Vinson and the Two-Ocean Navy Act

In the winter of 1939-1940, the US Navy fielded 760,000 tons of combat ships — less than the Royal Navy (1.3 million tons) and the Imperial Japanese Navy (910,000 tons). American doctrine, however, called for readiness to wage simultaneous war in the Atlantic, against Germany, and in the Pacific, against Japan. But the current budget did not allow two fleets to be armed at once.

Carl Vinson, 56, a Georgia Democrat, had chaired the House Naval Affairs Committee since 1931: he was one of the most listened-to voices in the country on naval matters. Together with Admiral Harold Stark, Chief of Naval Operations, he proposed a massive construction programme, the Two-Ocean Navy Act, designed to bring the fleet up to 1.9 million tons in 5 years — enough to operate simultaneously on two oceans.

The programme called for 18 battleships, including those of the Iowa and Montana classes, 11 carriers of the Essex class, 27 cruisers, 115 destroyers, 43 submarines, and 15,000 carrier aircraft, for a budget of 8.5 billion dollars — equivalent to 175 billion today.

All through the winter of 1939-1940, Vinson conducted a relentless lobbying campaign in Congress. The isolationists, gathered around Lindbergh and Senator Borah, opposed it: "we are preparing for war while preaching peace". Roosevelt, for his part, backed the project behind the scenes, without publicity, with the November 1940 presidential election in view.

Vinson had to choose his moment.