President Roosevelt asked on 17 July the Navy Department what extra building ways and shop facilities were needed at the navy yards to built each a merchant ship (hospital ship, passenger ship or transport) of 10.000-15.000-20.00 tons. In a memorandum dated 30 July 1937 he got his wanted details. While all naval facilities were in use or obligated by June 1939 there were 6 new building ways needed if 6 merchant ships were to be built. The given costs were if a 20.000 tons ship was to be built, for the 10.000 and 15.000 tons was the building way 400.000 US dollars cheaper except for the yard at New Orleans.
Costs for the naval shipyard at Norfolk for 1 complete building way 1.500.000 US dollars, plant improvements 350.000 US dollars and machine tools 200.000 US dollars, totally 2.050.000 US dollars. The 350.000 US dollars included 50.000 extension of railroad tracks, etc., 200.000 for strengthn pier No. 3 and 2 travelling cranes for it and 100.000 for covered welding platforms.
This shipyard was equipped to built capital ships and smaller vessel. She possessed two building ways, No. 1 with the dimensions 700 x 120 feet suitable for capital ships, needing reconditioning, not used at the moment but possible tender and No. 2 with as dimensions 420 x 50 feet, not used at the moment but could be used for building a destroyer, tug of minesweeper.
Dry dock No. 1 with as dimensions 326 x 56 feet could be used for building a tug or minesweeper, apparently not used that moment. At the moment were 7 destroyers under construction, laid down 2 at the same time in dry dock No. 2 which had a length of 481 feet.
The destroyers under construction were:
Bagley (DD386) afloat, practically completed (1)
Blue (DD387) afloat, 87% complete (2)
Helm (DD388) afloat 81% complete (3)
Rowan (DD405) building in drydock No. 2 11% incomplete, laid on 25 June 1937, completion data 14 June 1938 (4)
Stack (DD406) building in drydock No. 2 11% incomplete, laid on 25 June 1937, completion date 14 August 1938 (5)
Morris (DD417), to be laid down probably in January 1938, completion data 12 August 1939 (6)
Wainwright (DD419), to be laid down probably in January 1938, completion data 12 October 1939 (7)
Drydock No. 3 with as dimensions 732 x 98 feet, not used on that moment, possible tender.
Drydock No. 4 with as dimensions 1.005 x 118 feet, not used on that moment, possible tender.
Drydock No. 6, with as dimensions 471 x 64 feet, not used on that moment, possible minesweeper and tug
Drydock No. 7, with as dimensions 471 x 64 feet, not used on that moment, possible minesweeper and tug
Notes
1. Of the Bagley-class, preceded by Gridley-class, succeeded by Somers-class, laid down on 31 July 1935, launched on 3 September 1936, commissioned on 12 June 1937, decommissioned on 14 June 1946, stricken on 25 February 1947 and sold to be broken up on 8 September 1947.
2. Of the Bagley-class, preceded by Gridley-class, succeeded by Somers-class, laid down on 25 September 1935, launched on 27 May 1937, commissioned on 14 August 1937 and sunk in the Battle of Guadalcanal against the Japanese fleet on 22 August 1942.
3. Of the Bagley-class, preceded by Gridley-class, succeeded by Somers-class, laid down on 25 September 1935, launched on 27 May 1937, commissioned on 16 October 1937, decommissioned on 26 June 1946, stricken on 25 February 1947 and sold to be broken up on 2 October 1947.
4. Of the Benham-class, preceded by Somers-class, succeeded by Sims-class, laid down on 25 June 1937, launched on 5 May 1938, commissioned on 23 September 1939 and torpedoed and sunk by a German E-boat in the Gulf of Salerno bound with a convoy to Oran, Algeria on 11 September 1943.
5. Of the Benham-class, preceded by Somers-class, succeeded by Sims-class, laid down 25 June 1937, launched on 5 May 1938, commissioned on 20 November 1939, used for atomic bomb tests, decommissioned on 29 August 1946, sunk by gunfire near Kwajalein on 24 April 1948, and stricken on 28 May 1948.
6. Of the Sims-class, preceded by Benham-class, succeeded by Benson-class, laid down on 7 June 1938, launched on 1 June 1939, commissioned on 5 March 1940, decommissioned on 9 November 1945, stricken on 28 November 1945 and sold to be broken up on 2 August 1947.
7. Of the Sims-class, preceded by Benham-class, succeeded by Benson-class, laid down on 7 June 1938, launched on 21 June 1939, commissioned on 15 April 1940, decommissioned on 29 August 1946, used for atomic bomb tests, sunk as a target on 5 July 1948 and stricken on 13 July 1948.
Source
Franklin Roosevelt D. Roosevelt Presidential Libray&Museum. Map Navy Department October 1936-1937 FDR’s President’s Secretary’s File (psfc000057).
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