Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-01-08
BATTLE SHIPS.
Our Ships will for Many Years Rank as
Ftrst-CIass Vessels

In the November issue of CASTER
| magazine, the new engineering pubIica-
ton, William Kent says: One of the
! main arguments advanced against build
ing battle ships IN this country has bee.
that they would soon become absolute.
Ihls argument has probably now no foun
datlon, and we may be reasonably sure
that the 5000 or 10000 ton vessel will re
| tam many years the position Of the first
class vessel. The idea has been advanced
by some writers that because no armor
| which can be doated can be made impen
etrable, therefore army vessels will some
| day be dispensed with. Just as armCr for
| the human body was dispensed with after
the Invention Of gunp0wder aud the use
OF musket-balls which could penetrate it.
But the conditions are altogether different.
| A man cannot carry arm0r heavy enough
! TO resist riAe-ball, while a vessel can car
ry armor heavy enough to resist all
but the heaviest guns; without any
armor the largest vessel would be sunk in
a few minutes by the sweeping fire OF a
rapid-fring gun of the Hotchkiss or SINH
lar pattern. Armor Of some kind is ther,
fore necessity, and a compromise must
| be made between a fight armOr of modern
resisting powers and trnorEto heavy t.
be carried Twelve inches of nickel steel
| Or steel Of other kind with hard face. Is
probably the best compromise under the
circumstance.
The battle ship is defined as a vessel
which can 60 anywhere and do anything
1t Is not possible for il. however, to %
anywhere at the highest speed attaine
by vessels of ano1h class. nor do any
thing In the highest degree in which any
thing can be done, as to carry the same
time the heaviest possible armor aud the
heaviest possible guns. She must leave
the highest speed to the protected cruiser
and commerce destroyer, and the heaviest
armor and guns to the slow-speed c)ast-
defense vessel. She must have cOll-c 4rrv.
ing capacity to enable her to go anywhere,
and fighting power enough to never need
to run away. These conditions are all
met In our own new battle ships, and we
therefore may cons ldar them fxel type.
In the other class of war ship, how 7ver.
the coast defense vessel, neither the United
States nor any foreign p5wer has yet APP
preached the probable limit. The duty of
this vessel should be to stay at the outer
entrance IT a harbor and prevent the en-
trance of a foreign battle ship. she
should have the largest guns that can be-
carried and fired without destroying than
selves or the ship, and armor that would
resist steady fire from a feet of battle
ships just as our monitors during the war
resisted the fire of the old smooth bore
cast. iron guns. Such vessel requires
but slow speed and little Goa capacity,
therefore nearly all her floating power can
be devoted to carry ing armor and guns.
One or two vessels of this class stationed
at Sandy Hook, together with a steel fort
on the Hook, would be the surest defense
of the port OF New York. 1t is to be
hoped Tat as our COVER has made a
good beginning in the building of the
classes of battle ships and cruisers, in each
case building close to the practical limits
OF good construction, it will soon make an
attempt to approach the limit which has
never yet been reached of good colst-de-
Tense vessel.