Tomorrow's Fleet

This html article is produced from an uncorrected text file through optical character recognition. Prior to 1940 articles all text has been corrected, but from 1940 to the present most still remain uncorrected.  Artifacts of the scans are misspellings, out-of-context footnotes and sidebars, and other inconsistencies.  Adjacent to each text file is a PDF of the article, which accurately and fully conveys the content as it appeared in the issue.  The uncorrected text files have been included to enhance the searchability of our content, on our site and in search engines, for our membership, the research community and media organizations. We are working now to provide clean text files for the entire collection.

Tomorrow’s Fleet

By Commander John D. Alden, U. S. Navy (Retired)

Progress toward building tomor­row’s fleet continued through 1984 despite election-year politics and ^certainties that left the commitment to ^a stronger Navy somewhat in doubt until jj*^e votes were counted. President Ronald Reagan’s victory presages continued ef­forts on the part of the administration to strengthen the armed forces, but the out- ^c°me of the congressional races promises continued opposition to high levels of defense spending from the House of Rep­resentatives and weaker support from the Senate.

Congress approved last year’s appro­priation bill well past the start of the 1984 fiscal year, with funds for the 16 new construction ships and six conversions shown in the first column of Table 1. This represented a reduction of $1.25 billion from the President’s request, with the loss of one mine countermeasures ship (MCM) and one oiler (T-AO). One Ol­iver Hazard Perry (FFG-7)-class guided

missile frigate, unsought by the adminis­tration and not a priority item in the Navy, was added at the instigation of cer­tain congressmen whose constituencies stood to benefit from her construction. The status of the authorized ships will be discussed in the various categories.

Last February, the President submitted his request for fiscal year 1985 and the projected five-year Navy Shipbuilding and Conversion (SCN) Plan shown in the rest of Table 1. The latest projection, like

Table 1 U. S. Navy Planned Shipbuilding and Conversion Programs

fye of Ship                                                FY 84       FY 85                  FY 86                  FY 87                  FY 88                        FY 89

Hote: FY 84 FY 85 programs as appropriated; FY 86-89 as projected 1 Feb.

SSBN (Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine)            1

““N (Submarine—SSN-688 Class)          3

(Submarine—SSN-21 Design)                —

G (Guided Missile Cruiser—CG-47 Class)            3

GG (Guided Missile Destroyer—DDG-51 Class) —

I u guided Missile Frigate—FFG-7 Class) 1

HD (Amphibious Assault Ship—LHD-1 Class)     1

r?D (Dock Landing Ship—LSD-41 & LSD-49 Classes)   1

MCM (Mine Countermeasures Ship—MCM-1      Class) 3

(Minehunter Sweeper—MSH-1 Class)   1

GE (Fast Combat Support Ship—AOE-5 Class)  —

(Ammunition Ship—AE-36 Class)           —

(Repair Ship—AR-23 Class)                    —

AO (Oiler—T-AO-187 Class)                   2

GOS (Ocean Surveillance Ship—T-AGOS Class)           —

AGs (Surveying Ship—FBM Support)    —

Total New Construction                         16

Gv (Aircraft Carrier SLEP)                      —

^RD (Amphibious Transport Dock—LPD-4 Class SLEP)  —

G (Oiler—Jumbo Conversion)                 —

APS (Acquisition)                                     1

H (Hospital Ship—Conversion)               1

GM (Missile Range Instrumentation Ship—Conversion) —

AKR (Vehicle Cargo Ship—SL-7 Conversion)      4

AG (Sound Testing Barge—Conversion) —

A*B (Maintenance Aviation Support Ship—Conversion) —

GS (Auxiliary Crane Ship—Conversion) 1

Total Conversion/Reactivation/SLEP    7

that presented a year earlier, was charac­terized by reductions and stretchouts from the preceding plan. However, the yearly totals have been maintained rela­tively level by additions and shifts, espe­cially among the smaller noncombatant ship types. For example, the number of conversions for the period 1985-89 has been increased by 12, but this was ac­complished in part by listing types not previously considered candidates for SCN funding. On the other hand, there was a net loss of 21 new construction ships from the 1983 to the 1984 five-year plan and a further loss of nine in 1985. The shuffling of programs in the out- years precludes a reliable estimate of the ultimate composition of the fleet; how­ever, the projections for major combat­ants seem to remain stable except for some stretching-out of procurements.

