about 900 troops and their equipment via helicopters and landing craft.

It can carry six of the large transport helicopters, one large utility landing craft, and three of the smaller personnel landing craft or other equivalent combinations.

Both the landing craft and the helicopters may be launched when the ship is underway or stopped.

The first of the LPD type was included in our fiscal year 1959 program and the second was in the fiscal year 1960 program. This is the third of this type. It is essentially a repeat of the one included in the fiscal year 1960 program. The first one will be in the fleet about June 1962.

Senator CHAVEZ. Admiral, of course, the $41.4 million is only for the cost of the transport, itself?

Admiral BEAKLEY. Yes, sir; of the ship itself.

Senator CHAVEZ. It does not include the cost of equipment that it can carry, like the landing craft and the helicopters. Admiral BEAKLEY. It does not, Mr. Chairman.

TWO ESCORT VESSELS-DE-COST, $50.5 MILLION

The next ship is the escort vessel, the DE.

We have two in this program at a cost of $50.5 million.

These escort vessels are especially designed for optimum performance in locating and destroying enemy submarines. They can operate as part of a hunter-killer group, screen amphibious forces, patrol coastal waters for missile firing submarines-continental defense-or escort convoys.

These two ships are essentially repeats of the two in fiscal year 1960 program, which have improved seaworthiness plus significantly increased antisubmarine warfare capabilities over previous escort vessels. One, and possibly both, will be fitted with a newly developed pressure-fired boiler. They will carry the integral bow-mounted longrange sonar and the drone antisubmarine helicopters (DASH). antisubmarine rocket launcher and antisubmarine torpedo launchers are provided for destruction of submarines at medium range. The drone helicopters carrying ASW torpedoes will be used for long-range attacks.

An

One twin 3-inch 50-caliber rapid-fire mount installed forward and one single 3-inch 50-caliber rapid-fire mount aft will provide for limited self-defense.

ONE FAST COMBAT SUPPORT SHIP-AOE-COST, $64 MILLION

Our next ship is the fast combat support ship, the AOE. There is one in the program at $64 million.

This ship is of a new design. It will operate as an integral part of a fast task force. It will provide continuous replenishment of black oil, aviation fuel, diesel oil, conventional ammunition, fleet missiles up to and including TALOS, selected underwater ordnance, special weapons and provisions and fleet freight for selective issue.

It will carry 177,000 barrels of liquid cargo and operate three cargo helicopters. It can service ships along both sides simultaneously. The armament will consist of four 3-inch 50-caliber rapid-fire twin mounts.

This will be a most versatile and effective fleet logistic support ship.

ONE COMBAT STORES SHIP-AFS-COST, $44.1 MILLION

The next ship in the program is the combat stores ship, the AFS. It will cost $44.1 million.

This ship is of a new design. It will replace the present stores ship, general stores issue ship, and aviation supply ship types in underway replenishment operations.

The combat stores ship, like the fast combat support ship, will carry a variety of items. It will carry one-half to two-thirds the provisions carried by a stores ship, about the same amount of general stores carried by a general stores issue ship, and about the same amount of aviation supplies carried by an aviation supply ship. It will carry two cargo helicopters.

The armament will consist of four 3-inch 50-caliber rapid-fire twin mounts.

ONE OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH SHIP-AGOR-COST, $4.9 MILLION

The next ship is the oceanographic research ship, the AGOR. There is one in the program at a cost of $4.9 million.

The AGOR is designed as a floating laboratory to be used in oceanographic research. It will be civilian manned and operated and will conduct research for application in naval warfare, particularly antisubmarine warfare.

Senator CHAVEZ. That is the first of this type that you have requested? It is a new item?

Admiral BEAKLEY. It is essentially a repeat of the one in the 1960 program. We had one last year, Mr. Chairman.

Senator CHAVEZ. Of this type?

Admiral BEAKLEY. Of this type; yes, sir.

Facilities will be installed to study the environmental effects of the ocean on scientific and naval instruments and obtain background scientific information necessary for the installation and improvement of oceanic surveillance systems.

These ships will support the national oceanographic research program. Additional oceanographic research ships are planned for future shipbuilding programs. We are getting started on building up our oceanographic research capability.

Senator CHAVEZ. I think it is necessary.
Admiral BEAKLEY. Yes, sir.

ONE ESCORT RESEARCH SHIP-AG-COST, $26 MILLION

Our next ship is the escort research ship, the AGOR. There is one in the program at a cost of $26 million.

The escort research ship will provide the Navy with an experimental hull of advanced hydrodynamic and propulsion design. It will be used to obtain data for determining the optimum configuration for mounting sonar for best performance.

From this unusual hull form we expect to get a significant increase in sonar performance; and it is expected that much will be learned which will be useful in the design of future ASW ships. As a result, we expect significant advancements in ASW surface ships similar to those made possible in submarines by the lessons learned from the experimental Albacore.

In addition to its submarine detection equipment, this ship will have weight, moment, and space reserved for installation of various types of antisubmarine warfare armament which will give it a combat capability.

This ship was authorized in the fiscal year 1960 program. However, contract plans were not available in time to award it until fiscal year 1961. The funds were reprogramed to partially offset the additional cost of ships under the new funding concept, and it has been reintroduced into this program.

