The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-23

American rights that could be designed
by our naval constructors, and by its act
of March 2, 1895, authorized two great ar
mored battle ships, to ultimately cost,
complete, about $5,000,000 each, and to be
invulnerable against the heaviest seago-
ing fighters of any foreign navy.
The specific provision that one of these
vessels should be christened Kearsarge
made all exception to the law stipulating
that ships of this class should be named
for States of the Union, and Congress
alone had power to modify this require
ment. AS no suggestion was made in the
case of the sister ship, the suggestion has
been made that she be called after Secre-
tary Herbert's native State, the other Sec
tons of the country having been remem-
bered in the Oregon, Indiana, Massachu-
sets and Iowa.
This question will not be pressed until
the launching time comes-about two
years hence-and in the meantime in &C
cordance with the usual custom of the
Navy Department, the vessels will be Off
cially known as battleships No. 5 and No.
6. Legislative authority also declared that
one of the vessels should be built On the
Pacific Coast, unless reasonable bids could
not be secured from that locality, and the
limit of cost, exclusive OF armament, was
fixed at 100000.
These being the first great warships de-
signed under the present administration,
it was resolved that no effort should be
spared to make them, without question,
the highest types of their class; and for the
past six months lively controversies have
ragged in the Navy Department over their
smallest details, every portion of the de-
signs having been extensively discussed
by experts, and every advantage of ex-
perience gained from other battleships
constructed both at home and abroad hav-
ing been fully utilized.
One essential requisite laid down by Sec
rotary Herbert was that these vessels
should draw less water when fully laden
than any other first-cIass battle-ship, eth
CT in this country or abroad. The largest
foreign battle-ships, when ready for sea
duty, draw in the neighborheod of twenty
eight feet of water. Our existing battle
ships, while drawing twenty-four feet at
normal displacement, owing to settling by
the stern due to increased weight, really
draw about twenty-seven feet. Battle-ships
5 and have been designed to draw but
twenty-five feet, with 1900 tons Of coal and all
stores and ammunition on board. This will
enable them to reach all OF the principal
navy-yards and ports of the country even
when fully laden. and will make their dock
ing less difficult than that of the other
Am erican battle-ships.
The question of the caliber and DISPOSE
ton of the large guns gave rise to more
4I,a~, 4H,o-
nection with these vessels. Chief Con-
structor Hichborn, who is responsible for
all designs under the new ruling of the
Navy Department, held views differing
radically from those of the Chief of the
Bureau of Ordnance, who designs and
builds the guns. The chief constructor
advocated that the largest guns should be
y inches caliber-four being carried in
two turrets-and that S-inch guns should
be carried in four turrets, making six tur-
rets in ALL The Chief or Ordnance pro-
posed the novel scheme of two double
Gecked turrets on each ship. in the lower
part of which were to be mounted two 10
inch guns, and in the upper part two
8-inch guns, making the heavier battery
consist of four 13-inch and four 8-inch IN
two turrets The department, upon the
majority vote of the council of bureau
chiefs finally adopted this plan, and the b.
inch and 8-inch guns will accordingly be
mounted in double turrets, one rjgidly SUI
perposed upon the other.
These gun positions will be elliptical in
section, with major axes in the line of fire,
and will have complete armor protection |
from a distance of four feet below the |
water line to the top of the 8-inch turrets.
This arrlor, as well as all armor used on |
these vessels, will be solid nickel-steel, |
Harveyized. The lower part of the protec-
ton, the so-called barbettes, as well as
the 13-inch turrets, will have armor fifteen
inches thick, except Immediately in front,
where it will be increased to seventeen
inches. The armor protecting the s-inch
guns will be nine inches, and that also will
De two inches heavier where the guns pro-
Trude.
In addition to these heavy guns bat
tery OF fourteen 5-inch rapid-fre guns will
As mounted On the main deck be tween the