Word: mosquito
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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...Navy Department in Washington, a small war went on last year. Shy but stubborn Acting Secretary of the Navy Charles Edison, who inherited the experimental instinct from his great father, Thomas Alva Edison, wanted the Navy to try out small, speedy, motor torpedo boats and submarine chasers. Motored "mosquito boats"* and subchasers did perilous and effective duty along European coasts during War I, afterward were further developed by the British and Italians. Grey, stubborn Admiral William Daniel Leahy, who until last June was Chief of Naval Operations, stuck by his principle that the Navy should aim to do its fighting...
Most Naval officers sided with the Admiral. They still had tongues in cheek when Charles Edison finally had the Navy award prizes for the best U. S. mosquito and subchaser designs (TIME, April 10), later let contracts to U. S. manufacturers for four 110-to 174-foot chasers eight 59-to 81-foot mosquitoes. Last week the Navy's Brass Hats ate crow. They conceded that: 1) their civilian Secretary was right, and 2) they now had to turn to the British for the best mosquito boats...
Great Britain's famed, red-haired racer and designer, Hubert Scott-Paine, last September demonstrated a 70-foot, triple-engined mosquito which could lug two torpedo tubes, two guns, a crew of 16, at 47 knots (54.1 miles) per hour-well above the best speeds expected from the U. S. boats still abuilding. For eleven mosquitoes and twelve subchasers based on "Ginger Dick" Scott-Paine's designs, the Navy last week let a $5,000,000 contract to the Electric Boat Co., which makes most of the Navy's submarines. When these and the twelve...
...planes are good, their pilots well trained in Ethiopia and Spain, but production is handicapped at all times because of lack of raw materials. On sea, Italy has cruisers (21 in commission, twelve abuilding) that are among the fastest in the world, a big destroyer and submarine fleet, plus mosquito-boats manned by daredevils, all of which makes Italy an ugly foe to fight in the western Mediterranean. Hero of the Italian navy is Rizzo, motorboat commander who sank an Austrian dreadnought in the World War 21 years ago. June 10, the anniversary of that day will be celebrated throughout...
Under "National Defense," TIME, April 10 issue, appears an article on the recent Navy Design Competition for boats of the so-called "Mosquito Fleet." I am greatly surprised see TIME exploiting one major award winner, casually mentioning another, and leaving out the other three entirely...