ONE AUXILIARY

SUBMARINE (DEEP DIVING) AG(SS) COST, $20.8 MILLION

Our next ship is the experimental deep-diving submarine. Its cost is $20.8 million.

This is the first submarine of this kind to appear in our building programs. It will provide a small vehicle for experimental development of hull structures, sonar equipments, and weapons systems for combatant submarines of the future.

Emphasis in this design is on small size, greatly increased test depth, active and passive sonar, and proper instrumentation for acoustic and oceanographic research.

When not engaged in obtaining information required for future submarine designs, it will serve as a medium-speed deep weapon impact target for ASW forces. It will be powered by a single screw diesel-electric battery system and will have a single 21-inch torpedo tube. The Navy requires a ship of this type to improve future submarine designs, particularly for operations at great depths.

ONE AUXILIARY SUBMARINE—AG(SS) CONV. "ALBACORE"-COST, $14 MILLION The next ship is the first ship of the conversion program. This is the Albacore. We are converting at a cost of $14 million.

The U.S.S. Albacore (AG (SS)-569) was constructed under the fiscal year 1950 program to develop and test advanced hydrodynamic design features in order to obtain information required for future submarine designs. The result of this work has already been reflected in vast improvements in the submarines now being built.

Included in the fiscal year 1959 program was conversion work to be accomplished on the Albacore in furtherance of this important project. The conversion in the fiscal year 1961 program will provide a contrarotating motor driving two propellers counterrotating about the same axis, and a high capacity silver-zinc storage battery. This new motor will give us data on the results of eliminating noisy reduction gears for application to future nuclear submarines, and together with the new battery will provide much needed data on high-speed cavitationfree propulsion.

FOURTEEN DESTROYERS (CONV. FRAM MK-I)-DD (CONV.)—COST, $142.1 MILLION

The next ships in our program are the destroyers (14) to be converted at a cost of $142.1 million.

These destroyer conversions are a continuation of a 4-year fleet rehabilitation and modernization program (FRAM) commenced last year. They will be overhauled throughly, worn machinery com

ponents replaced, the hulls repaired, and the latest weapons system that they are capable of taking will be installed.

The latest surface and air search radars and electronic countermeasure equipment will be added and improvements will be made in the combat ormation center. By these measures we expect to make them truly effective ASW ships and add about 8 years to their useful life.

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Antisubmarine warfare equipment will include a long range sonar, an antisubmarine rocket launcher, two torpedo launchers, and two drone antisubmarine helicopters. The two forward 5-inch 38 twin dual-purpose batteries will be retained.

Eight conversions of this type were included in the fiscal year 1960 budget, one of which was started in fiscal year 1959. These 14 will give us a total of 22.

This completes the ships in our program, Mr. Chairman.

ONE THOUSAND TONS OF SMALL SERVICE AND LANDING CRAFT-
COST, $2.7 MILLION

In addition, we are asking for a thousand tons of smaller service and landing craft at a cost of $2.7 million. This is a modest replacement program for small service and landing craft needed to provide harbor logistic support to the fleet and landing craft for our amphibious forces. It includes 20 landing craft mechanized (LCM (6)) and 2 large harbor tugs (YTB).

This completes my statement. I will be happy to answer any questions you may wish to ask.

NUCLEAR-POWERED CARRIER

Senator CHAVEZ. Admiral, going back to the carriers, did the Navy make the decision to request a conventional carrier or was it higher authority?

Admiral BEAKLEY. The Navy had a voice in it. It was discussed at great length between the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense; with the Secretary of Defense and the President. It was in this area that the decision was made.

Senator CHAVEZ. You had a voice. You were consulted about it? Admiral BEAKLEY. We had a voice and we were consulted.

Senator CHAVEZ. Did you give your views of the advantages of a nuclear carrier?

Admiral BEAKLEY. Yes, sir; we had ample opportunity to give our views on it, sir.

Senator CHAVEZ. But higher authority prevailed?

Admiral BEAKLEY. Higher authority prevailed; but Admiral Burke, I believe I can speak for him, and I, as the man who handled the shipbuilding program, did not think that the advantages of the nuclear carrier were as great as the greater number of ships we could get for the extra money.

Senator CHAVEZ. You figured that you could get more ships with the same amount of money if you asked for a conventional carrier?

Admiral BEA KLEY. Yes, sir. As I said in my statement, and I say it wholeheartedly, this is not a second-rate carrier. It will be the most modern aircraft carrier we have.

Senator CHAVEZ. What do you think of nuclear carriers for the future?

Admiral BEAKLEY. I think we will come in for nuclear carriers in the future probably, Mr. Chairman.

Senator CHAVEZ. You have nuclear submarines, so why not nuclear carriers?

Admiral BEAKLEY. There is no comparison between the military improvement in a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, or almost any other surface ship, compared with the military advantage that a nuclear submarine has over a conventional submarine.

Senator CHAVEZ. All right, sir. Thank you, sir.

At this point in the record we will insert a statement which reflects the new construction. conversion, and development costs, together with the number of ships that are involved in the fiscal year 1961 shipbuilding and conversion program.

(The statement referred to follows:)