In response to strong congressional pressure to cut the budget, Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger agreed to delete one nuclear-powered attack sub­marine (SSN) and one cargo ship (T-AK) conversion from the administration’s original request, but as fiscal year 1985 began, both houses of Congress remained deadlocked with each other and with the administration over both authorization and appropriation bills for the military establishment. On 10 October, a congres­sional conference committee agreed on a compromise defense budget that included the deletions of one T-AK, one T-ACS, and one T-AGOS but no SSN.

While Congress wrangled and delayed, the Navy chalked up some significant advances in its new construction and con­version programs. With the nation’s ship­yards almost devoid of commercial work, competition for naval orders has been particularly keen. That and a reduced in­flation rate have helped to keep costs within budgeted limits and deliveries on or ahead of schedule. The buyer’s market has enabled the Navy to take a hard line in its contractual negotiations and in en­forcing performance and quality of work. At the same time, fundamental reforms in contracting procedures have reduced the potential for future claims and legal suits of the type that soured relations between the Navy and its shipbuilders in past years. The most serious threat is that Navy work alone may not be sufficient to keep all of the shipyards solvent, which could result in some defaults on current contracts unless remedial steps are taken. For the time being, however, most ship deliveries should be coming through on or ahead of schedule and under budget.

BATTLESHIPS

The apparent successes of the New Jer­sey (BB-62) and the Iowa (BB-61) in showing the flag off Lebanon and Central America, respectively, have kept the bat­tleship reactivation program alive, al­though funding for the last of the quartet— the Wisconsin (BB-64)—is now not pro­jected until fiscal year 1987. While the Missouri (BB-63) is officially in the 1985 program, pressure to avoid layoffs at Long Beach Naval Shipyard led the Navy to request and Congress to approve repro­gramming funds to start rehabilitation work last May. An earlier reprogram­ming enabled the Iowa to be completed earlier than scheduled in order to relieve the New Jersey after a deployment of almost a year; to accomplish this, the Iowa was commissioned without ' the standard shakedown.

The reactivation and manning of the battleships seem to have been managed quite effectively, but there have been some negative signs. It has been reported that the Navy had to retrieve some 16- inch gun parts and machinery items from the museum battleships Alabama (BB- 60), Massachusetts (BB-59), and North Carolina (BB-55) to outfit the lowas. Whether this is a hint of more serious maintenance problems in the future is not clear. Critics have also complained of inaccurate shooting of the New Jersey's main battery against targets in the Leba­nese hills. The ship’s “gun boss” blamed overage ammunition for the problem.

A more significant development—the decision not to proceed with a second- phase modernization of the New Jersey— was reported to Congress by Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman, Jr. The reason he gave was that the battleship’s perfor­mance was entirely satisfactory in her present configuration. This decision, plus the stretchout in reactivating the Wiscon­sin, could weaken congressional support for the program. On the other hand, the Navy’s well-publicized plans to home port the battleship surface action groups in widely dispersed locations are bound to develop local political support. The New Jersey is based at Long Beach, and an abandoned facility on Staten Island has been chosen for the Iowa's home port. Three Pacific Ocean ports have been invited to bid for the Missouri—San Francisco, Long Beach, and Pearl Har­bor—while Gulf Coast ports are to be considered for the Wisconsin.

AIRCRAFT CARRIERS

The administration’s efforts three years ago to expedite delivery of the three car­riers now on order have paid off with the launching of the Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in October followed by the keel-laying for the Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in November. Even former opponents of these carriers now recog­nize that cancellation of one of them is out of the question. However, the Navy has deleted or delayed the CVN that was shown last year in the proposed program for fiscal year 1988.

