Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-10-01
TO JOIN THE NAVY
Launch Of the Battleship Illinois
Next Tuesday.
OUR BIGGEST FIGHTING MACHINE
Will Rank With Any Others in
Matter Of Speed.
FINE SEAGOING WEIR S

The biggest. most powerful and probably
the most generally effective battle ship in
the United States navy will glide off the
ways at the yard of the Newport News
Shipbuilding Company Tuesday at IL
o clock. This will be the Illinois, which
is expected by the naval designers to be a
worthy godchild of the state whose name
she bears. Larger by a thousand tons
than the Oregon. larger than the Iowa,
now the biggest battle ship in service, the
Illinois is still so designed that she will
be abe to enter any harbor open to the
smaller battle ships, while in the matter
of speed she will rank with any Of them.
The most striking difference between the
Illinois and the battle ships now in ser
vice is the high freeboard of the former.
enabling her to fight her guns from their
great elevation above the water in seas SO
heavy that the guns of the lower vessels
would be submerged and useless. Splendid
sea-gong powers are also expected to re-
suit from this increased freeboard, by
which is meant the height of the hull above
the water line.
Some of the details of the great ship,
which vary in many important particulars
from the existing types, are given in the
following description, prepared by Chief
Constructor Hichborn: n
Dimensions.
The rensions of the Illinois are as fol-
lows: Length on load water line, 36S feet;
beam, extreme Y feet M inches; draft on
normal displacement of II ,525 tons. q feet
6 inches; maximum displacement, all am
munition and stores on board, 1925 tons;
maximum indicated horse power (estimated),
10.O0o; probable speed, 131a knots; normal
coal supply 800 tons; coal supply. loose
storage, LOO tons; full bunker capacity,
1.4OO to 1900 tons; complement Of officers
10; seamen. marines, etc, 443.
The main battery will consist of four 13
inch, breech-load ding rifles. In Hichborn bal
anced turrets, oval in shape. and placed in
the center line of the vessel. and fourteen
6-inch rapid fire guns. The secondary bat
terry will consist of sixteen 6-pounder, rap
id-fre guns, four 1-pounder. rapid-tire guns,
two Colt guns and two field guns. She will
carry four torpedo tubes. The 13-inch guns
have an arc of fire Of LBS degrees on each
side of the center line, and the 6-inch an
arc of % degrees on the broadside. with
the advantage of those on the upper deck
of direct fire ahead and astern- Any in
jury to near either of these 6-inch guns
will be confined to Its own compartments, as
a 1ta-inch steel splinter bulkhead separates
each of these guns from its neighbor.
Armor.
The armor belt, which extends from the
stem to abaft the after turret is to be 1871
inches thick at the top and 913 inches thick
at the bottom, except at the forward end,
where it will be tapered to inches at the
stem. This belt armor VIII extend from
feet below the normal load line to 3R
feet above Il. and will maintain the full
thickness amidships between the turret and
for the distance occupied by the engines
and boilers. Diagonal armor, II inches
thick. connecting this belt .armor and bar
bettes. and extending from the slopes of
protective deck to top of the side belt on
each side, is worked to give protection from
rakng fire. Abaft the after turret the
protection will be completed by thickening
the protective deck to inches the
slopes, with 2a inches on the fiat. On the
slopes of this deck forward it Is 3sinches
thick and 2& inches on the fiat The armor
on the 13-inch gun turrets will be II inches
on the front and 10 inches on the rear and
sides, while on the barbettes for these tur-
rets. which are circular in shape, will be
Is inches on the front and 10 inches on the
rear and sides The sides of the vessel
above the belt armor in wake of the 6-inch
battery, and forming the casemate will be
armored with 51a inches of steel. extending
between the turrets with diagonal armor
of same thickness at ~ ends, connecting
with the barbettes, and worked above the
12-inch diagonal armor below
Compartments.
She will be protected against the entrance
of water, in case of injury to the side, at
the water line. by cofferdams extending for
having a general width of three feet, with a
total capacity of about - 500 cubic feet, for
stowage Of fireproofed corn-pith cellulose.
Independent of the numerous small water
tight pockets cells forming the entire
scheme of cofferdams, the inner bottom and
hold, the platforms, splinter and berth
decks, divided into between two hun
dred and three hundred water-tight COM
partments, both for the accommodation of
the motive power and the stowaee of coal,
provisions, ammunition and other stores,
and also for the preservation of the ship in
the event of rupture of the outer skin, or
injury in battle. All these many compart-
ments are provided with pipes connecting
with powerful steam pumps, for the pur-
pose of removing any water that may get
in them either from accident or design
Arrangements are also madh for flooding
all ammunition rooms In the, event OF hre
on board the vessel All these compart-
ments. together with all living spaces.
state rooms, etc. OCCUPIED BY the officers
or crew, have special pipes or ducts ar
ranged with view of supplying fresh air
to the occupants, and to make the tempera-
ture of all store rooms, even in the most
remote parts of the vessel, comfortable and
healthy: These pipes all connect with pow
erful blowers which draw fresh air by
means of ventilators extending from ten to
twenty feet above the ships deck.
The forward coming tower armor Will he
IN thickness ten inches, oval in shape. size
in the clear by II feet with an armored
tube inches thick extending down to the
protective deck, to house all wires or other
means of interior communication. SO that
the officer coming the vessel in action can
be In &C instant and safe Communication with
all parts of the vessel An after coming
or signal tower is also provided, having
an inside diameter Of 6 feet and thick
ness of inches.
The turrets will be operated by electric
power. also the ammunition hoists. and
the dynamo and auxiliary blow ers for ven-l
tilating purposes.
Auxiliary Engines.
There will be some eghty-odd auxiliary
engines in the vessel, thus adding greatly
to the efficiency of the ship in the CELEBRITY
and certainty with which the work can be
done. The cranes for handling the boats
are operated by steam; also the deck
winches, pumps, windlass and steering
gear (this latter is located beneath the pro-
tective deck and several feet below the