Closely tied to the fleet at Hawait is the small fleet now stationed In the Far East—actually only a detachment—consisting of one cruiser, one Squadron of over-age destroyers, one flotilla of over-age submarines and one over-age aircraft carrier.
In the event of war, this weak detachment would be called upon to perform a heroic task—to fight a dê- laying action against an enemy attempting to occupy the Philippines until our main fleet could arrive.
At present, so far as is known due to Japanese naval secrecy, our navy has a numerical superiority of 15 to Japan's 9 battleships. We have only equality, if not less, in cruisers, aircraft carriers, modern destroyers and submarines.
Japan's naval advantage lies prin: cipally in having her fleet concentrated where she has decided all her wars will be fought—in the Orient—where she, therefore, has applied herself to' construct' many well secreted bases for warships and air; craft to support naval and air offend
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.