Evening star., 1954-12-11
Navy Launches
The ForrestaI,
Giant Carrier
Officials HoiI 1t
As Top Weapon in
'NucIeor Arsenal
By John A. Giles
BY John A. Giles
S,cr S,eH corre.pondepf


NEWPORT NEWS. Va. Dec.
1.-THE Navy today launched
It's super aircraft carrier For
restal, largest warship in the
world, calling 1t "our country's
most versatile and most dis
persable weapon in our nuclear
arsenal"
Navy Secretary Thomas made
that assertion about the 1896
foot. 6o,o00-ton fiattop, and
added:
1.-THE Forrestal with its speed,
It's greatly reinforced armament.
its improved radar vision, its
heavy anti-aircraft defenses. its
guided missiles and its new jet
interceptor aircraft will indeed
be a phantom target for any
enemy"
Mrs. James Forrestal, widow
of the first Secretary Of Defense
for whom the ship is named,
christened the vessel as 1t was
foated In a giant craving dock.
It will take aboard 80 aircraft
and join the feet late next year.
A Mobile Sea Base.
Mr.. Thomas and Admiral Rob-
ert B. Carney, Chief of Naval
Operations, emphasized that the
Forrestal was a mobile sea base
capable Of eluding the enemy
as no fixed land base might do.
BY ats very nature it becomes
an obscure target for enemy de-
lection and effective attack, I"
Admiral Carney declared. Even
II her whereabouts became
known, she, with guided missile
carrying companions. will offer
O formidable defense against
any weapons now on the draw
ing boards and even on the
horizon"
Defense Secretary Wilson said
the Forrestal, which has a fight
deck almost I'VE city blocks long
and more than a block wide,
would be "a real deterrent to the
outbreak of another world war;"
The Navy said the ship would
cost some $198 million, including
ordnance equipment. Aircraft
will cost around SITS million ad-
ditional.
Because Of the size Of the
ship. the launching was not done
by the traditional method Of
sliding her down ways. Instead,
sea valves In the craving dock
were opened early yesterday and
the big ship was afloat by the
time Of the christening.
The carrier was to be hauled
from the dock to an adjacent
fitting out berth tomorrow.
New Era in Shipbuilding.
The Forrestal'S launching
marked a new era in Navy ship
building and a victory for
staunch and vocal Navy advo-
Gates Of big carriers who saw
their dreams evaporate in 1949.
That was when Louis johnson,
q former defense secretary, alb
ruptly cancelled construction of
q slightly larger carrier a few
days after the keel had been
laid. But Navy diehards kept
plugging for their favorite
weapon and finally convinced
their superiors OF the necessity
for such craft. Four Of the
giant ships have been autho-
rized. One Of them, the Ran
ger, is being built in an adjacent
drydock of the Newport News
Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.
When construction started,
the Forrestal was to be a flush
deck carrier with a retractable
island and hinged stacks Sc
there would be no projection
above the fight deck. This was
to provide the optimum landing
area for incoming fighters and
bombers.
But the successful installation
Of the new canted deck-which
provides an additional runway
slanted off to the left Of the
ship-on the 27.500-ton Antie-
tam early last year convinced
the Navy that such a deck
should be a feature Of the For
restal. When this was incor-
porated, the retractable island
was no longer necessary.
Can Fly at Angle.
When landing on a canteC
deck planes come in at an angle
of eight to 10 degrees from the
centerline of the ship. rather
than down the center Of the
fight deck. Thus. If a plane fail.
to engage an arresting cable
or for any other reason fails tt
make a landing. the pilot car
pick up speed and fly OF at
an angle.
Another innovation OF thu
Forrestal is the steam catapult
tSee FORRESTAI. Page A-2o
G4.~l.. - H. e~~4ls~ll