Modernization of the older conven­tionally powered carriers under the ser­vice-life extension program (SLEP) is continuing. The Forrestal (CV-59), the first of the postwar carriers, is scheduled to be completed this year and the SLEP of the Independence (CV-62) to start in April 1985. A SLEP for the Kitty Hawk (CV-63) is slated to be funded in fiscal year 1987, but thereafter there is a hiatus until fiscal year 1990 when the Constella­tion (CV-64) is scheduled.

Pressure to design smaller and cheaper carriers, a favorite scheme of Senator Gary Hart, for one, seems to have abated. Published characteristics of the Wasp (LHD-1)—described under amphibious warfare ships—show that the Navy i^s serious in developing the air capability of this new type as a means of providing local air support in low-threat situations- The Navy is also watching with interest the British Navy’s experience .with the Arapaho system of installing portable air support facilities on merchant ships. The prototype system, leased to Great Britain and subsequently extended for five years, has been mounted on a 28,000-ton con- tainership, now the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Reliant, and deployed to support the Brit' ish peacekeeping force off Lebanon.

Sport Ne'

Newport News Shipbuilding launched the Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-72) on 27 October—nearly ^a year and a half ahead of schedule—and laid the keel for the Abraham Lincoln one week kter. The Navy’s carrier-building plan is on track.

CRUISERS AND DESTROYERS

The second Aegis cruiser, the York- town (CG-48), was commissioned last Independence Day to join her sister 77- eonderoga (CG-47) in service. The Navy is very pleased with this ship type, de­scribed by Secretary of the Navy Lehman ns “an order of magnitude more capa- ^b'^e” than earlier antiair ships. The air defense coverage provided by the Aegis ^radar and associated weapon systems is credited with reducing the need for com­^bat air patrols, thus saving on such opera- dons as well as allowing the offensive capability of the large-deck carriers to be •ncreased. The CG-52, laid down in Jan­uary 1984, will be the first of the class to ^be built with vertical launching tubes for 'ornahawk and other missiles—a consid­^erable addition to the cruiser’s fire­Power.

The Navy now plans to order three •^^egis cruisers per year through fiscal year 1987, then reduce the annual order ^{to tw}o as new destroyer production accel­^erates. Of the 14 cruisers currently under contract, four are at Bath Iron Works and jne rest at the lead yard, Ingalls. Bath’s uture share of the cruiser production Probably will depend somewhat on the Workload provided by other ship types.

The big unknown is still the Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) class. Funding for the lead ship was approved for fiscal year 1985, but the Navy has not yet an­nounced its choice for the building yard. In addition to Bath and Ingalls, Todd-San Pedro, Lockheed, and Newport News are in the running. With production to build up to the rate of five ships per year by 1988, at least two yards will be involved. Estimates of the total number to be built have ranged from as many as 63 to 29, the latter being the current official pro­gram number. There are 33 guided mis­sile destroyers of the aging Charles F. Adams (DDG-2) and Coontz (DDG-37) classes that must be replaced.

The Arleigh Burke is shaping up as an 8,500-ton ship, 466 feet long by 60 feet in breadth, with a crew of 21 officers and 286 enlisted personnel. The short, rela­tively broad hull is designed to have im­proved seakeeping qualities. The propul­sion plant will consist of the now-stan­dard and reliable General Electric LM-2500 gas turbines and will give the destroyers top speeds in excess of 30 knots. The weapon system will feature a reduced version of the Aegis phased- array radar, vertical missile launchers with a magazine capacity of 90 rounds divided among Tomahawk, Standard, and ASROC missiles, canister-launched Harpoon missiles, two Phalanx 20-mm. mounts, and one 5-inch/54 caliber gun. ASW sensors and weapons will consist of hull-mounted and towed array sonars, two Mk-32 triple torpedo tubes, and han­dling equipment for LAMPS III helicop­ters, but no hangar or repair facilities.

Last year, Congress objected to the estimated cost of these destroyers, so the Navy came back with some savings at the expense of the ships’ designed speed and endurance. The House Armed Services Committee did not like this loss of capa­bility and recommended adding $500,000 to the amount requested by the adminis­tration. Indulging in its propensity to re­design the Navy’s ships in the Capitol building, the committee also directed the Secretary of the Navy to accelerate devel­opment of the Rankine Cycle Energy Recovery (RACER) system for installa­tion in the second new DDG; it further recommended that all funds be withheld until the Navy certifies that the design will accommodate backfitting RACER into the lead ship as well.

