World's Mightiest

Whether it knows it yet or not, the U.S. is becoming the mightiest naval power in the world. Last week that dawning power was underlined once again: within the span of five days the Navy launched a submarine, three destroyers (Aaron Ward, Buchanan and Fahrenheit) and a battleship. Into the James River at Newport News, Va. smoked the hulk of the 35,000-ton Indiana, six months ahead of schedule.

From the Indiana's keel-laying to launching only 24 months had elapsed. She was the latest of a class which now has five brand-new battleships in the water, a force which not only has enough speed to run circles around the other 15 U.S. battleships, but enough gunpower to blow them out of the water. When the Indiana joins the fleet, twelve to 14 months from now, armed with nine 16-in. guns, 20 five-inchers, the latest anti-aircraft cannon, she will find four sisters already in service. Two of them (North Carolina and Washington) are commissioned now, two more (South Dakota and Massachusetts) are at fitting-out docks.

Last of the 35,000-tonners (Alabama) will be launched in three months. The battlewagons that will follow her will be still more fearsome. Two (Iowa and New Jersey) will displace 45,000 tons. Two others now on the ways (Missouri and Wisconsin) will be still bigger. Planned but not yet on the ways are seven more. Two will be 45,000 tons or bigger; the other five will be the biggest, most powerful ever launched--58,000 tons. The Big Five (Montana, Ohio, Maine, New Hampshire and Louisiana) will not be laid down until oversize ways have been prepared for them. Meanwhile, Navy men find a particular comfort in their completed plans: as far as they know, the Japanese are planning nothing like them.

When its two-ocean fleet is complete, the U.S. will have 32 battleships--17 spang new, 15 of the old fleet. And the rest of its new ships (including eleven more carriers, 54 cruisers, 192 destroyers, 73 submarines) are taking shape apace. Good example: Portsmouth Navy Yard announced last week that it hoped to keep up with its "usual record"--a new submarine launched every six weeks.

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