The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-10-03
OUR NEW NAVY.

Rear-Admiral Gherardi who is now rep
resenting the United States navy at the
Cabrllo celebration at San Diego, will on
his return to this port concentrate the mod
ern steel ships of war on this coast and
form them into a squadron of evolution.
The squadron win consist of the Baltimore,
ten guns, under Commander Bridgman; the
San Francisco twelve guns. Captain wat
son; the Charleston, eight guns, captain
Picking; the Boston, eight guns, Captain
Wiltse and the Yorktown. six guns, Com
mander Wildes. This formidable feet will
worthily sustain the credit of the flag wher-
ever it goes.
As soon as the admiral is satisfied with
its performance as squadron Of evolution
it will take its departure for Atlantic waters,
in which next April it will take part 10 the
great naval pageant concentrating the
discovery of the continent by Columbus. IL
is the intention of the Government to invite
foreign maritime nations TO join in that
celebration, and Admiral Gherardi will be
| intrusted with letters of invitation adj
| dressed to all the powers in Central ana
| South America. II is expected that he Will
make quite a stay at Valparaiso, where
mutual interchange of courtesies will effaee
| the bitterness of the late controversy; like
wise at the ports of Brazil, which nation his
a navy of some strength. he will efntt no
port where the moral effect of the exhibit
ton of his feet may hereafter increase
respect for the flag: by the time he sights
| Care Florida on his way to the rendezvous
| all Spanish America viii have learned a
wholesome lesson touching the power OF
! this country.
And yet the ships under Admiral Cher
ardf's command are interior TO the new
We ssels which Congress has authorized and
| which are being built under the auspices OF
| Secretary Tracy. The New York. which is
being built at Philadelphia at a cost of
| So, 1856. 600, has been described by the Secre-
tary as "an unusual combination of great
offensive and equally great defensive
/ power. with high rate OF speed" She can
steam Il, 600 miles without reeOalipg, ''can
escape from any ship more powerful and
overtake the vast majority, certainly % per
| cent of all the ships of the world. naval and
! mercantile" In her main battery she will
carry six S-inch rifles and twelve 4-inch
raDid-fre guns. a new armored cruiser
| fer which Congress has appropriated
| S3,5O0,OO0 for hull and machinery will
be nineteen and half feet longer than the
| New York, and will surpass in speed
| the twenty knots which that vessel is ex-
peeted to cover. Her battery will consist
of eight S-lnch rifles. and twelve 5-ineh
| rapid-fire guns, the battery being mounted
| in barbette turrets protected by armor five
| to eight inches thick. 1t has been said of
the three battIe-ships of the Indiana type
that their equal as fighting ships does not
exist at the present day." But new bat
| tle-ship. of which the plans are not YET COM
| pIeted, will be superior to any one of the
| three.
This vessel is to be $50 feet long by 70
/ feet beam with a displacement of 1880
| tons, slightly less than that of the British
Infexible and about the same as that OF the
| French Amiral Baudin The English ship
carries armor varying from sixteen to
rwenty-four inches in thickness. while the
armor Of the Frenchman is 2f.3 inches.
! Our Indiana carries 1S-inch armOr, which is
| said to be so heavy as TO be Incompatible
/ with speed, and the thickness Will be re-
| duced on the new battles ship. The nOmi-
| nal speed of the Inhexible is given as 1873,
! and that of the Amiral Bardin as fifteen
| knots, but ii is known that neither ship
can accomplish over two-thirds Of this rate.
! Our new battle-shIp will be expected 10
| cover sixteen and half knots on her trial
| trip, which may mean twelve knots in ac-
tuaI service. The heavy battery of the In
| flexible consists of four S0-ton guns, that of
| the Frenchman of three 75-ton guns. 1t is pro-
| posed to arm our new battle-ship with four
| Acton guns, the opinion among gunners
| icing that pieces of larger size cannot be
effective in battle. being likely to tear up
! the deck from which they are fired ana to
burst the plates asunder. The principle is
| that she'll from a 40-ton gun, charged with
] modern high explosives, will do as much
| mischief as shell from 15-inch gun, and
| the recoil will be far less dangerous TO the
vessel which fires it.
| Speed, after all, is The main consideration
| in modern vessels of war. A battle-ship
which can fight or run as she pleases, which
can overtake any enemy and escape from
any enemy according TO her captains judg-
ment Of tie exigeney, is master of the stu
alton. provided, of course, that she carries
a gun that will throw projectile which
may convert the between decks of the enemy
| into sham HES