Mightiest

These were the Navy's latest figures on the size of its fleet: 817 combatant ships--almost double the number it had on Jan. 1, 1943.* Most breathtaking total of all: more than 40 aircraft carriers, of which half were probably first line carriers, half converted merchant ships which can be used for combat.

* On Jan. 1: 419 combat ships. Lost since then: 21. Built since then: 419. The new 25,000-ton carrier Wasp, delivered last week, was the 419th.

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