(The project sheet is as follows:) NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Location-Within city of Washington, D.C. PERMANENT STATION Mission.-Under the direction of the Chief of Naval Research to conduct scientific research and development in the physical science and related fields directed toward new and improved materials, equipment, techniques, and systems for the Navy, and where specifically qualified, for the Department of Defense and, in defense related efforts, for other Government agencies. Line item.-High level radiation laboratory, $1,591,000. This laboratory will provide facilities for urgent research involving high level radioactivity. Many problems in the design of authorized nuclear-powered ships, submarines, and aircraft can be solved only after radiation data is obtained. This requires research on the personnel shielding, personnel monitoring, and changes in the properties of metals and other substances exposed to the high levels of radiation that will be encountered in power reactors. Captain CHEW. We have only one project in this class at a total estimated cost of $1,591,000 at the Naval Research Laboratory right here in the District of Columbia. The laboratory conducts scientific research and development in the physical sciences and related fields directed toward new and im proved equipment, materials, and techniques. This line item will provide for the erection of a research capability within a portion of an existing building for the study of radiation phenomena below the ranges of 10,000 curies. This facility will contain five high level radiation test wells with walls of high density concrete, radiological warm work areas and other work in decontamination areas. It will permit research into the many design problems of authorized future nuclear-powered ships, submarines and aircraft which can be solved only after radiation data are obtained. Senator CASE. Is this coordinated with the high level radiation research of the other services and the Atomic Energy Commission? Captain CHEW. Captain Metsger will answer that. Captain METSGER. This is a most thoroughly coordinated area, sir, with all the services involved. Senator CASE. Will they have the benefit of the work that you do here, I mean, will the other services have the benefit of the work you do here? Captain METSGER. The work done by all the services in this area is exchanged thoroughly throughout all the users, sir, any work done here, or any other work done by the Naval Research Laboratory, is thoroughly exchanged through our scientific community in this country. Senator STENNIS. Captain, may I ask you, do they use this now, do they use your information or do they insist on doing their own! Captain METSGER. The work done by the Naval Research Labora tory, sir, made possible a great deal of our space work by all the services. The Air Force moon probe, for example, used the Vanguard sec ond stage. The work done in metallurgy at Naval Research is used by all the steel constructors. Senator STENNIS. You know, we want to guard against the fact that someone may be asking for a duplication of your equipment here, and we would not recognize it. Captain METSGER. May I add, sir, in this area the scientific community is unwilling to do any work duplicated by anyone else because the individual scientists get no credit because there is extremely effective exchange to prevent this duplication which would ruin the scientist's reputation. Senator CASE. Who is responsible for the coordination in this field? Captain METSGER. The coordination in this whole technical field is under the direction of the Secretary of Defense, the Director of Research and Engineering; under the Office of Naval Research, the Chief of Naval Research. I am Deputy Chief of Naval Research. Senator CASE. Who specifically within the Department of Defense cleared this particular project and said that this is the Navy's area of responsibility? Captain METSGER. This project has gone up through the entire Department of Defense channels, sir. Senator CASE. That does not tell me who within the Department of Defense passes upon the allocation of these particular missions to the Navy. Captain CHEW. