Naval Act of 1938


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", allocating $1.09 billion for it. It represented the United States' response to the Japanese invasion of China, the German annexation of Austria 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 of 1934 and the Naval Act of 1936, which had "authorized the construction of the first American battleships in 17 years", based on the provisions of the London Naval Treaty of 1930. The 1938 Act specifically authorised the construction of 105,000 tons of battleships, 40,000 tons of aircraft carriers, 68,754 tons of cruisers, 38,000 tons of destroyers and 13,658 tons of submarines, 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;
  • 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;
  • Aircraft carriers, forty thousand tons, making a total authorized underage tonnage of one hundred and seventy-five thousand tons;
  • 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;
  • Destroyers, thirty-eight thousand tons, making a total authorized underage tonnage of two hundred and twenty-eight thousand tons;
  • 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."

The United States Navy fleet in 1938

  • 2
  • 2
total aircraft carrier tonnage: 140,000t
  • 2, 6, 2, 7,
total heavy cruiser tonnage: roughly 180,000t
  • 9
  • 10
  • * and were over-age at this point as per the provisions of the London Naval Treaty
  • *, and would become over-age in 1941 and replacement keels could be laid down 3 years prior to that
total light cruiser tonnage: roughly 160,000t
  • 48 1500-ton destroyers built to the limit
  • * 8, 18, 4, 8, 10
  • 13 1850-ton destroyers built to the limit
  • * 8, 5
  • 20 sub 3000-ton destroyers
  • * 12
  • * 8 /
total modern destroyer tons: 128,090t
88 of 156 s : 106,920t
Thus the only actual construction made possible by the act was the construction of. Every other category of ships was already mandated to be built up over time to the maximum allowed under-age tonnage by the first Vinson Act of 1934. Older vessels could be retained in active service longer and the size to which to build up to eventually was now increased for destroyers, submarines and cruisers.

Implementation

Contracts suggest that and the first four light cruisers were ordered immediately by the White House, with the remaining cruiser tonnage expended on 2 light cruisers in both FY40 and FY41 ordered by congress as part of the regular schedule. Destroyer and Submarine procurement also appears to have progressed at regular levels with vessels continuing to be ordered by annual Defense Authorization Acts.
Only two of the three authorized battleships and only eight destroyers were ordered in fiscal year 40. The increase in fleet strength was thus in part actual and short-term and in part nominal and medium-term.