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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Admiral Sir Dudley R. S. De Chair, to First Sea Lord Admiral Sir John R. Jellicoe

TELEGRAM            No. 66.

From: Naval Attache, Washington       Date 25.5.17 [25 May 1917]

To                                                R. 2.40 p

Ec.1

66. Following from Admiral de Chair for First Sea Lord

Your 1840 May 1st and telegram May 23rd. Shipping Controller General Goethals2 who is now practically in complete charge ship construction here states New Port News only yard which could <build> 35000 ton ships and it is congested at present. It would take 18 months to lay down plant and slips for big ships and then ?another 12 months before vessels could be completed. All other yards ?(are) taken up with capital ships alreadylaid down or to be laid down for U.S. Navy.

Source Note: Cy, UK-KeNA, Adm. 137/655. There is a columnar list (without punctuation) at the bottom of the cable copy giving who in the British Admiralty received this cable. That list includes “1st S.L (i.e. First Sea Lord)."

Footnote 1: This means that cipher “Ec.” was used to encode this letter.

Footnote 2: Gen. George W. Goethals, General Manager and Director, Emergency Fleet Corporation.

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