FRIGATES AND OTHER COMBATANTS

As the 51-ship Oliver Hazard Perry (FFG-7) class of guided missile frigates neared completion with the delivery of nine ships during 1984, Congress as­serted its control by adding one more ship to the 1984 appropriation and directing that she be equipped with a phased-array fire-control radar. Since the funds appro­priated were insufficient to pay for such a ship, the Navy was unable to place an order for her. According to Captain John E. Moore, Royal Navy (Retired), the edi­tor of Jane’s Fighting Ships, this “deci­sion of the U. S. Congress to include an extremely expensive and unwanted radar in the ‘FFG-7’ frigates is typical of the part which politics and vote-catching can play.” In the deliberations over the fiscal year 1985 program, the House voted to rescind the appropriation for this ship while the Senate voted to keep her in the program. The compromise reached was to reauthorize the frigate without the phased-array radar. The intended benefi­ciary of this maneuvering is the Todd shipyard in San Pedro, California.

There is no question that the Todd West Coast yards will be in serious trou­ble if new orders are not forthcoming. One small gain is a decision by Australia to procure Todd’s assistance in building four more FFG-7s in the naval dockyard in Melbourne. Three near-sisters are also being built in Spain. (See “New Frigates, Too,” March 1984 Proceedings, page 178.) Although criticism of the FFG-7 type is by no means stilled, U. S. Navy operators as well as foreign navies seem to appreciate the strong points and the potential of these ships. (See “And the Winners Are ... the FFG-7s,” April 1984 Proceedings, pages 110-150.) Replacement or upgrading of the Mk-92 fire-control system and the sonar equip­ment, installation of fin stabilizers, and the provision of LAMPS III facilities on the older members of the class would answer many of the current objections but would require costly alterations in order to be accomplished.

Although it is unlikely that the Navy will want more frigates in the near future, the United States has joined seven other NATO countries in a project to study the feasibility of designing a standard new frigate for procurement in the 1990s.

Considerably smaller and less capable than the FFG-7s but with potential for limited ASW service are the Coast Guard’s Bear (WMEC-901)-class me­dium endurance cutters. The second two of the four ordered from Tacoma Boat­building in 1977 have now been deliv­ered, and work is progressing on nine being built by Robert E. Derecktor in Rhode Island. The Coast Guard is also embarking on a fleet rehabilitation and modernization (FRAM) program for its 12 Hamilton (WHEC-715)-class high endurance cutters beginning in fiscal year 1985. In addition, a new class of 16 pa­trol boats, funded by the Department of Defense appropriations, is planned. Bids were to be based on the use of a proven design, and a construction contract was awarded to Marine Power and Equipment Company of Seattle for the entire group using a design provided by the Daewoo Corporation of South Korea. This award was challenged on the grounds that it deviated from the specifications for bid­ding and was voided by the federal court. The contract then went to Bollinger Ma­chine Shop and Shipyard of Lockport, Louisiana, which will build the boats to a Vosper-Thomycroft design. The initial delivery is scheduled for July 1985 with follow-on units being delivered at a rate of one every 45 days. The 110-foot patrol boats will have a top speed of 26 knots and an endurance range of 3,000 miles.

The Navy awarded a contract to RMI of National City, California, to design an air-cushion multi-mission patrol boat (PBM); other characteristics have not been disclosed, but production of 18 of the type is said to be planned.

SUBMARINES

The Trident ballistic missile program appears to be moving along smoothly. Two of the huge Ohio (SSBN-726)-class subs were commissioned during 1984, with production stabilized at the rate of one per year on the basis of projected construction to 1989. The Navy has not announced a definitive total number for the class; 20 is the number most com­monly cited, although 24 hull numbers were reserved when the Ohio was author­ized a decade ago. The ninth boat, SSBN-734, on which erection is just starting, will be the first built to carry the longer-range and more accurate Trident II missile.

