The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1959-07-10
Naval Air Power
VitalU.S. Strength
By EDWARD II. SIN
Special Writer

Paris. France - Although critics
of the Navy constantly attack Naval
concepts about carriers and other
ships. and although the Nays ap-
preparation requests are often cut.
there seems to be little disagree
nent that the availability OF naval
surface and air power have been
vitality important to the carrying
out Of the United States foreign
policy in recent years
Admiral Jerauld Wright, Supreme
NATO Navy Commander. knows
there might not be an atomic war.
While there is the chance that one
will eventually break upon the world
here is also the chance that
atomic bombs-like poison gas in
If this is the case, and no one
can foretell such a condition with
certainty. then the importance of
Naval surface, amphibious and ali
power is tremendous.
We can get to these trouble
spots with heavy forces at high
speed with our own logistics. our
own air defense. and all atomic
weapons if We have TO. Admiral
Wright Said.
We also have organic Marine
forces. amphibious forces. available
TO take care Of situations which
might arise These ships and these
forces ate soyereign5 bits Of Y s,
soil, and they can 90 anywhere out
side the three mile limit without
permission And practically all the
trouble spots Of the world border
Oh the seas as IN the Middle East
along the coat Of the Mediter-
ranean
Because the Navy alone among
all the services is able to do this,
perhaps Its comparative role IN 2
cold war is OF greater significance
than in any other situation And OBJ
yiously, if Berlin We're adjacent to
the sea, the Navy would be In
position to deploy il Indefinitely and
TO bring military pressure to the
critical point at the right moment
OF course. however, Admiral
Wright knows that the main Soviet
threat today is submarine one.
Russia is reported to have more
than four hundred submarines 49,
many times more than the Germans
ever modified during World War
II. A good many questions circulate
about the submarine strength, such
as whether there are any atomic
powered submarines among them
and whether the submarines have
atomic Warhead torpedoes. Most
Navy officers believe the Russians
have. OF Will have. atomic war
head torpedoes Admiral Wright is
not so sure about Russian atomic
subs. They haven't been success
ful with their atomic icebseaker
which they have been jabbering
about 30 long. SO we don't n v
about the submarines. | think they
are probably having trouble W it'll
atomic propulsion
Yet the Russian submarine threat
is a real one, and cannot be dis
counted Admiral Wright says the
NATO navles are relying ito a great
deg ee on atomic weapons to count
er the submarine threat Yet atomic
weapons must be dropped by anti
submarine ships or planes, and the
Navy has been short-changed OF
both.
The grim task facing the NATC
navies at this stage, concerning the
Russian submarine threat. is IealiZ
ed when one compares the strength
of the antisubmarlne forces nov
available during World War II =
20 combat the German submarin,
menace 1t is estimated that W.
III now have something less than 2O
antisubmarine ships.
In World War II. at the peak o
the German submarine effort, W,