Admiral HONSINGER. That particular one, yes, sir. We are going to build the pier but we are going to build it so it and the railway will each have maximum utility. They don't have in the position that was planned, if that is the pier we are talking about.

Mr. BATES. Well, I just hope that some day we are going to get some of these things that are promised to us.

Mr. KILDAY. Is there anything further on the submarine base at New London, Conn.?

Without objection, the item is approved.

Mr. RIVERS. Mr. Chairman, right at that point I have an amendment which I have discussed with the chairman, which Mr. Kelleher has prepared for me and at this point I want to insert it. I won't necessarily ask that a vote be taken on it.

Mr. KILDAY. Will you read the amendment, Mr. Kelleher?

Mr. KELLEHER. Following line 21, on page 16, insert a new item as follows:

Naval Shipyard, Charleston, S. C., operational facilities, $10 million.

Mr. RIVERS. Now, Mr. Chairman, this item is for the construction of a new drydock at Charleston. In view of the thinking of the Navy for the dispersal of the destroyers from Newport, with the construction of a Polaris submarine base, the brand new mine fleet facility which is just being completed by Yards and Docks, the overall importance of the yard, plus the long-range planning of the Navy-it is high time we should consider this.

I want to ask Admiral Ailes, in view of the development, particularly yesterday, which we are going to have to insert in the construction of the Polaris base, would the addition of a drydock at Charleston assist in the overall fitness of the operation of that base for the future?

Admiral AILES. It would be, sir. The matter of the base that we find to be necessary as a result of the action of the Appropriation Committee yesterday will be discussed in our classified section, sir. In section 202 of the bill, sir. Our dispersal plan is not sufficiently advanced-rather, it has not been implemented as yet.

Mr. RIVERS. The reason I want to get it considered now, Admiral, is that it will take maybe 2 years to construct.

Mr. KILDAY. Did I understand Admiral Ailes say that he would prefer to discuss the whole thing?

Admiral AILES. The drydock as such would not be in the classified part, Mr. Chairman, but the other aspect which the Congressman from South Carolina mentioned will be covered in the classified section. I think it might be well to wait until we get there.

Mr. KILDAY. The amendment has been offered and we will permit

it to pend until such time as we reach the classified section.

Mr. BATES. May I ask just one more question about this pier? Has that been authorized?

Admiral HoNSINGER. I don't think that it has been.
Admiral AILES. Do you mean the one in Boston, sir?
Mr. BATES. Yes.

Admiral HONSINGER. There are a good many piers up there, Mr. Bates. I was up there on duty some years ago and most of the piers are wood and we have been replacing several of them. This pier I am speaking of is another wooden, narrow pier, and our plan is to replace them gradually so there are enough piers left for useful work in the yard without tearing down too many at one time. This is a 1962 project.

Mr. BATES. Then it will be built around 1964 or 1965.

Admiral AILES. To be started in 1962.

Mr. BATES. That is the authorization in 1960?

Admiral AILES. 1962. We get authorization and funds each year. As you will recall last year in our committee session, the chairman, and we gathered it was the feeling of the entire committee, indicated that we shouldn't pile up this authorization ahead of time. We should get the authorization the year we want to start building and that is what we are doing now.

Mr. BATES. I thought you had already determined that you want to have their pier but it is only a question of where you are going to locate it.

Admiral HONSINGER. Sir, we have wanted these piers for a good many years and we have been planning on their replacement gradually one at a time. The location of it, which I was speaking to, was a matter of it interfering with the use of the railway and vice versa. Mr. BATES. You are going to build the pier ?

Admiral HONSINGER. Yes, sir.

Mr. BATES. And it is not authorized now?

Admiral HONSINGER. That is right.

Mr. BATES. And you do not believe we should authorize it at this time?

Admiral HONSINGER. No, sir, I do not.

Mr. BATES. You feel we should wait until fiscal year 1960?

Admiral AILES. 1962.

Admiral HONSINGER. I think we should wait another year. It is a part of a plan of replacing pier after pier after pier in gradual succession.

Mr. BATES. I suppose when that period comes about we will put it off until 1968.

Mr. KILDAY. We will proceed at line 22.

