Salt Lake Tribune | 1916-03-05 | Page 5 | Unable to Build the Submarines Wanted

UNABLE TO BUILD THE IBIRB WANTED Shipyard Companies, With One Exception, Decline to Bid on Subsea Boats VASIirJTON March 4. Vmen an eh pbuildera have declined to build the two fleet eobmarines authorized by oon gress last year beca se of a at pulatlon thai the Teasels shall hare a surface rpeed of twenty knots. Secretary Dan Je) wrote Chairman Padgett of the house naval conimlttee today that he had been unable to obtain satisfactory bids and the only alternative would be to construct the submers bles n navy yards upon steam driven des 2ns The department, however the let ter says 'as at present advised does not favor steam driven submarines, and feels that it was not realised at the tune of the passage of the act that the provisions for speed would necessitate construction containing this undesirable feature According to naval officers expert in the construction of submarines the speed requirement of twenty knots is imssible to attain The maximum sped of such craft, with the most mod rn, engine eqjuipment they say Is on Jtfr average of less than twenty knots tnd that cannot be sustained long Steam propulsion would be required to jjlve a sustained speed of twenty knots and this u not believed to be fit for submarine use. Contracts for the two vessels were opened recently Only one b dder the Flectrie Boat company, came within the 1 mit of $1,B00 000 set for each vessel rti bid has been mill f ed bv the department de-partment because it could not meet the s eed requ reme ts Secretary Dan e s wants the monev to appropriated and submarines similar to to se of the coast defense type built The e have proven their sefclness, he sa s and the larger enft are st 11 in the experimental stage