Show SEA DEFENsE PLAN IS READY FOR FORS CONGRESS S Experts Prepare List List of Warships Proposed in Pr Program gram Proposed Strength of u. u S. S Navy in 1925 First line Ine battleships 27 I Second line battleships 14 Reserve battleships 9 P Battle cruisers 6 Scout cruisers 13 Destroyers 96 Fleet submarines 18 Coast defense submarines submarines' Gunboats 31 Armored cruisers S 10 O Protected cruisers 5 First class cruisers 4 Second class cruisers 12 Coast defense monitors 9 WASHINGTON Oct What 21 the United States navy will be In 1925 if the administration defense program is approved by congress was described today by naval ex cx- The strength of the navy vi will l be s of the the first S 27 n I These ships will all carry more than eight big guns each m most st of them mounted twelve caliber 50 rif rifles es the new weapons recently developed de de- by the ordnance bureau and to be the equal or supe nor of any navy gun now afloat With two exceptions they would all allbe allbe be able to steam more than 20 knots an hour Battleships of the s second cond liner 14 These ships will carry four heavy I guns each and some of them have a a speed of nearly 20 knots Reserve 9 These ships are all now in commission or orin ju in reserve The oldest ship is the Iowa commissioned i In 1897 Three older the ships Oregon and Indiana will have gone to the tho scrap heap within two or three thre years Battle cruisers G. G They will mount eight inch 14 rifles rines I and have a speed of 35 knots Scout cruisers 13 This includes I the Salem Chester and Birmingham the only scouting ships now in the navy Destroyers 96 06 This figure allows for the retirement of 16 destroyers built before 1898 and does not take into account 19 torpedo boats many of which are still in service Fleet submarines 18 The y first vessel of this type designed for I any navy will be launched in a few months She will make 20 knots on the surface while the oth rs will make 25 knots or more Coast Submarines Coast defense submarines This figures all submersibles of this type now built or building and allows for the retirement of nine boats of the A and B classes which are now nov doing duty in the Philip 1 pines and at Panama and giving satisfactory sat sat- service despite the fact i that they are twelve years old Navy officers believe most of them will still be available for harbor defense in hi eight years years' time Gunboats 31 These vessels are for river and shallow harbor use The new program will add only two vessels of this this' type In addition to the foregoing there are ten armored cruisers five protected pro pro- cruisers four first class cruisers twelve second class cruisers and nine coast defense monitors mono mon available for reserve fleet duty It is not planned to build any anymore anymore more ships of these types For the task planned for navy designers designers de- de signers by the new program It is probable that considerable additions to the civil in the departmental departmental depart depart- mental bureaus will he be necessary The bureau of construction and repair reo re pair which will draw plans for the new new ships has a huge job job before before it since the weight of every rivet or bolt that goes into a 3 ton battleship bat bat- must be calculated in order that she may b be in proper balance submerge to the proper depth and have the desired displacement The department prides itself on the fact that no navy designed ship for th last twelve years has been over a record unequaled hy by any foreign navy S Navy Board Disagrees While the general n ral board of tile the navy has approved plans for six knot 35 super battle cruisers to be built within the tho next five years navy officers and officials dais it was learned today arc aro not unanimous In favoring this thit type of ship Before Secretary Daniels do de to recommend the big ships an alternative plan for another type of vessel to cost about a third as much had many adherents Tile The chief reason for favoring the smaller and less expensive ships it is said was that for the amount to he be ex cx- on tile the battle cruisers eight eight- ecu een of the other type could have been bunt built and equipped probably jn in considerably less time The alternative plan suggested a type of super scout cruisers ranging from to tops tons displacement displacement displace displace- ment with very light armor and equipped with only two inch 14 guns each one mounted forward and one aft on en tile the decks without turret protection pro pro- By this gr great at saving in weight vessels of high speed great I endurance and nd wide widd cruising radius could have been obtained to reinforce reinforce rein rein- force the slower and smaller scout cruisers and and destroyers in their mission of brea ng an enemy's corn com lines destroying his commerce corn com merce at sea and elming convoys convoys con con- voys composed of light Cruisers or destroyers It is said that a speed of 40 knots for these ships was suggested sug to enable them to flee from froman an enemy of greater gun power but slower speed such as a battle I cruiser S The navy general board however favored I construction of the bigger ships on the theory it is said that since European navies were equIpped with battle cruisers It was necos- necos sary for a well balanced navy that the United States should have equal or superior craft in gun power and speed It was argued that battle cruisers of the type recommended I would not be compelled to seek i safety in flight from anything but a ai i heavily armored battleship |