Admiral AILES. That completes the shipyard facilities in that section of the bill, sir.

The next item is Fleet Base facilities. Lieutenant Commander Morris from the Office of Chief of Naval Operations, which sponsors these projects, has a statement.

Commander MORRIS. Public works construction program, fiscal year 1959 (fleet facilities).

Fleet Facilities are sponsored by the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Logistics). These facilities are located at naval activities not under the management control of a technical bureau or office.

In the fiscal 1959 program, authorizations are being requested for three urgent items at an estimated cost of $4.8 million.

These items are being sponsored to provide for the following:

(a) Correction of certain deficiencies in fleet support of an urgent

nature.

(b) Minimum increments in the orderly replacement of substandard deteriorated temporary facilities.

The first item of military improvement necessary to meet current operational requirements costing $2.5 million at Norfolk Naval Base will provide sorely needed dredging in the water approach to the naval base. Justification for this item originates with the requirement to correct a deficiency in the capacity of a shore activity to discharge its planned current mission and workload.

The second item is a military improvement to promote human efficiency, habitability and morale, costing $1.0 million. This line item will provide adequate messing facilities for enlisted personnel at the Naval Station, Newport.

The third item is also a military improvement to promote human efficiency, habitability and morale, costing $0.7 million. This line item will provide an enlisted men's service club at the Naval Station, Newport, R. I.

Admiral AILES. Class 2 of the program, for fleet base facilities, includes two projects at a total estimated cost of $4,255,000. These facilities are needed at two east coast stations in support of uniformed personnel and the fleet.

The first of these two projects is at the Naval Station, Newport, R. I., which provides in-port services for the operating forces. It consists of two line items at an estimated cost of $1,709,000. will provide adequate messing facilities for enlisted personnel at the The first line item is for provision of a messhall at a cost of $1,048,000. This will be a reinforced concrete and steel, single story, T-shaped building. The galley will be designed for feeding 2,000 men. The cafeteria, with a nominal capacity of 2,000, will have a seating capacity of 600. It will replace the present deteriorated wood structure which was built in World War II as a temporary facility. The existing messhall is deplorably unsanitary. At times during the summer months it has peak demands to serve as many as 4,300 men, which requires extension of the serving time by an hour or more.

The second line item is for construction of an enlisted men's service club at an estimated cost of $661,000. Newport, being the principal home port of Atlantic Fleet destroyers, always has a number of ships tied up at the piers or in the harbor for routine maintenance or replenishment of supplies. During these periods an average of about 8,000 of the fleet enlisted personnel are granted liberty. At the same time, approximately 2,000 shore-based enlisted personnel are also on liberty. The local civilian community has limited recreation and amusement facilities. Providence, the nearest large city, is 30 miles distant by road with limited access by public transportation. The existing enlisted men's club has a floor area of 14,000 square feet. It is a wood frame structure with tar paper roofing and is in poor structural condition. The proposed club would be concrete block construction, centrally located for ready accessibility by both fleet and shore-based personnel and sufficiently large approximately 27,000 square feet of floor area-to accommodate the requirements in consonance with Department of Defense criteria for the number of personnel involved. Mr. KILDAY. Any questions on this item?

Mr. KELLEHER. Only one. Mr. Vinson asked that wherever an item has been approved last year, but not funded, that it be made a

matter of note and in this case "pier utilities" in the amount of $1,716,000 were approved last year but were not funded.

Would you explain why, Admiral?

Admiral AILES. It was necessary for us to come back for increased authorization because the authority that we had available was not sufficient to provide the facilities we needed.

Mr. KELLEHER. Is that in the bill?

Admiral AILES. It is in the amendments.

Mr. KELLEHER. Will you insert the cost of that at this point when you do find it?

Admiral AILES. Yes, sir.

The proposed amendment would increase authorization granted by Public Law 968, 84th Congress, for "pier and bulkhead, barracks and heating plant expansion and recreational facilities," from $11,672,000 to $14,601,000, an increase of $2,929,000.

Mr. HARDY. In line with the question Mr. Kelleher just raised, I think there is a similar question affecting shipyard facilities with respect to prior authorization for utilities at Norfolk Naval Shipyard which never had been funded.

