AMERICAN NAVY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24347, 11 July 1940, Page 8

AMERICAN NAVY

SIGNIFICANT MANOEUVRES DETAILS OF STRENGTH COMPARISON WITH JAPAN This concentration of American warships in the Pacific is regarded as significant, in view of developments in the Far East, states the Sydney Daily Telegraph. The principal. United States base in the Pacific is Pearl Harbour, at Honolulu,- in the Hawaiian Islands, about 3250 miles north-east of Sydney; The fleet now gathered there/numbers 130 surface vessels and 350 aircraft. Ordinarily, the Hawaiian Fleet detachment consists of nine cruisers and 20 destroyers, and major fighting units are not normally based.' at Hawaii. At ordinary strength the British Home Fleet would comprise four battleships, four cruisers, three aircraft carriers, 24 destroyers, and six submarines, a total of 41 fighting' ships. The Mediterranean Fleet would have about .the: same number.' As American and British naval squadrons are practically identical in strength it will be seen that the big force now concentrated in the Pacific is equal to approximately three fullstrength squadrons, with the addition of an abnormal number of planes./ , World's Two Greatest Fleets Latest figures show that the total naval strength of the United States is 348 ships and 1100 (first line) aircraft. The naval strength comprises the following:— Battleships ' 15 Aircraft-carriers •• •• •• 5 : Cruisers •. •• •• .... 32 Destroyers ... .. .. .. ..209 Submarines ..' l .;, ....' •• •• 87 This makes an interesting comparison with the British Navy's strength of 305 ships and an air arpi of 500 machines. The ships comprise;—'• -','. ..Battleships '; ; . ... '.''. ... ..' 'ls ' Aircraft-carriers .; .. .. . < 6 Cruisers ■'.. •• .... .-. -60 Destroyers'- -..-159.: Small destroyers and torpedpboats : ..... .... .v .. .11 :' Submarines .... .. ...... • ■ 54,:' , Japan's Naval Strength Much interest has centred oh recent movements 'of the Japanese'• Navy, which has 229 ships, made up as follows: ■• :, ;.-.,. Battleships .... ...... 9 Aircraft-carriers .8 Cruisers .. 39 ' Destroyers 78 Small destroyers and torpedoboats 38 Submarines 57 Japan's fleet air arm is estimated at 1000 first-line planes. America and Britain are working now on a huge programme for naval expansion. Britain announced that £300.000,000 would be spent, and five new battleships of the 35,000-ton King George V class, which were not to be ready until next year, were undergoing trials recently. America's Navy Bill, passed in April, was a record. It provided for the expenditure cf £300,000,000 on 19 warships, including two 45.000-lon battleships, two cruisers, eight destroyers, one aircraft carrier and six submarines. It was announced that the cruisers would be of about 25,000 tons, carrying 11 in guns, and specially armoured against air attack. c . Naval and Air Bases The United States Fleet has recently been carrying out full-scale manoeuvres in the Pacific, where, in addition to Pearl Harbour, the United States has several ether naval and air bases. At Pago Pago, in the Samoan Islands, which lie about 3300 miles east of the Queensland coastline, there is an important naval and air base. There is a small naval station at the island o( Guam, near the Philippine Islands. 1730 miles north-east of Darwin, and another,at Cavite, in those islands. 1300 miles north of Darwin. Another naval base is at Dutch Harbour, off the coast of Alaska, about 1860 miles north-west of San Francisco. This has been strengthened, at considerable cost, during recent months. . Air stations are scattered about the central Pacific, including the Midway Islands and Wake Island, which are 3500 and 2100 miles north-east of the northern tip of Queensland respectively, and Palmyra Island, which is about 3000 miles north-east of Sydney.