Blast from the Past: ‘Two Ocean Navy Expansion Act’
It was on this day in 1940 that President Roosevelt signed the ‘Two Ocean Navy Expansion Act’, an American Act of Congress which increased the size of the United States Navy by 70%. Triggered by the entrance of German troops into Paris, this officially became the biggest naval acquisition bill in the history of the U.S. and the first step in readying America for WWII in the battle against Germany and Japan. Only a month in the making, the request for four billion dollars from Congress was put in by Chief of Naval Operations Harold Stark on June 17 1940. The move not only increased the combat fleet but also resulted in an additional 257 ships, including 2 Iowa class battleships, 5 Montana class battleships, 43 submarines and 115 destroyers making the U.S.N. a true force to be reckoned with and an entity Cockpit USA is proud of to this day!
