Increases requested for 1939-Continued (B) Nonrecurring items required for 1939: (16) Research and development of ordnance ma- (17) Modification of torpedoes, object 16 (c) (p. 18) - (20) Fleet Marine Force equipment, object 34 (p. (21) Bombs and bomb details for 1939 aircraft ex- (22) Continuation of major caliber projectile pro- (23) Procurement of anti-aircraft spotting glasses, (24) Aviation ordnance equipment for new air- (25) Replacement of mine and depth charge equip ment, object 34 (p. 20) (26) Material, maintenance and improvement pro- (27) Toward partial filling of ordnance shortages, Subtotal of nonrecurring items.. Estimate for 1939 appropriation... -- ADMINISTRATIVE RESERVE FUND $33,000 511,300 200,000 65,000 1,277,000 250,000 181,100 2,821,100 5,000 1,897,000 80,500 2,578,000 567,300 $10,466,300 26,880,000 Mr. UMSTEAD. Admiral, it appears in the matter just inserted that the sum of $1,797,000 is being held out of the appropriation made to the Bureau of Ordnance for the present fiscal year in the so-called administrative reserve. Has any of that amount been released? Admiral FURLONG. A request has been made for the release of all of the items of that administrative reserve except $685,360. Mr. UMSTEAD. Your statement is that requests have been made to release all of the amount administratively reserved except $685,360? Admiral FURLONG. Yes, sir. Mr. UMSTEAD. Has that request been acted upon? Admiral FURLONG. Not yet, sir. Mr. UMSTEAD. Then you are not prepared today to say whether or not it will be released? Admiral FURLONG. No; but I have every expectation that it will be released, because that amout that I asked for was for materials that we could purchase now in order to stimulate industry. Mr. UMSTEAD. Do you expect the balance, somewhat in excess of $600,000, to be released prior to the end of the current fiscal year? Admiral FURLONG. I am expecting the balance to be released except an amount that I will not ask to be released, which is $76,360. Mr. UMSTEAD. And for what was that amount appropriated? Admiral FURLONG. That was appropriated for targets and targetpractice projectiles, for which I have asked funds in 1939. Mr.UMSTEAD. Is that the only amount you are requesting for 1939 by reason of the setting up of the administrative reserve? Admiral FURLONG. Yes, sir. INCREASES REQUESTED FOR 1939 Mr. UMSTEAD. Admiral, will you give us a statement of the increases requested for 1939? Admiral FURLONG. Yes, sir. INCREASE IN COST OF SHIP OVERHAUL 1. One hundred and thirty-three thousand three hundred dollars increase in cost of ship overhaul, the total of which is $1,100,000. Most of this work at navy yards during regular overhaul; some expenditures are for material used in effecting repairs away from yard. Covers routine overhaul and repair of guns, mounts, torpedo tubes, fire control, turrent gear, hoists, and so forth, also installation of relined guns and other replacement material. The amount requested is based on the number of units undergoing navy-yard overhaul times the unit cost of each, plus the regunning program, plus some material. NOTE-No actual costs of complete overhaul are available for the new 1,500and 1,800-ton destroyers, and the unit costs of overhaul used below are estimated. The main increase over 1938 is due to the fact that there are 28 more destroyers to be overhauled. QUARTERLY ALLOTMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL NEW SHIPS IN COMMISSION 2. Thirteen thousand dollars increase in quarterly allotments for additional new ships in commission computed as follows: Quarterly allotments times number of ships in commission in 1939_. Quarterly allotments times number of ships in commission in 1938_.. Additional required for 1939 $164, 000 151,000 13, 000 AERIAL TARGETS 3. Thirty-eight thousand dollars additional required for aerial targets. Break-down of target requirements follows: Five hundred and thirteen thousand five hundred dollars total for targets and target gear for fleet practices afloat and in the air divided by types as follows: $323,500 for water surface targets: Due to less attrition in targets than was expected, current requirements are less than for 1938 by $26,500. Requirements listed below: 2 battle type, 172-foot targets at $18,000 each 1 sled type target, 60 feet, at $10,000--- 5 sled