Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-06-09
Navy P|unges Into Missiles Era,
Leaving Bott|eships at the Dock

simply stay out Of range Of the
battleship's 16-inch guns and blast
it out of the water with guided
missiles"
Another note Of skepticism came
from 70-year Vice Admiral
John F. Shafroth (retired) who
commanded a squadron of eight
battleships bombarding the Japan
csc mainland in l945.
Nicknamed "Battleship" during
his football days at Annapolis. the
280-pound Shafroth said:
II think our battleships win still
be used. though not in fleet en-
gagement where one battleship OPP
poses another. That's past"
He said he believes the battle
ships chief function will be to
act as a radar-c control center oper-
ating with fast carrier task forces.
Our big job is to protect the air
craft carrier so that it can send up
its planes to deliver their Sunday
punch"
But the carriers decks are too
cluttered with planes to hold all
the radar needed to detect the
enemy and guide our own weapons.
That's where the battleship, with
its great size. comes in.
IF I were a task force COM
mander, I'd want a battleship with
plenty of long-range radar to serve
as control. I'd want it equipped
with guided missiles. I'd rather be
on a guided missile battleship than
a guided missile cruiser when it
came to fight. A battleship with
its thicker hide will take helluva
lot more punishment than
cruiser"
Asked If the Navy plans to build
any guided-rniSSile battleShips. a
Pentagon spokesman said: "Abso-
lutely not"
Exponents Of the new guided
missile system argue that even the
battleship's tough hide wouldn't
save it from a nuclear blast.
Deputy Secretary of Defense
Donald Quarles told Congress re-
Gently that a guided missile with a
hydrogen bomb warhead, fired from
a distance of so to 100 miles. could
knock out an entire naval task
force.
Admiral Arleigh A. Burke. Chief
of Naval Operations. said that
might be so. but first the enemy
would have to find the target-and
the feet can shift its position 1000
miles in "a hours.
To the Junk Pile
Since the end Of World War II,
the Navy has junked more than a
million tons Of shipping. 1t now
plans to sink, scrap or sell lot ships
in the 2,000-ship reserve fleet =
including the battleships Missis-
sippi, Tennessee and California
as being outmoded In addition. the
department has shelved plans to
convert the new. partially built
battleship Kentucky into a guided
missile craft. Thirteen other par
TALLY built warships. some designed
is years ago, will never be finished.
To prepare the way for an all
missile fleet. the Nays current
program calls for the following
guided-missile ships:
One nuclear-powered aircraft car
rier-the first in the world-to cost
1914 million and be completed in
1861.
Twelve cruisers, including one
new l4,000-ton nuclear-powered
ship.
Fourteen deStroyers.
Eighteen frigates (4500 tons).
Eight MISUNDERSTANDING five
with nuclear power plants.
About half of the IL cruisers will
be equipped with Talos surface-to-
air guided missiles. capable of de-
stroying enemy aircraft so miles
away. The rest will carry Terrier
missiles. also for antiaircraft de-
Tense. with a range Of IS miles
At present the fleet has 10 car.
riers. four cruisers and two subma
rineS equipped to use Regulus /
the surface-to -surface guided mis-.
sile with range Of 500 miles.
So rapid has been the develop,
ment of missiles. however, tina
Regulus I will soon be replaced b!
Regulus II with range somewher,
between 800 and 1000 miles.
!, In the offing. perhaps four year
away. the Navy expects to hav,
perfected an even more fantasti,
missile, Polaris, to be launched b.
submarine under water to search
out a target $500 miles distant.
Vice Admiral Thomas S. Combs
deputy Chief of Naval Operations
told Congress the Navy expects t,
have at least AZ guided-missil
ships in the fleet by 1861
With this potent striking force
Assistant Secretary of the Nav
Garrison Norton said the Navy
hitherto limited to sea and coasts
bombardments-will be able to hi
ANY point on the face Of the globe
with guided missiles,