The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-07-21
OUR OCEAN FIGHTERS.
Uncle Sans Navy Has Some of the
hest Built Battleships In
the World.

After two months of almost inces-
SAINT cruising by the ships constituting
the fleets around Cuba, and at times
when many of the vessels were run at
top speed in overhauling merchant
steamers or on scout duty, not single
breakdown of machinery has been re-
ported which could not be effectively
attended to by the machinists on board.
This record is regarded as unparalleled
in the history of great fleet movements
for so extended a period, and confirms
the opinion of naval officers that the
American ships are better than any
afoat of their type and class, from ma
chinery to guns and keelson to fighting
tops.
The strain under which many of the
vessels have been placed has tested
every part of the machinery to its full.
est working capacity. Forced draught
has been used on a number of occa
sions by the smaller cruisers, and the
steam logs show that in several in
stances the little fellows have made
better runs than they were credited
with on theiC official trials. Engineers
of this navy attribute the absence of
serious mishaps to the machinery of
the ships during this period of unusual
activity to the superior workmanship
and the attention given to the vessels
before they were sent south. Hundreds
of thousands of dollars, they say, were
expended in repairing every defect and
In strengthening every part where it was
practicable during the last six months,
so that when the fleets went to Key
West soon after the Maine disaster their
machinery was in as fine trim as it was
possible to be.
The logs of the various ships indi-
cate that the navy has burned more
coal in the gulf since March last than
the whole service consumed almost in
the last six months. Thousands of tons
of coal are being shipped monthly to
Key West, and under contracts this vii!
continue, no doubt, for weeks yet Just
how much the government has paid for
coal SO far is not known to the en-
gineers, but they estimate that it is safe
TO assume not less than 81 ,000. 900 worth
has already been purchased. The con-
slant work required of the vessels,
however. cannot continue indefinitely.
the officials know, without the atten-
ton of a dockyard being given some of
the ships.
AS all the vessels will undoubtedly
be retained in Cuban waters this sum-
mer, the officers of the construction
and steam engineer bureaus are now
specializing as to when it will probably
be necessary to withdraw some of them
for drydocking and repairing their bot
toms. The marine growth of the troD-
ical waters has already had the effect
of reducing the speed of some ships by
at least knot, and within two months
they will be in such condition that
their speed will be greatly impaired.
unless the growth is removed and the
bottoms cleaned and painted The bat
tleships are said to be suffering more
than the other vessels of our fleet, all
of which have been in docks since any
of the big fighters were.
The Iowa has never been locked
since she was commissioned and the
Massachusetts has been afoat now over
year without having her bottom
scraped, except by divers which is not
regarded as an entirely satisfactory
method of getting the barnacles off
The Indiana was in dock at Halifax last
autumn, and the Oregon was in the new
Puget Sound dock some months ago.
The big armored cruisers and many OF
the smaller cruisess will suffer from
foul bottoms this summer. and the of
ticials think it will be necessary to
bring some of them to Port ROYAL at
any time in order to maintain the eff
fectivencss of the fleets.
The Port Royal station has now been
thoroughly equipped to handle the
largest ships and to make any repairs
required. This station, in the event OF
serious damage being sustained by the
ships around Cuba, would be the near
est to- which they could be sent, and
being the only one where battleships
can be locked, becomes now of great
Importance to the navy. Repair shops,
machine quarters, and all necessary
equipment for rendering prompt as
sistance to disabled ships are there,
with a naval constructor in charge and
large forces of skilled machinists and
men of the construction department.
Baltimore American.