To-day there
are 2,003. In addition to furnishing all these ships with trained
officers and men, the duty of supplying crews and officers of the
growing merchant marine was undertaken by the navy. There has not been a
day when the demand for men for these ships has not been supplied--how
fit they were all the world attests--and after manning the merchant
ships there has not been a time when provision was not made for the
constantly increasing number of ships taken over by the navy.
During the year the energy available for new construction was
concentrated mainly upon vessels to deal with the submarine menace.
Three hundred and fifty-five of the 110-foot wooden submarine chasers
were completed during the year. Fifty of these were taken over by France
and 50 more for France were ordered during the year and have been
completed since July 1, 1918. Forty-two more were ordered about the end
of the fiscal year, delivery to begin in November and be completed in
January.
Extraordinary measures were taken with reference to destroyers. By the
summer of 1917 destroyer orders had been placed which not only absorbed
all available capacity for more than a year, but required a material
expansion of existing facilities. There were under construction, or on
order, in round figures, 100 of the thirty-five-knot type.
During the year, including orders placed at navy yards, the following
have been contracted for: Four battleships, 1 battle cruiser, 2 fuel
ships, 1 transport, 1 gunboat, 1 ammunition ship, 223 destroyers, 58
submarines, 112 fabricated patrol vessels (including 12 for the Italian
Government), 92 submarine chasers (including 50 for the French
Government), 51 mine-sweepers, 25 seagoing tugs and 46 harbor tugs,
besides a large number of lighters, barges, and other auxiliary harbor
craft.
Pages:
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229