WARSHIPS COULD BE MADE SAFE

Chronicle (Levin), 5 July 1946, Page 5

WARSHIPS COULD BE MADE SAFE

Received Thursdav, 7 p.m. NEW YORK, July 3. Preliniinary reports from Bikini liave convinced Xavy orticials tliat ihe test instead of niakiug battleships and car riers obsolete, proved that tliese sturdy warships will be needed in the t'orefront in any fiiture war, says the Xev York Times' Washington correspond ent. The otlicials conceded that some modilication may be required in war ships to provide protection against radioactivit.v and also in damage con trol etjuipmeni, Hui believe tliese changes can be made in existing sliip-. after whicli they will be alile to with stand all but a direct liit by an atomic bomb blast. Defensive innovatiom necessitated inidude leadlined com partments and also protective measures against blast above the waterline, par ticularly in tlie superstructure. Hither lo tlie greatest protection for ships had been coucent.rated below tlie waterline against mines and torpedoes. The ofli Finis agreed the new4 Typaut^YVviQtild .••.Ue. . aiiued ent protectftig . ships mpi'e. frajiv.. terrilic lieat tlian blast'. ; i - :>ney'expli:l remarked that it is signilicaiil timi Britain and America have all the most modeni warships capable of withstand ing tui atomic exjilosion. The navy openlv declared that Britain 's neu I2,5l)0-ton battleshi]) Vanguard, with tlie Iowa and Xortli Caroliim classes of American battleshifis, are types besi designed to withstand the atomic bom' but the ollicers concede tliat smallei vessels such as dest ioyers ean be wide ly dispersed making unjirolitable tar gets. G'ontrary Estimation Sliijis can not be built with stecl tliick enough to protect crews from tlie terrilic lelhal radiation of close atomic ex]>losion, according to (kdonel Btall'ovl Warren, safety otticer at Bikini. Ile said some of tlie target vessels still re mained dangerously radioactive and [iredicted it would be, five or six days niore before all tlie ships of the guinea pig fleet were entirely safe. Crdonel Warren added that stoel was not a very good protection because if armoui suflliciently tliick to stop the lethal ra.vs were used, there would not be room in tlie ships for the personnel. Tndicatious were that. if the target fleet had been manned, the blast would have rendered it helpless because rnany not killed by the blast would have been unable to carry on because of illness from radiation. Many of the test animals, Ofl poi1 cent. of which survived, had begun to show a falling blood courit wliieh miglit lead to death.