Evening star., 1952-06-29
keeI-Laying July IA
Will Launch Work on
Carrier ForresiaI
By John A. Giles

n ACcl-ldy1IlS CcTGIIIOIly July II
will mark the official start of
construction Of the 60,000-ton
supercarrier Forrestal. which the
Navy claims will be able to carry
any struggle to the enemy, any,
where on the GLOBE
The Navy said yesterday that
Defense Secretary Lovett would
speak at the Newport News (Va.)
event. It estimated that the car
rier will be launched in March,
1854, and be ready to join the
fleet the following December.
Previously the department had
estimated the building would take
36 months.
The huge flattop is designed to-
launch and recover atom-carry-
ing bombers, jet fighters and tor
pedo planes faster and longer
ranged than any in operation. It's
overall length will be 1,040 feet,
making it the longest warShip in
the world. A retractable bridge
will allow completely clear fight
deck.
When the contract for the For
festal was awarded Newport News
Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. a
year ago. the Navy estimated the
cost would be $218 million, not in
cluding planes. 1t is now believed
that the final cost will be consid-
erably above that figure.
Second Ship Planned.
The Navy is planning construc-
ton Of a second vessel of the
Forrestal class, authorized in the
$45.7 billion defense appropriation
bill now before the Senate. The
House Appropriations Committee
recommended against a second
Forrestal now.
Defense Department officials
analyzing the money bill over the
weekend, saw these results at
first glance:
/. No cut-back in the purchase
of aircraft for the new 143-wing
Air Force. The Senate Appropria- i
tions Committee Topped off 5000
million from the $12.6 billion re-
quested for aircraft and related
procurement" but ordered thatl
the cut be made in the purchase
of spare engines and parts always
bought with new craft. Sixty-five
percent spares has been the gen.
eral rule and officials now figure
this will be cut by to 8 per cent.
2. The possibility of the need
for a supplemental appropriation
request later. While the Senate
committee cut the bill as passed
by the House by only $432 million
it also ordered that a recently
passed military pay raise be alb
Sorbed. bringing the total cut tol
the neighborhood of 81 billion.
3. While the Navy won its long
campaign to build a second large
carrier. legislative action did con-
tain a setback for shipbuilding
The Navy asked for $944 millionI
1OI o1llpUOIlOl14S dIIu u4OOCA AAlD1-
tion of vessels. The House clipped
$432 million off that request andl
the Senate committee let the cutI
stand unchanged.
20 Projects Listed.
The Navy handed Congress list
of 20 priority projects in arguing
for the restoration of the money.
The carrier topped the list, fol-
lowed by three new destroyers.
Third and fourth on the list are
80 new minesweepers and auxili-
ary minesweepers, followed byI
ocean escort" ships which will be
oversize destroyers approaching
dimensions of small cruiser. Next
in necessity is conversion of two
more 27,000-ton Essex class car
riers. A second atomic power sub
marine is rated No. IL.
With only slightly more than
half the original request in pros
pect. the Navy is expected to lay
aside about two-thirds Of the pri-
ority list.