The following table indicates the airplanes which it is estimated may be carried and launched for effective attack by combatant ships of the fleets at sea away from a coast defense area of 1,000 miles: Includes capacity of 3 battleships being reconditioned. Carrying capacity of Vindictive, only British ship (battleship or cruiser), having planes. Planes and platforms on vessels were removed after the World War; platforms are kept in storage, and in a short time carrying capacity of battleships and cruisers would be brought to 120. NOTE. Possible to attain capacity by (1) building large aircraft carriers to total tonnage allowed by treaty; (2) building cruisers to carry planes, cruisers not being limited as to numbers; and (3) building carriers of less than 10,000 tons displacement, these not being limited by treaty. Approximately 500 additional planes in general service in Royal Air Service. Includes Marine Corps personnel. Does not include administrative and other overhead personnel of the Royal Air Force which serves the fleet air arm, and therefore is not accurate for basis of comparison. An estimate of personnel required by the British Empire for naval aviation is 1,050 officers and 9,000 men. 'Includes the nonmilitary rigid Los Angeles. The French report that the Mediterranean is to be scrapped this year. Besides the Mediterranean they report having 13 nonrigid dirigibles of 360,000 cubic feet capacity; of these, 4 are in commission and 9 in reserve. TABLE X.-Vessels laid down or appropriated for since Washington Limitation Conference, February 6, 1922 • Emerald and Enterprise were laid down prior to conference and are not included. Akagi and Kaga. River gunboats. Both mine sweepers and mine layers. No definite information concerning building program. 123 88 8:42 2 46 TABLE XI.-Merchant marine of chief nations, 1,000 tons and above, gross tonnage (July 1, 1926) NOTE.-Merchant ships though not an active part of peace-time navies, are a vital part of war-time navies. The fact that merchant vessels constitute a powerful naval reserve is often overlooked. CLASSIFIED AS TO SPEED, 12 KNOTS AND ABOVE (GROSS TONNAGE OF SHIPS OF [No. 41] A COMPARISON OF THE VARIOUS Naval tonNAGES IN AIRCRAFT CARRIERS, CRUISERS, DESTROYERS, AND SUBMARINES OF THE FIRST LINE BUILT, BUILDING, AND APPROPRIATED FOR AT THE PRESENT TIME DECEMBER 13, 1926. In accordance with your request of December 10, 1926, Tables IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII, inclosed herewith, include a comparison of the various naval tonnages in aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, and submarines of the first line built, building, and appropriated for at the present time. On this basis to attain the 5-5 ratio with Great Britain the United States requires the following: 10,000-ton cruisers__ 23,000-ton aircraft carriers_ 2,000-ton fleet submarines____ 21 1 4 On the same basis to attain the 5-3 ratio with Japan the United States requires the following: 10,000-ton cruisers.. 23,000-ton aircraft carriers. 2,000-ton fleet submarines.- 1,000-ton first-line submarines__ 14 1 19 17 It should be noted that, in addition to the one 23,000-ton aircraft carrier enumerated above, the United States still requires 15,490 tons of aircraft carriers to equal the tonnage of Great Britain and 16,500 tons to attain the 5-3 ratio with Japan. There are also inclosed Tables IX and X, which include a comparison of submarines of the second line and a comparison of total submarine tonnages, including fleet submarines and submarines first and second lines under 13 years of age. It will be noted that on the basis of total submarine tonnages of all classes under 13 years of age (Table X) that the United States has 123 submarines, with an aggregate tonnage of 93,421 tons; Great Britain has 70, with tonnage of 61,173 tons; Japan 72, with tonnage of 70,087 tons; France 81, with tonnage of 77,309 tons; and Italy 53, with tonnage of 28,273 tons. On the basis of total submarine tonnage, ours exceeds the 5-5 ratio with Great Britain; to attain the 5-3 ratio with Japan we require 23,389 additional submarine tons. The figures submitted include only ships for which money has actually been appropriated and do not include the ships in the proposed building programs which are yet to be appropriated for. 20038-26-No. 41 (173) E. W. EBERLE. All experimental with exception of British carrier Furious of 19,100 tons, completed September, 1925. Under terms of treaty experimental carriers may be replaced at any time provided total carrier tonnage is not exceeded. Maximum individual allowed tonnage of aircraft carriers is 27,000 tons. Most powers favor smaller carriers than this. General Board of United States Navy recommended in 1925 immediate construction offone 23,000-ton carrier. 3 Lexington and Saratoga, which were building as battle cruisers, are being completed as aircraft carriers. Courageous and Glorious. Does not include 1 seaplane carrier building in Australia. Akagi, formerly building as battle cruiser; Kaga, formerly building as battleship. Bearn, ex-battleship. 7 Not counted in totals, as this ship is not an effective fleet unit. TABLE V. Modern cruisers (unlimited), 5 to 8 inch guns, 3,000-10,000 tons, 27 knots plus 1 Number obtained by dividing tonnage by 10,000 tons, the maximum size cruiser allowed by treaty. Does not include 1 mine layer, first line, of 6,740 tons with modern cruiser characteristics. Does not include 1 mine layer, first line, of 4,000 tons with modern cruiser characteristics. TABLE VI.-Destroyer type, first line (unlimited) [Characteristics: Destroyer leaders, 1,500 tons plus, 27 knots plus; destroyers, first line, 800-1,500 tons, 27 knots plus] Includes 14 light mine layers, destroyer type, nearly all of these 276 boats which give the United States a preponderance in this type, were laid down during the World War in an emergency program to combat the German submarines; many of them are of hasty construction. Only 106 destroyers and 6 mine layers, total 112, are kept in commission. 1 Includes 1 mine layer. TABLE VII.-Fleet submarines, first line (unlimited), over 1,000 tons each; 20 knots plus Number arrived at by assuming an arbitrary boat tonnage of 2,000 tons. Includes T-1, T-2, and T-3, out of commission. Tonnage not available; includes 1 mine laying submarine and 2 cruiser submarines, all V types. |