Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-03-30
Our Navy of To-Day.

OursNavy Of To-Day.
Gen. Tracy's assertion, at Brooklyn,
that with the completion of the war
ships now under construction the
American navy will rank fifth, instead
of only twelfth, as it did a few years
ago, among the navies of the world, is
fully borne out by the new Register.
recently issued.
Taking together the ships built and
building, we have, to begin with, six
steel armored battle ships, the Iowa,
Indiana, Massachusetts, Oregon, Maine,
and Texas. The Iowa is a seagoing
ship of about IL, 900 tons displacement,
the largest in our navy. She will have
a maximum sustaina3fspeed of sixteen
knots, and nick1e-stee1 Harveyed
armor, fourteen inches thick on the
sides and twelve inches on the diagon-
ais at the ends, while her battery will
consist of four 12-inch, eight 8-inch,
and six finch guns, these last being
rapid fire. Her forward heavy guns
are at greater height than those of
the three coast-line battle ships, and
can be worked in almost any condition
of sea, and her water-lin belt is more
than one-fourth longer than theirs.
But the three coast-line battle ships,
Indiana, Massachusetts, and Oregon,
though having less coal endurance and
less speed than the Iowa, are unsur-
passed for their purpose. They are
each of 10, 200 tons displacement, and
will have Is knots sea speed. They
carry Is inches of nlckle-steel armor
on the sides, II on the barbettes, and
Is on the turrets. Each will have the
unequalled battery of four 13-inch,
eight S-inch, and four 6-inch guns, be-
sides in the secondary battery "a small
rapid-fire guns and four Gatlings. 1t
is on the weight of fire in these battle
ships that Mr.. Tracy largely rests his
claim of our approaching superiority to
| the German fleet. The Maine and
| Texas are seccnd-class battle ships,
| well armored and armed, and of the
high speed of II knots. Each carries
y inches of armor on the sides, and
the Maine, which is of 3,64S tons dis
placement, has II inches on her bar
bettes and 8 inches on her turrets,
while the Texas, of 6, 800 tons displace.
ment, carries IL inches on her turrets.
The Maine has four 10-inch and six
6-inch guns, with Is rapid-fire pieces
and four Gatlings; the Texas, two
12-inch and six 6-inch rifles, 16 rapid
fire guns, four revolving cannon, anG
two Gatlings.
Next come our two great armored
cruisers. The New York, of 8, $50 tons
displacement and 16, 500 horse power
will have speed of twenty knots
Her barbettes carry ten inches o
armor, her turrets five and a half, ano
sides four. Six S-inch and twelve
finch rapid-6re guns make up hel
main battery, and in the secondary are
twelve small rapid-ire guns and foul
Gatlings. The Brooklyn, of 8. $50 tons
and about the same speed, will carry
eight 8-inch and twelve 5-inch rapid
fire guns, sixteen smaller rapid-fire
guns, and four Gatlings. She will
have nearly 80 per cent. more bunker
capacity and 20 per cent. more coal
supply at normal displacement than the
New York. These are fine ships.
The third type of our armorclads con-
sists of the Puritan, Miantonomoh, Am
phitrite, Monadnock, and Terror, five
iron, low freeboard, coast-defence,
|double-turreted monitors. The Puri-
tan, of 5000 tons and 12.4 knots speed.
carries IA inches of armor on her sides
and barbettes and 8 inch on her turrets,
while she has four 12-inch and six rap
id-fire 4-inch guns in her main battery,
besides six small rapid-fre gums, four
revolving cannon, and four Gatlings.
The other four monitors are of $500
tons each. The Monadnock will have
the highest speed, 144 knots, and the