Two of the former Polaris submarines, the Sam Houston (now, SSN-609) and John Marshall (now, SSN-611), are now slated to become submarine transports. This will involve major alterations to remove the missile tubes and associated equipment and install berthing for the troops and facilities for handling their special equipment, including swimmer

delivery vehicles.

The Navy wants to increase production of Los Angeles (SSN-688)-class attack submarines to a rate of four per year, and that number was originally requested by the administration for the fiscal year 1985 program. This would provide a reason­ably steady workload for the two subma­rine building yards, Electric Boat and Newport News.

Emphasis is now shifting toward a new generation of attack submarines for the 21st century, currently dubbed the SSN- 21 design. Both Newport News and Elec­tric Boat were expected to have design proposals in the Navy’s hands by the end of 1984, but funds for the first boat are not planned until fiscal year 1989. A pre­liminary description of the new subma­rine, the first of which is expected to cost $1.6 billion, indicates that she will be shorter than the Los Angeles but about as fat as a Trident SSBN. Although this may sound like an underwater blimp, such a shape offers a number of advantages and apparently does not suffer the hydrody­namic and acoustic disadvantages that might be expected from such a hull. The increased space will facilitate the incor­poration of advanced sound quieting, a new conformal array passive sonar, and an advanced combat system with eight torpedo tubes and a greatly increased re­load capacity. More powerful machinery, probably using a new type of reactor, and the use of HY-130 steel for the hull will produce a faster, deeper-diving boat with a displacement of more than 9,000 tons, possibly as much as 12,000. (See “The American Submarine, 1984-2014,” May 1984 Proceedings, pages 195-211) Despite the operational success of cur­rent U. S. submarines and the recent elimination of friction that marred the re­lationship between the Navy and its ship­builders in past years, controversy still swirls around the submarine program- So-called environmentalists and pacifists continue to demonstrate against nuclear- powered and nuclear-armed submarines and challenge the Navy’s proposals to dispose of low-level radioactive remains from the growing number of decommis­sioned boats. The Navy has ruled out sinking defueled reactor compartments at sea in favor of burying them ashore at Hanford, Washington, or Savannah River, Georgia; although sea disposal would be just as sound environmentally, the Navy wishes to avoid the legislative and regulatory complications that would be involved.

From another flank, proponents of die­sel submarines continue to snipe at the Navy because of its reluctance to sponsor their construction in the United States. Fne most recent pressure from Congress concerns the possibility of having Ameri­can yards build submarines for Israel and South Korea. The Navy objects that this might compromise U. S. submarine tech­nology; it would also give obvious en­couragement to legislators who would like the Navy to accept cheaper, less ca­pable submarines. However, it is not clear how U. S. shipyards, particularly those that have not built submarines, could compete with low-cost foreign yards that are already experienced in building small diesel subs and equally hungry for work.

Although the Navy thought it had set­tled its contractual difficulties with Elec­tric Boat, a new spate of charges has arisen, stimulated by the indefatigable Senator William Proxmire, concerning possible fraudulent claims and over­charges on past construction contracts. The rehashed charges are coupled with purported revelations by former Electric Boat manager P. Takis Veliotis, who is currently residing in Greece as a fugitive from the U. S. courts. There he is re­ported by Wayne Biddle of The New York Times to be “entertaining a stream of vis­itors from Congress, the Justice Depart­ment and the press.” Since Veliotis is under indictment for illegal kickbacks, he presumably has a self-serving interest in diverting attention from his own case.

amphibious warfare ships

The buildup of the Navy’s amphibious warfare capability continued last year with the award to Ingalls of the first Multipurpose amphibious assault ship, FHD-1, already assigned the name Wasp. (See “AV-8B/LAMPS MK-III LHD- Class Ships,” November 1984 Proceed- ^,ngi, pages 140-145.) Additional ships this class are currently scheduled to follow in fiscal years 1986, 1988, and 1989.

