Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-01
OUR NAVAL FORCE AS TITS.
The United States at the Foot of the
List of Naval Powers,


structor Wilson estimates the active life
navy as follows: TIE Tennessee the only
one classed as first rate), six months;
the Trenton, Omaha and Vand2lia, second
rates, and the Mohican, third rate, ten
years; the Lancaster and Brooklyn,
second rates, and the Adams, Alli-
ance, Essex, Enterprise, Nipsic,
Tallapoosa, and Yantic, third
rates, six years; the Hartford, Rich
mOnd and Pensacola second rates, and
the Juniata, Ossippe, Quinnebaug,
Swatara, Galena, Marion, lrOquois and
hearsarge, third rates, five years. These,
together with the iron chips Monocacy,
Alert and Ranger, third rates. and the
Michigan, Palos and Pinta, fourth rates,
constitute the available fighting force OF
the present navy. The most powerful Of
their weapons are the converted guns.
having range of perhaps two miles
excellent arms for operations against
wooden ships and ancient fortiiica-
tions, or for Smelling towns. but
inefficient against the modern arm0r.
The very best of these ships is held
by our naval authorizes TO be far behind
the times as reliance for offense or de-
Tense in actual warfare. The list OF IRON
ciads comprises more than dozen mont
tors, but none of them is ia condition fol-
service at this time.
With this showing the United States ia
placed by her own authorities at the foot
of the list OF naval powers IN the essential
matters OF ships and guns, there being
three South American, two Asiatic, and
fifteen or sixteen European powers which
outrank us. That portion OF our pros
pecttV9 new navy whose Construc-
ton has already been sane
toned by Congress- numbers
eighteen ships of all classes, to cost an
aggregate of something more than $780,
000000, and the last OF which, barring ac-
cldents or the failure Of appropriations,
is expected to be ati0at four years hence
They are required to be built entirely of
metal, and no device known and ap-
proved al the date OF their planning to
secure efficiency as fighting machines has
been or is to be Omitted in their cOnstruc-
ton. Their armament throughout will he
of the modern high-Powered guns, the
largest weapons at present contemplated
being the twelve-iuch hreech- loading rifle,
carrying missile which weighs more
than 800 pounds and requiring more than
400 pounds of powder for each discharge.
The theoretical range OF such weapons is
about twelve miles, but difficulties in the
matter of elevation and otherwise serve
to reduce this somewhat in practice.
Seven of these ships are to be armored,
the heaviest probably carrying sixteen
inches of steel as a projection. Three
will be protected cruisers'-tbat is, YES
sells whose thick lower decks Of steel dip
their edges below the wafer line and serve
az protection to the machinery, maya
zines, and other vital parta OF the vessels.
The others will be four sreel cruisers, two
gun boats, one tirst-class torpedo boat,
and one dynamite gun cruiser. OF the
steel cruisers the Dolphin, 800 tons dis
placement, is already completed and re-
ceiving her armament. Tne Atlanta,
5000 tons, is on her trial trip aud hef ar
mament is being tested, while the Boston,
5000 tons, and the Chicago, 4 800, are we'll
advanced IN construction,
Five of the arm0red vessels are of the
double turret monitor class, each designed
to carry four heavy high-powered guns,
throw wing 5O0-pcuhd shells with possible
range of ten miles. These ships were
planned ten years ago. Doubtless If
planned to-day some change would be
made, but they are nevertheless spoken Of
by Commodore Wilson in his last annual
report as the best type of coast and har-
Dor defense vessels in existence. Though
not designed tor cruising, they can in
emergencies be sent abroad. their sea-
worthiDess having been we'll tested in the
past. Congress has now supplied the
means for finishing these ships, and the
work is progressing rapidly. The Mian-
tOnomoh, 1915 tons, will be ready for SER
vice this year; the Puritan, 6 900 tons, has
her engines in place, and is nearly ready
for her armor, while the Terror, Amphi-
trite and MOnsdnOck, 3.8l5 tons each, are
now receiving their machinery.
The other two armored ships have not
yet entered upon their first stage of eX-
isfpnpa THAR pOnsfrnpfiOn nnvfpp 0n1v
been authorized by Congress at the end
Of its last session. They are TO be of6.000
tons displacement, to have double bot
toms, engines designed to drive them at q
speed OF sixteen knots an hour, and COM
plete torpedo outfits and armaments OF
the most effective kind, and are to cost
not more than $2.500,000 each. In the
mere matter of displacement these ships
will exceed by nearly one.f0urth the best
and largest of our present naval vessels,
while in speed and effectiveness they are
intended to compare lavorably with the
better class of European cruising war
ships.
The dynamite gun cruiser will be nov
city, comparable probably to nothing now
in existence. The Secretary Of the Navy
is authorized to make contract with its
inventors tor its construction, and the
department Will have little or nothing to
90 with the WCrk beyond passing lu0g-
ment upon the plans in advance, and the
result at its completion. The conditions
imposed by the act OF Congress coutem-
plate the construction of a vessel 1870 feet
long, proportionately very narrow, and OF
very light drausht, with exceedingly
powerful engines, guaranteed to be capa-
Bile of producing a speed of twenty knots.
In brief, the plans of this craft are under
stood to look TO the placing of the ma
cninery and other ordinary applia1 ces OF
the ship toward the bow ana stern, leav-
ing the region amidships for the maQa-
ZINES and pneumatic guns, the latter
being fixed in position and having high
elevation. The dynamite missiles will be
thrown like bombs from an ordinary
mortar.
With all these vessels afioat the United
States rs naval power viii outrank
Brazil, Chill, the Argentine Republic,
China. Japan, Greece, Norway, Portugal
and Sweden, and will be abreast OF Tur-
KEY, Spain, Holland and Denmark. she
will still be Outranked by England.
France, Germany, Austria, Italy aud
Russia.