US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

112 Anzpbibians Came To Conquer
on the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in September 1931, the threatened
withdrawal of Germany from the conference which actually took place in
September 1932, and the absence of the largest land power nation in Europe,
the Soviet Union, from membership in the League of Nations.
The world-wide economic depression was having a significant effect in
every democratically run country in reducing the willingness of the peoples
representatives to spend tax money on armaments. The United States Navy
was enduring markedly reduced steaming and training activity. A large
number of the ships were sitting day after day alongside of docks in Navy
yards in “rotating reserve.” The small nucleus of professional officers and
men had their low pay further cut, the first year by 8.33 percent and then,
the next year by 12.5 percent.
This period was remembered as somber and depressing,
Forced by this circumstance [the depression] to effect rigid economies, the
expansion of naval aviation was slowed, the aircraft inventory was barely
sufficient to equip operating units, research and development programs
suffered, and operations were drastically Curtailed.*oo
The Bureau of Aeronautics was asked to keep the budget inside 32 million
for 1932.101
However, there were two important advances in making naval aviation
an integral part of the U. S. Fleet. Toward the end of Commander Turner’s
detail in aviation planning, the keel for the USS Ranger (CV-4), first ship
of the U, S. Navy to be designed and constructed as an aircraft carrier, was
laid down, September 1931, and the underway recovery of seaplanes by
battleships and cruisers became a reality through planned development of
the towing sled.
Equally important was the new policy, enunciated in November 1930 by
the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral W. V. Pratt, 16 months after
Commander Turner took over the Plans Division, by which the majority of
large naval air stations were assigned to and operated under Fleet command
instead of under Shore and Bureau of Aeronautics command.
Admiral Turner felt that he had been most fortunate to have been picked
in 1931 for the technical advisor detail at Geneva. It gave him the opportunity
to work closely with Ambassador Hugh Gibson and with the diplo-
matically trained members of the General Board, such as former Command-
ers in Chief of the Asiatic Fleet, Admirals Mark L. Bristol and Charles B.
W NAVWEPtiO-80P-1, p. 65.
‘mTrumbull and Lord, p. 276.