Production of the first three LSD-41 olass dock landing ships by Lockheed ^Was marked by the launching of the Ger­mantown (LSD-42) and the near-comple- hon of the name-ship Whidbey Island (LSD-41). However, a multi-year con­tact for five follow-on ships (LSDs 44­⁴°)> three of which were funded in fiscal years 1984 and 1985, went to Avondale.

This award will cover the LSDs planned for fiscal years 1985 and 1986. Thereaf­ter, production of an improved Whidbey Island class, a cargo variant, formerly listed as LPDX, is projected at the rate of two per year.

The first production model of the air- cushion landing craft (LCAC) to be used with the new amphibious warfare ships was delivered in May to Assault Craft Unit 5 at Panama City, Florida. This group will move to California in 1986, and another unit will be formed later to base in Virginia. Six more LCACs were ordered from Bell-Halter under the fiscal year 1984 program and nine are being requested in 1985, down from the 12 pro­jected last year. With more than 90 of these craft ultimately to be built, Con­gress directed the Navy to select a second source. Todd-Seattle has been awarded a data review and production planning con­tract and would be a natural choice for the work in view of its lack of other business; however, other yards may still be under consideration.

The planned SLEP modernization of the Austin (LPD-4)-class amphibious transport docks is now shown in the five- year plan to start in 1987; this represents a year’s slippage from last year’s plan.

Lockheed is building the first three LSD-41-class dock landing ships— Whidbey Island (LSD-41) and Ger­mantown (LSD-42) pierside in Seattle —and Avondale will build the next three ships of the class.

MINECRAFT

The program to build 14 mine counter­measures ships (MCMs), although de­layed in past years, now seems to be moving ahead with five on order. The lead ship, Avenger (MCM-1), was launched by Peterson Builders in August, and construction at the follow-on yard, Marinette Marine, is only about six months behind. Four additional ships were approved in fiscal year 1985 and four are requested in the fiscal year 1986 program with the final one of the program to come in 1987.

Production of the smaller mine- sweeper/hunter seems to have hit a snag. Although the lead ship, Cardinal (MSH- 1), was funded in the 1984 program, a construction contract had not been let until 26 November. The design selected is a surface-effect concept by Bell Aero­space Textron. It is anticipated that pro­curement of the 17-ship order will be split will be further augmented by the Craft of Opportunity Program (COOP), under which units will be established and a training craft assigned to each of 22 har­bors. Each reserve unit will recruit and train four crews, which will rotate in manning the training craft and surveying local shipping lanes. To equip these units the Navy plans to assign ten yard patrol craft currently being used as trainers at the Naval Academy and to supplement

The Navy awarded the contract for detail design and construction of the first minesweeper hunter to Bell Aero­space. The first MSH, a surface effect ship, is scheduled for delivery in 1987.

between Bell Aerospace and Marinette Marine at a rate of four per year, starting in fiscal year 1986 if the present schedule is followed.

Most of the MCMs and all of the MSHs are intended to be assigned to re­serve units after initial operational test­ing. The reserve minesweeping capability these with confiscated drug runners or smuggling boats having suitable charac­teristics. For mobilization, commercial fishing boats or other local craft will be earmarked for manning by the extra re­serve crews. Presumably, appropriate sonar and navigational equipment will be stockpiled to outfit the COOP vessels-

SEALIFT AND PREPOSITIONING SHIPS

The Navy’s major effort to enhance the nation’s fast sealift and force projection capability, described in detail in last year’s “Tomorrow’s Fleet,” is now pro­ducing tangible results. The first four converted SL-7 vehicle cargo ships (T- AKRs) have been delivered to the newly organized Fast Sealift Readiness Support

Squadron headquartered at Mayport, Florida, and one ship, the Algol (T-AKR- 287), was employed in delivering equip­ment to Europe as part of NATO exercise Reforger. For most of the time, these ships will be held in four-day readiness status with two berthed at Jacksonville and two near New Orleans. The second group of four conversions will join the squadron during 1985 and 1986.

