The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-08-30
OUR NENNAVAL PROGRAM
FIFTEEN WARSHIPS TO BE BEGUN
AT ONCE.
Must be of Great Speed and Coal Ca
pacity-The Pacific to be the Scene
of Future Naval Operations.

NEW YORK, August 1S.-A special
to the Tribune from Washington TO-
day says
A naval program for presentation
to Congress, involving the immediate
construction of fifteen warships, has
been adopted by the naval board OF
experts, to whom the subject has Just
been referred by Secretary Long. 1t
provides for three sea going barbette
turret battleships of 10000 tons dis
placement and minimum of eigh-
teen and one-eighth knots speed when
the vessels are loaded to their deepest
draught, or an average speed of about
nineteen knots under ordinary cruis-
ing conditions; three first class ar
mored cruisers of $4,000 tons and of
twenty-five knot speed; three second
class protected and armored cruisers
of 5000 tons displacement and twenty
Knots speed similar to the Maine
type, but highly improved, and six
protected cruisers of $500 tons and
sixteen knots speed.
The reduced speed of the ships
! which is uniformly about two knots
less than that proposed at the pre-
liminary meeting of the board Tues
day, was brought about by the desire
to secure unprecedented range of ac-
ton on account of the increased re-
sponsibilities of the United States In
the Pacific and the certainty that
these vessels. or the most of them,
would be required to make up the
fleet in that ocean. The sacrifice of
speed to enduring was made with the
view of securing vessels of at least
o,OOO knots radius, or capable of stea-
ming straightaway from San Francis
co to Manila and Samoa. The board
decided that the Pacific rather than
the Atlantic would be the seat of ma
val operations in the future. and that
while great sacrifices to the speed
could be made to the vessels attached
to the outer line of national defenses
on the east coast of the United States,
about normal coal capacity and high
economy were prime requirements as
long as distant possessions to the far
westward required protection. All
the vessels, however, will be as spec |
dy as the fastest vessels now build
ing abroad, and they will be eminent
~ more practicable in enduring. in
strength and in formidability.
The main battery of each of the bat
tleships will be composed of four 12- |
inch rifles in turrets on the center
line fore and aft, similar to those of
the Iowa, and the secondary batteries
will mount fourteen and sixteen rapid |
fire 6-inch guns. In addition to these
there will be unusually large auXilia- |
ry batteries of assorted FOUNDER sizes. |
both quick fire and semi-automatic. |
The 13- inch guns of earlier battle |
ships have been put aside in the new
designs on account of their great
weight and because it will be neces-
sary to increase materially the |
length of the 12-inch caliber to meet |
the requirement that smokeless pow
der is exclusively to be used hereafter
in the navy.
The frst-class cruisers will be
covered with heavy armor from bow
to stern, and will be fitted with four
S-inch guns in turrets and ten
twelve 6-inch rifles in broadside.
These are to be superior in every way
to ships afioat in the world today.
The second-class cruisers, as at first
proposed, were to be of 5000 tons each
but the board added 1000 tons to them
to be utilized wholly in coal carrying
capacity. They will have two S-inch
guns and ten to twelve 5-inch rapid
fire guns. The details of the six small
Ter vessels are not yet determined up
on, as all the energies of the board
were first directed to the heavier YES
sells.
All the ships will be sheathed. They
will all have quadruple expansion en-
gines and water tube boilers and,
with the exception of the smaller {
craft, they will be equipped with un-
Ter water torpedo tubes I
The smaller cruisers will have n 1
steaming radius of $4,000 knots at
rate. The second class will l
nearly approach this radius. The first
,lassscruisers will be able to go TO-
200 knots, and minimum of 5000 4
Knots is fixed for the battle ships. [
The board also took under advise
nent the construction of two troop
ships, each capable of transporting a
'egiment of 1900 men with officers.
arms, ammunition, equipment and
supplies. 1t is proposed, if Congress
,urns over to the navy the response
1ility of transporting troops accord
ng to the established usage in Eng :
and and in other foreign military
powers of great experience that mod
I'm armed vessels constructed solely
or the purpose and carrying military /
orces shall be promptly built 1t Is
lrgued that such vessels will be in
lispensible, not only in the Pacific
or changing the garrisons at Hawaii !
nd Manila, occasionally, but also for
'orto Rico and Cuba.
About one month ago my child,
Which is fifteen months old had an