Show Canal Big Factor in Warship Building By MURNEY Elimination of the ton limit on the size of battleships brings out a curious contradiction contradiction tion in our American position We can can in all probability build larger arger battleships than any other country or at t any rate more thore mores s than any other But the United States is the only important important important im im- im- im naval power which must consider a a fixed restriction limitIng limiting limiting limit limit- ing the size of battleships capable of operating with the fleet That restriction is of course the width of the Panama canal locks The locks are feet wide When the present fleet passes passes' through the canal the clearance of some of the broader ships is measured in inches The Thc Oklahoma and anti Nevada for ex example example example ex- ex ample displacing tons according according according ac ac- ac- ac cording to published records have havea a beam of feet 11 inches It is entirely possible to build ships much larger than or even tons which will pass through the canal But there isa Isa is isa a question as to whether very large battleships can be designed with all of the blisters and elaborate elaborate elaborate rate subdivisions considered necessary necessary necessary sary for protection against underwater underwater underwater under under- water explosion to a narrower beam than was considered essential essential essential essen essen- for contemporary ships When Admiral Leahy chief of naval operations was asked pointblank whether ships larger than tons could pass through the canal canal canal ca ca- ca- ca nal he declined to answer positively positively but said he believed that they could The nature of the underwater prote protection tion built into battleships as a result of World war experience experience experience ence explains why breadth is es es- es sentia The blisters are es es- es cofferdams superimposed outside the ships ship's hull to take the shock of a torpedo or mine Obviously a large increase in overall tonnage with correspondIngly correspondIngly correspondingly correspond correspond- greater demands for engine and boiler space cans for greater overall width The increase in gun calibers which means an increase in the length of the gun guns further increases increases in increases in- in creases the demand for beam asa as asa asa a factor of stability The very long very heavy main mam battery guns on modern battleships are trained abeam in action and re require require require re- re quire a broad and stable gun platform platform platform plat plat- form for effective shooting These considerations probably explain Admiral Leahy's refusal to commit himself Every officer officer officer knows krows that naval constructors construe construe- tors can design sufficiently sufficiently suf sut- fine to pass through th canal with ease But most naval officers are a decidedly dubious concerning the wisdom of paring away the sturdiness which in a battleship depends very largely upon breadth Because very large displacement permits very great cruising endurance endurance en endurance en- en durance and very heavy gun calibers calibers cali call bers undoubtedly American ingenuity ingenuity ingenuity inge inge- is being taxed to produce ton battleships of extremely extreme extreme- ly narrow design The navy department department department de de- de- de did in fact tact design the battle cruisers started during the war and later abandoned or in inthe inthe inthe the case of the Saratoga and Lexington transformed into carriers carriers carriers car car- capable of passing through the Panama canal on displacements displacements displacements displace displace- ments above tons But those ships were not equipped with full underwater protection developed out of World war ex- ex d. d L J P And the two carriers which were completed although they have only a full load displacement displacement displacement dis dis- dis- dis placement of tons have very little room to spare in the canal locks The officers who have brought them thern through can testify to that These considerations suggest that while we may build ships as large as tons we will not go beyond that limit as Jong long Jongas longas as the fleet must use the existing existing exist exist- ing locks Jocks at Panama The threat that the United States States may may build what Hollywood would woul call super- super colossal battleships serves very well to intimidate Japan and other rival sea powers But there is a serious question whether we will even reach that limit unless the naval command undertakes to build one or two primarily primarily marily manly to impress possible ene ene- mies And that might prove to tobe tobe tobe be a costly gesture if the problem problem lem of design cannot be entirely solved within the limits which the the canal imposes There is a real temptation in our undoubted ability to produce extravagantly large ships But Butmore Butmore Butmore more than once the service has learned that there may be such sucha a thing as too much size in a ship The huge submarine cruisers cruisers cruis cruls- ers first conceived in Germany and later copied by most navies furnish a case in point The distinct trend away from very large submarines is rooted in hard practical experience with the difficulties of maneuvering such craft underwater where ease of handling may be essential at atthe atthe atthe the critical moment While this is not as important in battleships as in submarines handiness is im im- V LI even In floating fortresses The very large battleships often featured d in popular stories do grip the public imagination But the somewhat technical yet very concrete concrete concrete con con- crete objections to extreme size are respected In every admiralty office in the world The naval world knows for example that an increase of tons in battleshIp battleship bat bat- size the figure now being suggested would entail elaborate and very expensive alterations in and other servicing equipment The navy department would be In the position of a railroad company which pad had ad doubled the size ize of its engines and then was forced to rebuild every bridge on the line and every tunnel The secondary al alterations alterations alterations al- al wouldn't appeal to the public i imagination but they drench the annual balance sheet In red ink Battleships may grow larger But they will wUl not double in size overnight except on paper or in congressional debate Copyright 19 1938 for The he Telegram r |