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Development. Captain METSGER. Research and Eingineering. This has to doSenator CASE. Who is that person? Captain METSGER. Dr. York, sir. Senator CASE. And Dr. York said this is what the Navy should do in this field? Captain METSGER. His office has assigned this mission to the Navy, sir. This does not exclude other services and other agencies who all through the country and the world are doing work in this particular area. In this country there are inadequate facilities at this moment to provide high level radiation work on materials for nuclear powerplants in submarines and surface ships and airplanes. So far nuclear powerplants have been built. Too many times they have been built on the basis of cut and try instead of knowing what we are doing. This kind of work is in the very important direction of knowing more about the internals of materials that go into nuclear powerplants so we can deliberately sit down and design the optimum plant. Senator STENNIS. All right. If there is nothing further, we thank you, Captain, for coming around. OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES SHIPYARD FACILITIES Senator STENNIS. Is there any item here-Senator Case, do you want to develop any particular item? I thought while we had Admiral Wilson here and Admiral Peltier and you and all the rest, we might get into something special if you wanted to. Captain CHEW. I would like to point out, sir, in the overseas section that one of these items at the naval station at Guantanamo Bay for improvement of the water supply, $760,000, is not in the authorization bill. When we come to Yards and Docks, if you wish me to continue, I will point it out, but it was approved by the Bureau of the Budget, and then reinserted in the Navy program. Senator STENNIS. That is all right. That happens all along. We are accustomed to that. Captain CHEW. Yes, sir. Senator STENNIS. All right, if you want to proceed in the regular order here, you may. Captain CHEW. All right, sir. SHIPYARD FACILITIES (The project sheet is as follows:) NAVAL SHIP REPAIR FACILITY, GUAM Location.-Nearest city, Agana, 6 miles northeast. PERMANENT STATION Mission. To provide logistic support, including drydocking, overhaul, repair, alteration, and conversion of naval ships and service craft and ships of other Government departments as assigned; to perform voyage repair, emergency repair, and related work, including drydocking of naval ships; and to perform such other functions as may be requested by competent authority. Line item.-Rehabilitation of wharves, $507,000. To assure suitable berthing for ships undergoing repairs the present wharves (berths L through P) must be rehabilitated. These wharves comprise the entire berthing capacity available at the ship repair facility. The fender system is in poor condition; sheet piles are bulged due to failure of fill; and the edge of the wharf has settled. Work on similar piers at the supply depot indicates reduction of 30 to 70 percent in piling at the waterline area and above, indicating probability of complete collapse in the near future. Captain CHEW. Shipyard facilities overseas, and the first project is for the rehabilitation of wharves at an estimated cost of $507,000 in Guam, Mariana Islands. That is also where we have the power supply, the power project. Now, this is the rehabilitation of the wharves. Senator STENNIS. Where is that now, under what shipyard facilities, class I, is that it? That is next in my book here. Admiral WILSON. Page 60, sir. Senator STENNIS. All right. I see it. Well, you have to have the money. I mean you have to have the wharves. Captain CHEW. These are all sheet piling with coral fill, and they are deteriorated, and need repair to be used. Senator STENNIS. All right. Is there anything further? AVIATION FACILITIES Senator STENNIS. Let us go to the next item. Captain CHEW. All right. Next are the aviation facilities overseas, for a total of $41 million. I list the first project which is at the naval station at Argentia, Newfoundland, Canada. (The project sheet is as follows:) NAVAL STATION, ARGENTIA Location Nearest city, Saint John's, 90 miles northeast. PERMANENT STATION Mission.-Provide facilities to support regular operations and fleet reconnaissance, antisubmarine, search and rescue, transport aircraft classified project when directed; general logistic support for service craft assigned; support for seasonal generations of International Ice Patrol aircraft and surface vessels and occasional support for transient weather vessels; repair and drydocking services for destroyers, submarine, and smaller craft of the Atlantic Fleet on an emergency voyage repair basis only; and minimum commercial facilities to meet essential current and M-day requirements and support for fleet weather control. Line item.