The First Cruiser Act modernized presence ships and omitted destroyers

The First Cruiser Act of 1924 authorized added protection and oil-burning conversions for USS New York, USS Texas, USS Florida, USS Utah, USS Arkansas, and USS Wyoming. New York and Texas were also to receive new fire-control systems. The act approved eight scout cruisers and six river gunboats, with high speed and radius of action prioritized for the cruisers' reconnaissance and worldwide presence work. It directed construction toward government yards and the South Charleston naval ordnance plant when cost and capacity allowed. The ships remained subject to the Washington Naval Treaty and could be suspended if a later arms-limitation conference required it. The later London treaty exempted ships below 2,000 tons that could not exceed 20 knots and carried no torpedoes. That left room for more patrol and anti-submarine hulls than Congress ordered. The act met genuine cruiser needs while continuing the pattern of funding visible ships without renewing the destroyer force.