Also delivered during the year were the first three of 13 maritime prepositioning ships, the CPL Louis J. Hauge, Jr. and PFC William B. Baugh converted from former Maersk Line vessels, and the SGT Macej Kocac from a Waterman Steam­^ship Company roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) ship. They have been temporarily orga­nized as Maritime Prepositioning Squad­ron One (MPS-1) and will be stationed at ^a port in the eastern Atlantic. Later, the hdaersk ships will be replaced by the sec­ond and third Waterman conversions, the MAJ Stephen W. Pless and PFC Eugene Obregon, and the 2ND LT John P. Bobo, under construction by General Dynamics ^at Quincy, Massachusetts. Because of the different capacities of the three types of ships, that particular mix is needed to carry the equipment for a full Marine amphibious brigade. MPS-2, consisting of the five Maersk ships, will be activated next summer to relieve the Near Term Prepositioning Force at Diego Garcia. The third squadron, made up of the other four new construction ships from General dynamics, will be stationed in the west­ern Pacific in 1986. All 13 ships are named after Marine Corps Medal of Honor winners.

The hospital ships Mercy (T-AH-19) and Comfort (T-AH-20), which are under conversion at the National Steel yard in San Diego, will provide further support for rapid deployment forces. These, like the fast sealift ships, will be held in readi­ness with skeleton crews.

The proposed 1985 program also in­cludes the first of two aviation logistic support ships (AVBs) to carry the inter­mediate maintenance elements for a com­posite Marine air group. These ships will be converted from C5-S-78A Seabridge hulls.

Included for the first time in the offi­cial shipbuilding and conversion program are eight more auxiliary crane ships; these follow the first of the type, the Key­stone State (T-ACS-1), which was com­pleted in 1984 using non-SCN funds. The crane ships, fitted with heavy-lifting gear and other equipment for discharging car­go, are intended to provide second-eche­lon support to amphibious assaults by un­loading containerships either offshore or in undeveloped ports. The conversion for one of the ACSs requested in the fis­cal year 1985 program has been deleted.

Still another element in the plan to bol­ster the nation’s strategic sealift capabil­ity is the Merchant Ship Naval Augmen­tation Program, under which the Navy is developing modular facilities to fit mer­chantmen for missions such as underway replenishment, troop lift, and the trans­portation of oversize vehicles, as well as general cargo handling.

In 1984, the Military Sealift Command (MSC) bought 19 surplus merchant ships at cut-rate prices—six C-4 partial con­tainerships and 13 C-3 breakbulk freight­ers—for the Ready Reserve Force. For 1985, MSC has solicited bids for similar purchases; priority will be given to: (1) RO/RO ships, (2) heavy-lift vessels, (3) barge carriers, (4) combination RO/RO ships, (5) clean product tankers, and (6) self-sustaining breakbulk freighters.

The Navy is counting heavily on the use of converted or adapted merchant- type ships to build up its auxiliary forces. (See “Stretching the Fleet into the 1990s” by Howard W. Serig, Jr., May 1984 Proceedings, pages 164-179.) This strategy is currently taking maximum advantage of the worldwide shipping depression that has idled large numbers of relatively modem ships and made many available at fire-sale prices. Also, while conversion work can now be done under terms very favorable to the Navy, it is serving to keep several shipyards alive when no other work is available.

auxiliaries and support craft

Delivery of traditional auxiliary types during 1984 consisted only of the cable ^rePair ship Zeus (T-ARC-7). Unconven- honal deliveries in the auxiliary category '^Vere the first of the ocean surveillance (SURTASS) ships, the Stalwart (T- AGOS-1) and Contender (T-AGOS-2). Completion of the first 12 ships in this P^r°gram has encountered delays and the ^contractor, Tacoma Boatbuilding, is in financial difficulties. In order to ensure dte completion of all 12 ships, the Navy ^required the builder to obtain a perfor­mance bond before agreeing to some con­tact adjustments and advance payments "duch, it is hoped, will tide the company °^ver. Even so, Tacoma Boat is expected ^to suffer a net loss on the T-AGOS con­tract. Three more ships of the same gen­^eral type were requested in the 1985 pro­-am, but one was deleted along with °ther budget reductions.

