DAY OF BATTLESHIP

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 May 1943, Page 4

DAY OF BATTLESHIP

SAID TO BE FAR EXTENDED BUT AIRCRAFT CARRIER BACKBONE OF FLEET. UNITED STATES EXPANSION PLANS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) WASHINGTON, May 14. The largest naval Appropriation Bill in history, requesting almost 30,000 million dollars, has'been submitted to the House of Representatives by its Appropriations Committee, which released evidence by high naval officers who detailed the growth of America’s rapidly-expanding Navy. Vice-Admiral Horne, Vice-Chief of Naval Operations, revealed that the Navy’s strength on July 1, 1944, was expected to be 5,100 ships, with a total personnel of two and a half million men and 225,000 officers. Six 35,000 ton battleships are already in service and two are nearly ready. Highlights of Admiral Horne’s evidence are: (1) The Navy's greatest need is escort vessels, for combating submarines, the building of which is outstripping sinkings. (2) Our battleships at the time of Pearl Harbour lacked speed and flexibility. However the battleship has proved that the day of the battleship has been far extended. (3) The aircraft-carrier, around which the ideal task force is built, has become the backbone of the fleet. Whether our Pacific strategy becomes a step by step reinvestment of islands or a flank approach to Japan, we are going to need carriers in quantity. The traditional naval battle — battleship against battleship, big fleet against big fleet —is out of the picture. (4) Expenditure for ammunition after the defeat of Hitler will increase instead of decrease. (5) Contracts for 27,642 naval planes are expected in 1944, including 100 four-engined transport aircraft, twenty of which will be similar to the 70 ton Martin Mars flying-boat. (6) The Navy is acquiring considerable numbers of auxiliary carriers—flying decks mounted on merchant ships’ hulls. (7) The liner Normandie requires fifteen more months before her salvaging can be completed. The total cost will be 20,000,000 dollars or 20 per cent of the cost of the ship from hull to superstructure. Several officials emphasised the importance of landing craft as requisite for amphibious operations. Admiral Horne said: “We must get to the Axis on the continent of Europe, regain the islands of Melanesia and Micronesia and make a final assault against Japan by amphibious operations, utilising landing craft. Rear-Admiral Cochrane asked for a million tons of small amphibious craft, 70 per cent of which would be landing craft. He predicted that losses in some cases would exceed fifty per cent. Losses in the North African landings were very heavy. They were not violently opposed, but the weathei’ was bad.