-Family housing, rental guaranty, barracks, recreation facilities, $4,133,000. FAMILY HOUSING, RENTAL GUARANTY Military controlled housing consists of 562 adequate public quarters, 18 inadequate public quarters, and 16 inadequate rental units. This item will provide housing for 321 enlisted men and 13 officers. Private support housing consists of makeshift structures which are considered unacceptable on the basis of even minimum standards. Photographs of these structures indicate that they are comparable to what is considered slum-type housing within the United States. Many of the units do not include inside plumbing with the exception of old-fashioned sink and faucet. Electrical wiring installations are not governed by code and as a result consist mostly of running wire from one part of the house to another and papering or painting over the exposed installation. In some cases, water is furnished to the houses by garden hoses which lay on top of the ground in pools. BARRACKS There is a total barracks capacity of 3,503 men at naval station, Argentia, of which 2,253 are substandard. Of the substandard barracks, 10 buildings with steel frame and wood siding built in 1942, with a capacity of 1,706 men, are in an isolated location on the north side of the station and approximately 1,000 feet from the principal runway. Flight operations at this station are continuous and flight traffic is extremely heavy. Proximity of the barracks to the runway results in a high noise level seriously detrimental to sleeping conditions and morale of personnel using these facilities on a swing shift off-duty basis. RECREATION FACILITIES Naval station, Argentia, is located approximately 90 miles from Saint John's, Newfoundland. Because of Argentia's isolated location and the unusual adverse weather conditions during spring, winter, and fall months, it is mandatory that recreation be conducted indoors. The 22,088-square foot wood frame structure housing the existing gymnasium, handball courts, table tennis room and workout room, was originally constructed in 1942 and is now beyond economical repair. It consists of two line items of $4 million. This is a key station for many of the elements of our North Atlantic defense system. Item No. 1 of Argentia is to provide barracks at an estimated cost of $3,620,000, and here again-and this in Newfoundland, Canadaall of the barracks in Argentia are temporary wooden buildings constructed by the Army in 1942. They were designed for a very limited life, and they have outlived it. Senator STENNIS. Well, is this an isolated place? As a matter of fact, in 1955 an effort was made to rehabilitate some of these barracks, and the barracks on the south side of the station were found to be in better condition than the north side barracks, and were improved to some extent to provide 1,250 berths, and at that time it was tentatively planned to raze the north side barracks because of their deteriorated condition, but the large increase in personnel which resulted from the assignment of the AEW squadrons, which are early warning squadrons to Argentia, precluded this action, and these north side barracks now are in an even more deplorable state, and will be replaced by the modern units that we propose. The second item is for recreation facilities, and the recreation facilities existing at this remote station are in temporary type wooden frame buildings in an area which will be used for operational development. These facilities will be utilized not only by the military personnel but also by their dependents. With a relatively short summer and severe long winter, the provision for adequate recreation facilities will have a tremendous morale boosting effect. SENATOR STENNIS. Is this general recreation? SENATOR STENNIS. All right. NAVAL AIR STATION, ATSUGI, JAPAN CAPTAIN CHEW. The next project is at the naval air station, Atsugi, Japan, which Admiral Wilson mentioned this morning. (The project sheet is as follows:) Location. Nearest city: Yokohama, 15 miles east. PERMANENT STATION Mission.-Maintain and operate facilities to support regular operations of fleet reconnaissance, antisubmarine, air transport, carrier, and Fleet Marine Force tactical support aircraft. Provide aviation ordinance. Line item.-Runway overlay pavement, $1,640,000. Basis of requirement.-Since naval air station Atsugi is one of two airfields available for naval aircraft in Japan, it is vital that this field be maintained in a fully operational status. There is an average of 8,000 landiings on this field per month. Due to the extremely heavy traffic, heavy aircraft and high tire pressures, 7,000 feet of the 8,000 feet runway consisting of 6 inch to 8 inch PC concrete pavement is undergoing progressive deterioration and must be overlaid to support present aircraft loadings. The 1,000 feet balance of runway must also be overlaid to comply with established standards for runway grade. Station forces have maintained a record of the runway condition since early 955. An engineering study was made of the runway in 1957, which showed that all sections of the runway fall short of established Navy criteria, and that settlement and cracking can be expected to continue under present loading conditions, ultimately rendering the field inoperative. (The project sheet is as follows:) NAVAL STATION, BERMUDA Location. Nearest city, Hamilton, 10 miles northeast. PERMANENT STATION Mission. To maintain and operate facilities and provide services and material to support operations of aviation activities and units of the operating forces |