Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-05-18
LAUNCH OF THE ALABAMA
Feat Successfully Performed at Cramps
Ship Yards Today.
New Battle Ship Differs Considerably
From Indiana Type In Armor
and Armament.

PHILADELPHIA May 1S.-The battle
| ship Alabama was successfully launched at
Cramps ship yard at 1880 today.
There was not a hitch of any sort to mar
the success of the launching. Miss Marv
E. Morgan, daughter Of Senator Morgan of
Alabama, named the ship for her native
| state. The weather was beautiful. but only
a few persons witnessed the ceremony. fear
of Spanish troachery keeping the gates of
the ship yard closed against all .xcept
| about 200 invited guests and newspaper
men. The ship can be made ready for COM
| mission in a year If the armor is delivered
promptly.
The Alabama is the first to be launched of
the three new battle ships Of her type, the
other two being the Illinois and Wisconsin.
She presents marked divergences of design
from the first three, the Oregon. Indiana
and Massachusetts. These differences in
vclve both the arrangement of the battery
and the disposition of the armor, as well
as considerable increase in size and dis
placement.
The first type had the armor arranged in
Water-line belt and casemate amidships
with the ends forward and aft of the bel;
protected by submerged armored decks,
ana their main batteries were mounted as
follows: Four 13-inch guns in two turrets.
eight S-inch guns in four turrets, one at
each corner of the superstructure, and four
six-inch guns mounted at the corners of the
casemate below the superstructure
ArmOr is Carried Forward.
In the Alabama type the water-line
armor is carried clear forward; the pro-
tective deck, instead Of being submerged.
as in former ships, is raised to the level of
the top of the belt by slopes at each side.
the same as IN protected cruisers The s.
inch guns of the Indiana type are done
away with entirely, the main battery of
the Alabama type consisting Of four 49,
men guns In turretS and fourteen 6-fnch
rapid-fring guns, of which ten are mount
ed on the gun deck, eight in broadside he
tween the turrets and two firing straigh.
ahead forward of the fore turret on the
gun deck. Four are mounted in a small re-
doubt on the easement deck, two ON each
sac. The broadside 6-inch guns, instead of
oelng mounted In projecting Sponsors are
mounted In recess ports, in order to secure
extensive train forward and abaft TN,
beam. S
General Dimensions
The general dimensions of the Alabama
class are as follows: Length over all 314
feet; breadth, y feet; freeboard forward
IL feet B inches; draught, % feet inches:
displacement 11,520 tons; the guaranteed
speed is to be sixteen knots and the est:-
mated horsepower, 10000
The secondary battery consists of seven
teen slX-pounder rapid-fire guns six one
pCunder rapid-fire guns and four Gatlings
me arrangement OF the boilers in the
ALABAMA class differs from that in the In
diana in being eight single ended boilers in
stead OF four double-enders and in being
YN1n a$h y1,a-
nre room instead of longitudinal with
athwart ship fire rooms, as in the form. r
class.
Examination of the plans of the Ala
bama as compared with those of the earlier
ships Will show that the departures in the
details OF construction are in the direction
OF simplicity and also the reduction of the
number of different calibers of ammunition
required to be carried on board, the eff
fective weight of fire in various positions
remaining substantially the same Dis
pensing with the S-inch turrets also con-
sicerably reduced the weights to be car
ried high above the water, which 1t is
believed will be an advantage in a heavy
Seaway.
Compared With Foreign Ships.
On the whole. the armament, armor and
speed of the Alabama, with a displacement
of 1880 tons, compares favorably with the
latest type of battle ships abroad, will a
displacement of 1900 tons.
The maximum thickness of armor on the
water line is 1914 inches, tapering to Oh
inches at the bottom of the belt. The case
mate armor Is 51a inches thick, and the SUI
perstructure armor is of the same thick
ness The armor of the 13-inch gun turrets
is 10 inches thick, except the portfolio
plate, which is II inches. The armor of
the barbettes on which the turrets rest is
10 inches thick. The thickness of the pro-
tective deck armor on the fiat over the
citadel amidships and also forward and
after is ~ inches, and the thickness of the
slopes forward and aft of the amidships
citadel is inches. The coming tower is
cylindrical and 10 inches thick. The total
weight of armor and bolts is 2,720 tons and
of the protective deck armor 500 tons. The
weight of armament with normal supply of
ammunition, which Is two-thirds of the fun
war supply, is S64 TONS
The builders say the construction of the
Alabama has been delayed over a year by
the failure of the last Congress to provide
the necessary armor. Had prompt pro-
vision been made for the manufacture of
the armor the Alabama would at this time,
instead of being launched, be fitting out for
service.