type targets, 40 feet, at $4,000 each 5 sled type targets, 30 feet, at $2,000 each.. 5 sled type targets, 25 feet, at $1,500 each.. Overhaul and repair of targets---. Target material Total______ $36,000 10,000 20,000 10,000 7,500 120,000 120,000 323,500 $190,000 for aerial targets. This represents an increase of $38,000 over the 1938 appropriation and is due in part to higher cost of labor and materials and to the fact that additional new cruisers and destroyers with antiaircraft batteries are joining the fleet. Requirements are listed below: Mr. UMSTEAD. Admiral, for the current fiscal year an increase of about $100,000 was allowed in the appropriation for targets. Now, is the $76,000 referred to a few minutes ago as in the administrative reserve which you do not expect to have released, a part of the increase which the committee allowed? Admiral FURLONG. It is a part of the $100,000 increase which the committee allowed in 1937 and 1938 over 1936. The increase asked for in 1939 is $11,500 over 1937 and 1938. Mr. UMSTEAD. Then, if that should be released during the current fiscal year, you would decrease your requests for next year by that amount? Admiral FURLONG. Yes, sir. GUN RELINING Mr. UMSTEAD. Proceed with your statement, Admiral. Admiral FURLONG. 4. $661,000 increase in cost of gun relining. The total for 1939 is $1,002,800 and covers the annual program for preparation of regunning bateries, relining of worn guns, and purchase of forgings necessary for relining. It varies from year to year, depending upon the calibers and numbers of guns becoming due for relining. The increase of $661,000 over 1938 is due largely to the fact that the 1939 estimates carry $593,500 for relining 14-inch guns and for purchase of forgings, as against $164,000 for these items in 1938. The 1939 estimate also carries $355,000 for relining 3-inch, 4-inch, and 5-inch guns, whereas 1938 carried only $3.000 for this. The 1938 relining program was $457,500 less than in 1937. Mr. UMSTEAD. Is this increase that you are requesting for gun relining caused by increased target practice? Admiral FURLONG. No, sir. This particular item is caused by the time at which the guns come around for relining, which, in turn. depends upon the time that the ship was built originally or last regunned. In other words, they are allowed to go so many rounds before they are relined. They can fire that many rounds before they are relined. It so happens that this year there are four times as many guns to be relined as last year. In 1937 there were a great many more relined than in 1938. That is just due to the fact that they come around and have to be relined at a certain time. They get worn out. It is not that they fire any more rounds at target practice, but if a ship is built in a certain year, the gun gets worn out a certain number of years later, according to the number of rounds fired. Mr. UMSTEAD. If the guns are relined on the basis of the number of rounds fired, then, after all, the period of relining is determined by the extent to which the gun has been used and not its age; is not that correct? Admiral FURLONG. Both. Of course, the extent to which it has been used depends on how many years it has been fired. Mr. UMSTEAD. Not necessarily. It depends on how many times it has been fired, too, does it not? Admiral FURLONG. That is right. Mr. UMSTEAD. Any increase in target practice is reflected in an increase in the need of relining guns? Admiral FURLONG. That is correct, sir. BREAK-DOWN, OVERHAUL, AND ASSEMBLY OF AMMUNITION Admiral FURLONG. Five: $54,300 increase in work load in breakdown, overhaul, and assembly of ammunition. The total required is $715,500 and covers routine work, break-down, overhaul, and assembly of ammunition for fleet target-practice needs and for Dahlgren. The principal charge under this object is the preparation of targetpractice ammunition. The replacement of 1,200-ton destroyers mounting four 4-inch guns with 1,500 and 1,850-ton destroyers mounting four to eight 5-inch 38 guns each firing more rounds per gun— broadside and A. A.