Battleships Revamped

Newshounds sniffing around the Norfolk (Va.) Navy Yard last week reported that the old (1911), 26,000-ton battleship Wyoming was being furbished up with new guns and armor, would be returned to fleet duty. Because the Wyoming has long been used only to train new sailors and officers, this report sounded as if the Navy were getting ready to buckle on everything it had.

The Navy had indeed decided to fix up the Wyoming, mainly by mounting more anti-aircraft guns on her and increasing the gun crews' protection against air attack. But the immediate object was only to make the Wyoming a better training ship. A more significant sign of the Navy's need and worry was work under way at Norfolk on three other old battlewagons: New York, Texas, Arkansas. The 14-inch guns on the New York and Texas, the 12-inch guns on the Arkansas cannot fire more than 20,000 yards, with this insufficient range would be helpless against a modern cruiser with 8-inch guns. Result: of the Navy's 15 battleships, only twelve (not counting the Wyoming') would be much good in combat. So the Navy had set to work to increase the ranges of the deficient trio by upping the guns' maximum elevation from 15 to 30 degrees. Cost: $5,000,000.

This news brought out two commentaries on recent naval history and the current state of the naval mind. When the Navy proposed to fix up the New York, Texas and Arkansas several years ago, the British objected that naval treaties (since lapsed) prohibited the changes. The British now would be happy to have the battleships ready for duty.

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