Mr. KILDAY. Well, we will take that up when we reach that item. We will approve the item and proceed with the Norfolk item.

Admiral AILES. The amended authorization requested for the projects at Newport is to increase that authorization from $11,672,000, to $14,601,000, an increase of $2,929,000.

Mr. KELLEHER. Which must include many items in addition to the facilities.

Admiral AILES. Yes.

Mr. HARDY. That is the amended authorization for Newport?
Admiral AILES. Yes, sir.

Mr. RIVERS. Is the reason for your expanding your expenditure at Norfolk because you got more money from the appropriations?

Mr. KILDAY. This is on Newport. That will be approved. Go ahead with Norfolk.

Admiral AILES. The second and last project in this class is at the Naval Base, Norfolk, Va., for dredging an area in the Elizabeth River approaches to the naval base piers at an estimated cost of $2,546,000. It is required for support of the Navy's striking force. This base provides facilities and services in support of units of the Atlantic Fleet, including logistics, refresher training, and recreation. For the past several years construction has been underway for the extension of the base at Sewall Point by dredging and filling an area of approximately 102 acres. Included in this work has been the construction of a breakwater and a pier mainly for capital ships and particularly our modern, angled-deck carriers. The 750-foot-wide Elizabeth River Channel provides the sealane for ships entering and departing the naval base piers, destroyer and submarine piers, the naval shipyard, and the commercial piers. The channel lies 1,000 feet from the ends of the naval base piers.

This poses two major problems in docking and undocking large ships at these piers. First, maneuvering room of 1,750 feet is not sufficient to perform these operations safely with a ship 1,000 feet long. Ships approaching the new piers at the north end are set to the west toward shoal water during flood tides, with attendant danger

of grounding. Second, when docking or undocking a carrier from any of the naval base piers the channel is blocked to all traffic. The time losses and danger of collision in peacetime is costly, but in the event of the need for an emergency sortie from the port of Norfolk the effect would be catastrophic, resulting in the loss of a substantial part of our naval forces. To solve the problem of providing a channel which will permit the passage of traffic at all times, and to provide maneuvering room for large ships, we propose to widen the channel opposite some of the piers 1,000 feet to the west by removing 1,673,000 cubic feet of sand and mud from this area to a depth of 40 feet.

Mr. HARDY. Admiral, as a matter of fact this is just another increment of the dredging projects that have been going on for the last 2 or 3 years. You had to go in there and move some land in order to have space for these big ships.

Admiral AILES. That is correct.

Mr. HARDY. It is related also there to the rivers and harbors project which includes a widening of the channel from over in the Newport News direction up toward the base.

Admiral AILES. I am not familiar with that. I think the Army engineers have responsibility on that. I know they are doing it, though, yes, sir.

Mr. HARDY. It is done to dovetail with this dredging program that you have here.

Admiral AILES. Yes, sir.

Mr. RIVERS. Could I inquire in a case of that character where the Army engineers, among other things, dredge the channel or widen the channel to accommodate deep-draught ships of the Navy, is the supporting of this project left with the commandant of the district?

Admiral AILES. Yes, sir.

Mr. KILDAY. Are there any questions? If not, the project is approved.

Mr. HARDY. Now, Mr. Chairman, may I make an inquiry having to do with a prior authorization with respect to shipyard facilities. I didn't catch it here a while ago because there isn't any shipyards facilities proposition in here for this yard, but if my recollection is correct, I believe it was last year that there was an authorization for expanding utilities at the naval shipyard, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, for the purpose of handling these larger ships and the funding of that was deferred, I believe. I wondered whether that was in your present plans or when you did expect to fund it. Admiral AILES. May I insert in the record the history of that project,

sir?

Mr. HARDY. I wish you would, Admiral. I have had some discussion with the Bureau of Ships about that thing. Frankly, you came in here and justified it on a very high priority of the urgency. The committee approved it and it was approved by the Congress and then after you got the authority for it you didn't ask for any money. Admiral AILES. Between the time we got authority last year, Mr. Hardy, and when we got our appropriation, our program was cut one-third.

Mr. HARDY. I understand that. I didn't complain too much about it being put off, but it was a really urgent project when you came before the committee for it.