Show A expansion of navy M iri three year period perio july 1940 warships Warsh ibs jw y 1943 T other so naval IN vessels july 1940 july 1943 1076 july 1 july 14 1940 planes 1744 awk 8 placement tons and costing more than three billion dollars of the original ships over have been transferred to other nations or converted to noncombatant combatant non uses other naval vessels have been increased from 1076 1016 to the great rise being accounted for principally by landing craft other new ships were 1274 mine layers and patrol craft yard and district vessels and auxiliary vessels such as oil tankers repair ships etc indicating the emphasis on air power the navy has multiplied its planes from 1744 in 1940 to last july and more are being put into action daily the importance of air strength both for offensive and defensive i operations is is so momentous that the traditional definition of sea power has been changed to 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 navys report it underlies our amphibious attacks in the pacific the atlantic and the mediterranean goes on the statement it protects our long exterior supply routes running across thousands of miles of oceans most important it makes fees feasible 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 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 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 the U S navy has lost ships many of them classed as overage over age the ultimate measure of a shipbuilding programs 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 passes the test with flying colors ships are being built faster and taster faster and being delivered complete armed and supplied for combat on the high seas the rise in naval ship completions is without parallel goes on the report the number of vessels completed in the single month ot of tune june 1943 tor for example amole exa ex mule planes built under its own contracts and in addition about planes constructed under army cognizance of these army planes were e trainers and utility planes and combat aircraft the pro program gram is is concentrated on combat planes continues the report recent emphasis is on bombers of its new fighter planes based on carriers the navy proudly declares they are capable of matching performance for mance with the worlds best land based fighters they fire in one minute five times the weight of projectiles jec tiles that their 1940 predecessors fired I 1 ordnance department all combat ships and planes depend upon their guns tor for both offense and defense it is the business of the ordnance department to arm these many new fighters and to provide replacements the navy is highly satisfied with the work of its ordnance department according to the report contracts tor for guns of every caliber and type band and mountings and ammunition have been successfully cess fully filled by dozens of private manufacturing companies in addition to the navys own manufacturing plants meeting exacting standards the rate of production in ordnance has increased 24 times over the 1940 rate more than of the four main types of naval guns and mounts have been turned turne d out since july 1940 shore installations during the three Y years ears mentioned the navy has constructed docks buildings and shore facilities costing billion dollars this program is being continued too to keep pace t with overall over all expansion contracts for i almost two billion dollars worth of work vork is in process of completion the whole construction program totaling is approximately 81 per cent completed on july 1 of this vast sum has been allotted to shipbuilding and repair ordnance and aircraft facilities one third of the appropriated for bases has gone into naval bases the remainder has been devoted to advance bases storage fleet facilities etc only the advance base program was less than 15 per cent finished on the first of july this great navy will be manned by a force of more than three million men the navys goal tor for the end of the year is including some WAVES so the two ocean navy long considered consider ed an impractical dream is becoming a reality long the worlds best navy the united states navy is now to be ba the worlds biggest also |