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Show Americans Will Salute Their Mighty Sea Force, 'Spearhead of the Attack,' on Navy Day, October 27 t mightiest navy of all time being created. Already it is immense, beyond be-yond the dreams of any nation, even the United States, until three years ago. Still it grows, day by day, week by week. More ships, more planes, more men, the navy demanded, and the American people have responded respond-ed without stint. In a report boldly revealing details de-tails previously considered tight secrets, se-crets, the United States navy flaunts its strength to the Axis, and particularly particu-larly to Japan. In three years, the report states, the total tonnage of all navy craft has risen from 1,875,000 tons In July, 1940, to more than 5,000,000 tons in July, 1943. The navy measurements are in displacement, displace-ment, not deadweight tonnage, which latter figure is more than twice as great as the displacement. Warships, meaning battleships, light and heavy cruisers, destroyers, destroyer escorts, submarines and carriers, have been increased from 383 in 1940 to 613 in the July, 1943, report, and new ships are being delivered de-livered every month. Some 313 new combatant ships have been added in three years, totaling 1,117,054 dis- first 18 months of the defense program. pro-gram. Combatant ships battleships, battle-ships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, de-stroyers, destroyer escorts and submarines sub-marines make up the largest part of the navy program, and the step-up step-up in their production has been especially sharp. The tonnage of combatant ships completed in the first six months of 1943 is more than 20 times the tonage completed during dur-ing the first six months of the defense de-fense program." To make this astonishing output more graphic the report states that in July of 1940, the navy received five newly finished vessels, while In June, 1943, the number was almost 1,200 of various classes. An even more remarkable multiplication multi-plication has taken place in airplanes. air-planes. From 25 aircraft delivered in June, 1940, the figure leaped to 2,000 by June of 1943. The report states that airplane production for naval use has grown faster than any other branch of the aircraft industry. indus-try. In the 36-month period, the report says, the navy has obtained 15,567 planes built under its own contracts, Tonnage of Warships And Auxiliaries Is Doubled Since 1940 By ELLIOTT PINE Released by Western Newspaper Union. This year, as every year for the past twenty-two, the nation pauses briefly to salute the navy, the marine corps and the coast guard on Navy day, October 27, for that is the birthdate of Theodore Roosevelt Roose-velt who sired the beginnings of our modern navy. And it was the late President who backed up his word by donating donat-ing part of his Nobel Peace award to the Navy League and its program. The Navy League is now a nationwide nation-wide organization with a vice presi- dent for every state in the Union and the District of Columbia. Its new honorary president is Governor Charles Edison, former secretary of the navy. Its president is Commodore Commo-dore Sheldon Clark, Chicago business busi-ness man. Under a directive issued by Frank Knox, secretary of the navy, all commands of the navy department de-partment are directed to co-operate with the Navy League in this annual an-nual observance on October 27. Thus, Navy day, while having the official sanction of the navy department, depart-ment, is actually a civilian endeavor, en-deavor, a civilian salute to our far-flung far-flung fleet and shore establishments and the men and women who make them function. This is exactly what Theodore Roosevelt had in mind when he declared de-clared in that letter 40 years ago: "For the building and maintaining in proper shape of the American navy, we must rely upon nothing but the broad far-sighted patriotism of our people as a whole; and it is of great importance that there should be some means by which this patriotism patri-otism can find an effective utterance. Your society offers just the means needed." Expansion of Navy in Three-Year Period juiy 1940 Warships J1943 383 ( - t 613 Other Naval Vessels July 1940 July 1943 14,072 r744Plan-V7'94318,269 The Navy League is thus seen, also, as not of the character of just another emergency organization, or "war baby" designed to function only under the duress of conflict. It is a permanent gathering of citizens who pay homage not alone to the dead heroes but to the living and growing organization of ships, and planes, and men of the United States navy. Its purpose is one of patriotic education, and its membership fees are nominal for it is a non-profit organization. This year the official slogan of the league on the occasion of Navy day is "Your Navy Spearhead of Victory." Vic-tory." This is in contrast to the old traditional slogan of "First Line of Defense." And it is also in contrast with the 1942 slogan which read: "Your Navy First Line of Attack." i Hum' Itmiolai "'"'-''---rawiftiTaffiifflrtll'fti: Commodore Sheldon Clark, president presi-dent of navy league These sharply contrasting slogans tell a changing story of a navy under un-der changing conditions and the final slogan suggests the promise of victory. vic-tory. The question is raised, does the league and its patriotic membership cease to be a robust booster for the navy at the cessation of hostilities? Officials of the league say, no, that that is when the real work of the league must begin anew. Perhaps, the peace slogan on a Navy day yet to come will be at once a grim reminder and a solemn warning that the men and implements imple-ments of the navy must not again be relegated to the shelves of complacency com-placency over our national security. In that event the slogan may well read: "Your Navy . . . Comes First in Wrr and in Peace." 