The Naval Act of 1938, often called the Second Vinson Act, added 38,000 tons of destroyers and raised total authorized under-age destroyer tonnage to 228,000 tons. At an intended 1,500 tons per ship, that represented roughly 150 destroyers. The same legislation and earlier authority also produced imposing cruiser and submarine totals on paper. Those figures described ships approved for construction rather than hulls ready for sea. Several Gleaves-class ships did not commission until 1943, five years after the act. Long-inactive yards, limited slips, and a rebuilding workforce constrained the pace even after money became available. The gap between authorization and delivery left the Navy short of modern escorts when it entered the Pacific War.
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The Naval Act of 1938 authorized more than industry could deliver quickly
The Second Vinson Act raised authorized destroyer tonnage to 228,000 tons, but authorization outpaced the yards and workforce needed to put those ships into service.