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Show WASHINGTON, Dec. 10. Twenty -nine battleships manned by 40,0000 men, will be maintained In active service ser-vice after next March 1. according to the plans of the navy department as disclosed today by Rear-Admiral Coontz. acting chief of operation, in testimony before the house naval com -1 mittee in connection with the 1020 naval appropriation bill. Eight other battleships will he held in reserve, he said, and will be manned by a two-thirds two-thirds complement. Other units of the navy lo be In commission after March 1 were given by Admiral Coontz as follows: Seventeen cruisers for active ser- vice, with two or fjve in reserve' and manned by 12,000 men; twenty-four vessels In the patrol force, including gunboats and other craft, for which 3,900 men would be required; 165 destroyers, de-stroyers, 20, GOO men; ninety-nine submarines. sub-marines. -1,500 men; fourteen supply boats, 2,408 men, 168 submarine chasers, chas-ers, 5.400 men; seventeen Eagle boats, complement not given; forty -two transports. 20,000 men; thirly-seven mine sweepers. 2,400 men, and eighteen sumarinc and destroyer tenders, 5.200 men." An aviation force of 6,000 men, in eluding aviators, ground officers, and mechanics, is also planned after March 1, the admiral said, while the force of miscellaneous employes including radio nipn, would number 20,000. Thirty Thir-ty thousand apprentice seamen will be in training under tho navy's plan. |