'Spearhead' Is Big and Sharp. But this year, in the midst of the greatest war ever to sweep this troubled earth, the slogan "Spearhead "Spear-head of Victory" is eminently fitting. fit-ting. And what a "spearhead"! The placement tons and costing more than three billion dollars. Of the original 383 ships, over 100 have been transferred to other nations, or converted to non-combataht uses. Other naval vessels have been increased in-creased from 1,076 to 14,072, the great rise being accounted for principally prin-cipally by 12,964 landing craft. Other new ships were 1,274 mine layers and patrol craft, 654 yard and district dis-trict vessels, and 151 auxiliary vesi sels, such as oil tankers, repair ships, etc. Indicating the emphasis on air power, the navy has multiplied its planes from 1,744 in 1940 to 18,269 last July, and more are being put into action daily. The importance of air strength, both for offensive and defensive operations is so momentous momen-tous that the traditional definition of sea power has been changed to "sea-air" "sea-air" power. "The ability to build this huge naval force, and to continue to build at the present rate is one Of the foundation stones of our military strategy," says the navy's report. "It underlies our amphibious attacks at-tacks in the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Mediterranean," goes on the statement. "It protects our long exterior ex-terior supply routes running across thousands of miles of oceans. "Most important, it makes feasible feasi-ble a strategy of attack, with all the risks it implies. Ability to build or if necessary, to rebuild on this scale is one of the basic advantages which the American navy holds over fleets of other nations." So great is this construction capacity, capac-ity, in fact, that the navy has been able to sustain severe losses without serious loss of strength. Fifty-eight warships have been sunk or damaged dam-aged so as to be considered useless. Of these, one was a battleship, nine were cruisers, four aircraft carriers, 32 destroyers and 12 submarines. By transfer to the navies of our allies, or by conversion to non-combat purposes, pur-poses, the U. S. navy has lost 129 ships, many of them classed as "over-age." "The ultimate measure of a shipbuilding ship-building program's success is the array of new vessels, completed and ready to fight, which it turns out," the navy report comments. By this yardstick, U. S. warship construction construc-tion passes the test with flying colors. Ships are being built faster and faster, fast-er, and being delivered complete, armed and supplied, for combat on the high seas. "The rise in naval ship completions comple-tions is without parallel," goes on the report. "The number of vessels completed in the single month of June, 1943, for example, approxi- mates the number completed in the and in addition about 8,300 planes constructed under army cognizance. Of these army planes, 7,800 were trainers and utility planes, and 450 combat aircraft. The program is concentrated on combat planes, continues con-tinues the report. Recent emphasis is on bombers. Of its new fighter planes, based on carriers, the navy proudly declares: "They are capable of matching per-' per-' formance with the world's best land-based land-based fighters." They fire in one minute five times the weight of projectiles pro-jectiles that their 1940 predecessors fired." Ordnance Department. All combat ships and planes depend de-pend upon their guns for both offense and defense. It is the business of the ordnance department to arm these many new fighters, and to provide pro-vide replacements. The navy is highly satisfied with the work of its ordnance department, according to the report. Contracts for guns of every caliber and type, and mountings mount-ings and ammunition have been successfully suc-cessfully filled by dozens of private manufacturing companies, in addition addi-tion to the navy's own manufacturing manufactur-ing plants, meeting exacting standards. stand-ards. The rate of production in ordnance has increased 24 times over the 1940 rate. More than 66,000 of the four main types of naval guns and mounts have been turned out since July, 1940. Shore Installations. During the three years mentioned, the navy has constructed docks, buildings and shore facilities costing 6 billion dollars. This program is being continued too, to keep pace with over-all expansion. Contracts for almost two billion dollars worth of work is in process of completion. The whole construction program, totaling to-taling $8,100,000,000, is approximately approximate-ly 81 per cent completed on July 1. Of this vast sum, $3,200,000,000 has been allotted to shipbuilding and repair, re-pair, ordnance and aircraft facilities. facili-ties. One-third of the $4,800,000,000 appropriated for nonindustrial bases has gone into naval bases; the remainder re-mainder has been devoted to advance ad-vance bases, storage, fleet facilities, etc. Only the advance base program pro-gram was less than 15 per cent finished fin-ished on the first of July. This great navy will be manned by a force of more than three million men. The navy's goal for the end of the year is 3,009,581, including some WAVES. So the two-ocean navy, long considered an impractical imprac-tical dream, is becoming a reality. Long the world's best navy, the United Unit-ed States navy is now to be the world's biggest also. |
