Evening star., 1952-07-13
Sullivan, Who Lost
Carrier Row, Will See
ForrestaI Kee|-Laying

John L. Sullivan. the former
Navy Secretary who angrily re-
signed when the administration
stopped the building of q super
carrier, has been invited to the
Navy's day of ultimate victory in
the fight he couldn't win three
years ago.
His name appeared yesterday
on list of guests invited by the
Navy to the ceremony tomorrow
at the keel laying Of the go, 600
ton carrier Forrestal at Newport
News, Va.
The Forrestal, the designs for
which specify dockside tonnage
of $1,000, actually will run well
over the weight when fully sup
piled and with her complement of
planes. The originally projected
carrier United States was designed
for $1,000 tons.
Rising prices Of material and
labor. together with other factors
including different design, have
pushed the presently estimated
cost Of the Forrestal to $2l8 nit
lion-without her planes. The
cost OF the carrier United States,
estimated at the time construction
was cancelled. was $189 million.
Fast Launching Possible.
A change in flight deck. cata-
pault and elevator design will
make the ForreStal capable of
launching more planes at faster
rate than the plans for the United
States allowed. A Navy statement
said that as many as 80 intercept
tor planes can be launched in as
little as four minutes from the
multiple system of catapaults set
at angles along the edges of the
Tight deck.
The carrier will accommodate
more than 100 aircraft, depend
ing on the size and type used.
Bigger planes can be slowed on
the hangar deck, in which the
clearance is Is feet overhead,
compared with only II feet, s.
inches for the older 45,OOO-ton
Midway and 27,O0O-ton Essex
class ships.
These planes, said the Navy,
will include types capable Of
carrying atomic bombs.
The ceremony tomorrow will
mark the laying of the keel of the
f1ush-deck Forrestal. Deputy Sec
retary of Defense William c. Fos-
ter will deliver the principal ad-
dress.
Inter-Service Dispute.
In April, 1949, the keel of the
65,0O0-ton United States was laid
down. But shortly thereafter,
while the Navy and Air Force
argued bitterly over the relative
merits of carriers and B-36 bomb
ers, work was halted.
A terse and abrupt order from
Louis johnson, then Secretary of
Defense, ended construction. Mr..
johnson said he acted "after care
fuf consideration and discussion"
with President Truman. He said
the stop order was for economy
reasons. It was regarded as a
victory for the Air Force, however.
In an angry blast at the defense
chief, Mr.. Sullivan resigned as
Secretary Of the Navy.
Others besides Mr.. Sullivan who
will attend the Newport News cere-
mony include Gen. Bradley, chair
man OF the Joint Chiefs Of Staff;
Admiral William D. Leahy; Navy
Secretary Dan Kimball, and John
F. Floberg and Herbert r. Askins.
Assistant Secretaries Of the Navy.
A special act of Congress named
the super carrier as a memorial
to James A. Forrestal, who served
as Undersecretary and then Secre-
tary Of the Navy, and finally. as
the Nations first Secretary of De-
fense.
The Newport News Shipbuilding
and Drydock Co., builder of more
than 100 vessels for the Navy, in
Guiding several famous carrier
will build the Forrestal.