MORE NEW SHIPS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 40, 15 August 1930, Page 3

MORE NEW SHIPS

AMERICAN CRUISERS

REPLACEMENTS WORK

1 "THe'v tTnitecFSta'tes Navy'Se£artinent has announced: plans »for incorporating eight new 10,000-ton cruiser of the socalled Chicago-class into the fleet a« the.first step.in the cruiser replacement programme, says the .. "New '.York' Times.'*

The Salt Lake City)-whicli-has com« pleted her preliminary cruise and passed final acceptance trials,-; has been tentatively assigned to LightpJruiser Divi* sion 2of the scouting fleet..- •:-, .;«_ ■• y ■■-~ -

' The Pensaeola, sister ship of -tft'e 'Salt Lake City, is at Newport. She' will dock at New York, then run her final acceptance trials at Rockland, after! which she will be tentatively' asßignect to Light Cruiser Division 3j scouting fleet. ....'. ; :■

The assignments of the Salt Lak« City and the; Perisaeola will be changed about 14th September on the return of the cruiser Northampton from * Mediterranean cruise. - Tho Northampton will become flagship of light cruiser divisions and light cruiser division 6, scouting fleet, and will be joined by thw Salt Lake City and-the-Pensacola. V

Later in. the year, the Chester, to be commissioned at v(PHiiadelphia and sent on to "a Mediterranean cruise, "will join light cruiser'division "5. The Louisville, now under" construction at th» Puget Sound Navy Yard, will be;-.add4d to :tMs division

The Houston^. -vyiieli. iia%: just" c'onipleted her preliminary acceptance trials,, is scheduled to relieve the Pittsburgh, as flagship of the Commander-in-Chief of the Asiatic-Meet,; iji;.the early summer of 1931.,.; /;■■-;..:

Assignment of the Augusta, now; building at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydoc'k r Company, antf, the Chicago, building at the Mara Island Navy Yard, the last of the eight; cruisers of the so-called Chicago class authorised by Congress on 18th .December, 1924, is still in question. Both ot these ships are fitted as flagships.

Of the eight cruisers of this; class, two —the Salt Lake City and Pensacola—mount ten 8-inch, 55-ealibre guns y and the remaining six mount nine guns of the same size and calibre. .\Eacjhi ship mounts four 5-inch, 25-calibre antiaircraft guns, two 21-inch triple abOvewater torpedo tubes, and is designed.tar carry from four to six scouting aeroplanes. Their designed speed is, 32.5 knots. The old or obsolete cruiser^ which will eventually ■bo replaced byj cruisers of this new general type includfi ships varying from 22 to 35 years in* age. : The disposition of these old cruisey* is indicated by the following summary';!

Already sold: Albany, Now Orleans* Salem, Charleston, Frederick, Huron,) Chattanooga, ..Cleveland, Dcs Moincs, Topeka, Birmingham, and York. To be sold: Huntington, Pueblo, Sk, Louis, Charlotte, Missorla, and Seattle.

To be disposed of wheu their service* can be spared: Denver and Gialveston^

To be disposed of as soon as suitable reliefs can be provided: Rochester and Pittsburgh. ■ '. ■'-,-<... To be preserved as a. naval relief Olympia. ■ ' : . ,

The Navy Department also announces that the programme Of decommissioning- and commissioning fifty-seven de« stroyers and light mine-layers .; on ths east'and west coasts Had been^eoavi plcted

Nineteen destroyers at Philadelphia and thirty-four destroyers at San Diegflf were commissioned to- replace similar numbers decommissioned.' : Two light mine-layers at Philadelphia and two de» stroyers at San Diego were commission* eel to replace four' light raine-layer* d<B« commissioned. ■ \ ■ ..■■■ "■

Tlip fittvfom destroyers deeoaimi*" Moncd, winch are to be hated for bitw \ e-\ md clisposil, total 56,754 tons.