next 10 years
and that it hoped some of them
would be atomic-powered.
It was the first mention by O
top official of the possibility of
an atomic-powered carrier. al
though the contract already has
been let for a nuclear-propelled
submarine. Such q carrier would
have virtually unlimited range and
considerable more speed than any
other vessel afloat.
The first of the big carriers,
the Forrestal. now is under con-
struction, Mr.. Kimball told the
annual banquet of the National
Sojourners. an organization Of
officers and former officers Of the
Armed Services. It also is known
that the Navy Is seeking funds for
a second such warship-bigger
than any af1oat-in the 1853 fiscal
year.
New Type of Carrier.
The Secretary presented the
carrier proposal as part Of pic
ture Of the expansion of the Ma
tion's Naval power since the start
of the Korean war and plans for
its future growth.
He said the Forrestal class of
carriers would "embody the latest
advances in Naval aviation" They
are an entirely new type Of flat
tops with the usual island super
structure capable of being re-
tracted to allow use of the full
width of the flight deck, thus al
lowing big atomic bomb-carrying
planes to take off and land.
Before Secretary Kimball's
speech, Chairman Vinson of the
House Armed Services Committee
announced there were plans for
building more ships like the For
restal, but he added that his
group had not yet received any
formal request from the Navy
for such construction. He in
dicated the committee probably
will sponsor legislation providing
for one or perhaps two of the giant
ships.
The Forrestal, scheduled for
completion late in 1858 or in early
1854, will cost an estimated $218
million.
New Anti-Sub DeStrOyers.
The Navy now has three 45,000-
ton Midway class carriers and
Navy officers envisage the use of
the 27,000-ton Essex class f1attops
in submarine warfare activities in
the years ahead.
Mr.. Kimball also said that as
part Of the program for coping
with the Soviet submarine danger.
which he rated as great. the Navy
would launch within the next four
months four new hunter killer"
destroyers.
The 3,650-ton vessels, with a
speed of 80 knots, are equipped
with latest special devices for de-
tecting and destroying submarines.
They are powered with new type,
secret engines and their size
means that they can keep operat-
ing in heavy seas. A destroyer
displaces about 1900 tons.
The Secretary said that the
first of these warships, the Mits-
cher and the Willis A. Lee, were
scheduled for launching January
26. The other two, the John S.
Mccain and the Wilkinson, will be
launched in March, he said.
He added that the $29.5 million
vessels would be completed and
ready to join the feet by the end
of the year.
14O Ships Under Construction.
Mr.. Kimball gave this break
down of operating fleet power
since June, 1850, by bringing ships
out Of mothballs anG commission
ing new craft:
More than 500 ships have
Joined the active fleet since this
expansion began. BY mid-year,
we will have added to the fleet
four battleships, IL aircraft car
riers, six cruisers and more than
100 destroyer type vessels. Our
submarine strength will have been
increased by more than Is modern
combat types, and the necessary
transports, tankers and fleet auxi-
liaries to support a truly mobile
Naval task force will be available.
"In addition to this ready
strength, we have under conStruc-
ton 140 new ships of various
types. We have adopted proto-
types of new escort vessels, mine
sweepers and submarines"
Mr.. Kimball's statistics, taken
together with the known fleet
strength at the time hostilities be-
gan in Korea, indicated the Navy
will have more than 750 ships in
its active fleet by next July. This
will include q carriers of all types,
ranging from the small "jeep"
escort carriers to the Midways, 90
cruisers, more than $50 destroyers
and destroyer escorts and approx
imately 100 submarines.