-in the course of the gunnery year, together with the increase in number of cruisers and carriers, has very materially increased the work load of preparation. There is the element that you mentioned, Mr. Chairman; that is, they fire more rounds out of the same gun. Here, in these new destroyers more rounds are fired out of the same gun, because the same gun does surface work and antiaircraft work. It is a 5-inch 38 double-purpose gun and fires two kinds of targets or fires targets in two kinds of practices. The increase under this heading is made up as follows: Preparation of target ammunition for three additional light cruisers, at $2,139 each, $6,417. Preparation of target ammunition for 15 additional 1,500-ton destroyers, at $705 each, $10,575. This item covers the cost of overhaul of service ammunition which is increasing each year on account of new construction. Ammunition containers in particular are requiring greater expenditures for repairs, $37,308. Making a total of $54,300. Mr. PLUMLEY. What do you mean by "overhaul of service ammunition?" Admiral FURLONG. The service ammunition is the ammunition that is put in the ship for battle, as distinguished from target-practice ammunition. After it has been in the ship for, say, 3 or 4 years, it is taken out and looked over and sent to the ammunition depot, and that which is required to be cleaned up is cleaned up and put back in the magazines. Then, too, after a number of years, powder is taken from the ships and sent back to the ammunition depot, and it is looked at and it has to be reassembled and put in new bags or, perhaps, discarded, if it is of no use. Mr. UMSTEAD. Admiral, the new ships, in any appreciable number, have been in commission but a few months? Admiral FURLONG. Yes, sir. Mr. UMSTEAD. Why should the ammunition for such ships affect the overhaul work so early, as indicated by your statement a moment ago? Admiral FURLONG. Well, it should not. Service ammunition in new ships should not be overhauled-and it is not. But in this first part of the item we have the preparation of target-practice ammunition for the new ships. At the ammunition depots the powder comes in in bulk, in large cans, and it has to be prepared and put up into cartridge cases and primers put in the base of the cartridge case. Then the shells are delivered to ammunition depots in great quantities. The men have to handle those at the ammunition depots throughout the country and prepare them for the new ships. Mr. UMSTEAD. But the largest part of the item that we are discussing is $37,308, which you state is for the purpose of covering the cost of overhaul of service ammunition. Admiral FURLONG. Yes, sir. Mr. UMSTEAD. Which is increasing each year on account of new construction? Admiral FURLONG. Well, of course, the latest new constructionthat would not be overhauled until after about 3 years. Mr. UMSTEAD. And the shipbuilding program was begun in 1933. Admiral FURLONG. Yes, sir. Mr. UMSTEAD. And only a relatively small number of new vessels have been in commission more than 18 months, have they? Admiral FURLONG. That is right. Mr. UMSTEAD. You would not have anything to do as to those? Admiral FURLONG. Would not touch that; no, sir. Mr. UMSTEAD. You would not have to touch a ship that had been in service only 18 months for the purposes of this item, would you? Admiral FURLONG. No, sir. Mr. UMSTEAD. Then why is it affected. Admiral FURLONG. It is not affected by the new construction. Mr. UMSTEAD. Then why should your statement appear to that effect as a justification of this item of increase? Admiral FURLONG. Well, I cannot justify that part of the item. Mr. UMSTEAD. Then you mean that you do not need the $37,308? Admiral FURLONG. No; I mean that the $37,308 additional is needed for those ships that do require overhaul of service ammunition. But this language "on account of new construction" should never have been in there; except, as I said, there is some new construction that has been added to the Navy within 2 or 3 yearsbut very little, as you remarked. It would be very little that would be on account of new construction. Whenever work at a navy yard involves welding in, or in the vicinity of, a ship's magazine the ammunition must be removed from the magazine to a naval ammunition depot for safe storage. In a large number of new ships work of this sort is necessary, either as alterations or to complete work not completed at the time of delivery. Whenever ammunition is sent. to a naval ammunition depot, it is inspected, damaged containers are replaced, and so forth. |