The prototype of the new Safeguard tARS-50) class of salvage ships is near- ^lng completion at Peterson Builders. The yrfeguard and her three sisters displace ‘.880 tons and are 255 feet long with a beam of 50 feet. With crews of 87, they ''all provide towing, salvage and rescue, neavy lift, diver support, and fire fighting ^Services to the fleet.

Additional new starts requested for 1985 were three oilers of the Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO-187) class, two surveying ships, and the conversion of the SS Cape to a specialized cargo ship; both of the latter types are intended to support the fleet ballistic missile submarine force. However, as a cost saving measure the Navy has already agreed to forego the cargo ship conversion and keep the Marshfield (T-AK-282), an older missile resupply ship, in operation for a few more years. The surveying ships, now indicated for new construction, were pre­viously planned as the conversions cate­gory. They will replace the aged Victory ships Bowditch (T-AGS-21) and Dutton (T-AGS-22).

The Navy’s large fleet auxiliaries ap­pear more in need of replacement than any other group of ships. Many ships of World War II construction are still in ac­tive service, and the relatively few new ships built in the last 20 years have not kept up with needs. Auxiliaries projected in the out-years of the five-year plans tend to disappear or keep slipping into the future; even “new” conversions do not compensate for the age and prior service of the basic hulls and machinery plants being used. Replacement of the Navy’s repair ships, now all more than 40 years old, is not scheduled to start until fiscal year 1989. Expanding or modernizing the ammunition ship (AE) force to support the new combatants and handle new weapons rates a higher priority; construc­tion of a new series of AEs is planned to start in the 1986 program. These ships are intended to be built to a new design rather than as repeats of the Kilauea (AE-26) class designed 20 years ago.

Miscellaneous yard and service craft requested for 1985 include six large har­bor tugs, ten open and six covered light­ers, three floating cranes, five mecha­nized landing craft (three LCM-8 and two LCM-6), and two utility landing craft. Also, seven patrol craft (YPs) for the Naval Academy are being requested in addition to the six ordered last year from Marinette Marine. Some of these will replace older units that will be assigned to the COOP minesweeper program, as pre­viously described.

In passing a two-year authorization bill for the Coast Guard, Congress directed that planning be initiated to construct two new polar icebreakers. These have been long needed to replace the remaining su­perannuated W/nd-class ships, so will presumably be funded before too long.

Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman, Jr., claims, “The 600-ship Navy now is accomplished; it’s being built.” Al­though significant strides are obviously being made, there is still a long way to go. The official Department of Defense count of “deployable battle force” ships at the end of fiscal year 1984 was 525, up by 12 from the previous year. The num­ber is expected to increase to 546 by the end of fiscal year 1985. If to these are added the reserve, auxiliary, and sealift ships not considered in the above cate­gory—59 for 1984 and 61 for 1985—the target of 600 would soon be reached. What the simple “bean counting” does not take into consideration is the age and condition of the ships involved. Although noncombatant auxiliaries are the most obsolescent, many warships are already past their originally specified age limit. Currently planned construction rates may keep up with actual retirements, but they are not keeping up with the advancing age of the fleet. The performance of Con­gress over the last few years has reflected too much local politics and regional self­interest, and early post-election indica­

tions are that the Reagan administration may be wavering in its support of pro­jected defense expenditures. Neither the administration nor Congress appears in a mood to take the drastic kind of action that would be needed to revive the U. S. Merchant Marine and the commercial shipbuilding industry. Thus, further attri­tion of the nation’s mobilization base appears inevitable. The Reagan adminis­tration has done well in strengthening the fleet’s hard core for now into the 21st century, but the Navy will have many soft spots to shore up in the future.

Mine

X

Mcm.

Mcm.

Mcm.

mcm.

Mine;

Msh-i

°cea]

^Aco_s.

^AG0S.

^AG0$.

>S-

^AG0$.

Table 2 V. S. Navy Shipbuilding and Conversion Status 1984

> 

^Ag0S

> 

>s

^AC_0s

I8i

18'

18!

^A0-u

676

■677

'678

'679

■683

*0.

%

*0.

*0.

N-

Sq

Vk,

Vf,

VP,

vi>

&

IE_C