Naval Act of 1938
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| Other short titles | Second Vinson Act |
|---|---|
| Long title | An Act to establish the composition of the United States Navy, to authorize the construction of certain naval vessels, and for other purposes. |
| Nicknames | Navy Construction Act of 1938 |
| Enacted by | the 75th United States Congress |
| Effective | May 17, 1938 |
| Citations | |
| Public law | Pub. L. 75–528 |
| Statutes at Large | 52 Stat. 401, Chap. 243 |
| Codification | |
| Titles amended | 34 U.S.C.: Navy |
| U.S.C. sections amended | 34 U.S.C. §§ 498, 498a, 498c–k, 749b |
| Legislative history | |
| |
The Naval Act of 1938, known as the Second Vinson Act, was United States legislation enacted on May 17, 1938, that "mandated a 20% increase in strength of the United States Navy".[1] It represented the United States' response to the Japanese invasion of China, the German annexation of Austria[2] and the disintegration of the naval treaty system established in 1922 when both Japan and Italy refused to sign the Second London Naval Treaty of 1936.
The act was sponsored by Carl Vinson, a Democratic Congressman from Georgia who was Chairman of the House Naval Affairs Committee. It updated the provisions of the Vinson-Trammell Act ("First Vinson Act") of 1934 and the Naval Act of 1936, which had "authorized the construction of the first American battleships in 17 years" (six battleships were authorised under the 1934 Act – BB-55 to BB-60), based on the provisions of the London Naval Treaty of 1930.[1][3] The 1938 Act specifically authorised the construction of 105,000 tons of battleships (the first three Iowa-class ships were built under this authorisation), 40,000 tons of aircraft carriers (expended on Hornet), 68,754 tons of cruisers (expended on 4 Cleveland and 4 Atlanta-class light cruisers), 38,000 tons of destroyers (remained unexpended [citation needed]) and 13,658 tons of submarines (eight vessels were built under this authorisation – SS-204 to SS-211), together with various smaller vessels. It was followed by the Two-Ocean Navy Act of 1940.
Extract of 17 May 1938 Act
"...In addition to the tonnages of the United States Navy as agreed upon and established by the treaties signed at Washington,… and at London,… the authorized composition of the United States Navy in under-age vessels is hereby increased by the following tonnages;
- (a) Capital ships, one hundred and five thousand tons…. Provided, that vessels of tonnages in excess of thirty-five thousand tons each may be laid down if the President determines … that the interests of national defense so require, in which event the authorized composition of the United States Navy of capital ships is hereby increased … making a total authorized underage tonnage of six hundred and sixty thousand tons;
- (b) Aircraft carriers, forty thousand tons, making a total authorized underage tonnage of one hundred and seventy-five thousand tons;
- (c) Cruisers, sixty-eight thousand seven hundred and fifty-four tons, making a total authorized underage tonnage of four hundred and twelve thousand five hundred and twenty-four tons;
- (d) Destroyers, thirty-eight thousand tons, making a total authorized underage tonnage of two hundred and twenty-eight thousand tons;
- (e) Submarines, thirteen thousand six hundred and fifty-eight tons, making a total authorized underage tonnage of eighty-one thousand nine hundred and fifty-six tons."[4]
The United States Navy fleet in 1938
- 2 Lexington-class (70,000t)
- Ranger (15,000t)
- 2 Yorktown-class (40,000t)
- Wasp (15,000t)
total aircraft carrier tonnage: 140,000t
- 2 Pensacola, 6 Northampton, 2 Portland, 7 New Orleans, Wichita
total heavy cruiser tonnage: roughly 180,000t
- 9 Brooklyn-class (some under construction)
- 10 Omaha-class
total light cruiser tonnage: roughly 160,000t
- 48 1500-ton destroyers built to the limit (72,000t)
- 13 1850-ton destroyers built to the limit (24,050t)
- 20 sub 3000-ton destroyers (32,040t) (category result of the Second London Treaty)
total destroyer tons: 128,090t
all Clemson-class and earlier destroyers were over-age at this point from the standpoint of the treaties, but not decommissioned from the navy
88 of 156 Clemson-class destroyers (exclusive of hull numbers 191, 192, 212, 238, 261, 262, 271, 272, 275 - 304, 306 - 335): 106,920t
See also
References
- ^ a b J. David Rogers, "Development of the World's Fastest Battleships", The Second Vinson Act (1938), accessed August 8, 2012
- ^ Elmer Belmont Potter, Nimitz (Naval Institute Press, 1976)), 169
- ^ "Vinson-Trammell Act of 1934 – P.L. 73-135" (PDF). 48 Stat. 503 ~ House Bill 6604. Legis Works. March 27, 1934. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 3, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ Pub.L. 75–528 (PDF)
Sources
- United States Congress. "Carl Vinson (id: V000105)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
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