Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1898-06-01
WAR SHIP ILLINOIS
Will Be Ready for Launching
Early This Month.
The nighfieSf Fortress Afroaf-De.
SCripfion of Great SuperSfruC-
ture-Guns. Armor and Comforts

Newport News, Va, May 31.-Work
on the frame of the battleship Illinois
is being pushed so rapidly that it is
believed she will be ready for launch
ing early this month.
! When completed the Illinois will oe
one of the mightiest fortresses afioat.
According TO the terms Of the contract,
she would not be ready for transfer to
the government for about year, but
it is considered probable that an ar
rangement will be made to have her
/ in condition for fighting an enemy sew
eral months earlier than that
The dimensions of the Illinois are
as follows: Length on load water line
S68 feet; beam, extreme, u feet 5
inches; draft on normal displacement,
% feet inches; normal displacement,
l1,525 tons; maximum displacement,
all ammunition and stores on board,
lZ,32o tons; maximum indicated horse
power (estimated), 10000; maximum
speed required by contract, 16 knots;
normal coal supply, 40 tons; maxi
mum coal supply, bunkers full, 1.21n
tons; complement, officers, seamen and
marines, 511.
The strictly novel characteristic OF
the Illinois and her two sister ships
will be their exceedingly moderate
draft of water but twenty-five feet
when full laden. by which they may
lenter practically any harbor of impor-
lance along the coast lines, something
denied to most of the armored cruis-
ers of all other nations. The offensive
advantages which this single feature
will possess cannot, it is believed, be
overvalued.
The power to meet any enemy will
be centered effectively in the twenty
1.-TWO guns forming the main and auxil-
larry batteries, and these Will consist
Iof: Main battery. four thirteen-inch
breech-loading rifles and four eight
inch breech-loading rifles; auxiliary
battery, fourteen five-inch rapid-fire
rifles.
For the purpose of resisting torpedo
boat attack and enfilading the open
decks or unprotected gun stations OF
an enemy, twenty six-pounders, six
one-pounders and four Calling guns
will keep up destructive fire, and woe
to the venturesome small craft that ex-
poses itself to the fury of the fighter.
The thirteen-inch and eight-inch guns
will be found in two two-story gun
turrets. The eight-inch guns will be
in the upper half, which is fixed rigidly
to the lower half. The whole structure
will have total swing of 270 degrees,
and all four guns will be pointed in
the same general direction and swung
from side to side by the one great turn
ing gear engaging the lower half
J The eight-inch guns will be shelter
ed behind walls generally nine inches
thick, but augmented to eleven inches
at the front. The thirteen-inch guns
will be covered by fifteen inches of
hardened steel, also, except at the
front. where there is an added thick
ness of two inches. To pierce the
walls of the lower turret shot would
have to strike them from a distance
OF 1900 yards with all the pent-up en-
ergy equal to carrying that shot fully
thirteen miles.
The auxiliary battery of fourteen
five-inch rapid-fire guns will be mount
ed in the superstructure, on the main
deck. This superstructure will be COM
posed of hardened steel, six inches
thick, and it is asserted that no explo-
sive six-inch shell could ever get
through that bulwark. Each gun sta
ton will be separated from the adj
Joining gun by a two-inch wall of steel,
in order that the effect of penetrating
shot and bursting shell may be local
lied. Each of these guns will have a
service rate of speed of quite six aimed
| shots minute. The six-pounders will
be mounted in part of the berth deck,
forward and aft. The rest OF them
will be placed in the superstructure
above the f1ve-inch guns, where they
will have very desirable range of fire
The one-pounders and the Cuttings will
be placed on the bridges and up in the
! military tops. To feed all these guns
The Illinois will carry 500 tons of am
rnunitiOn.
The water line region of the sides
will be protected from attack by
broad band of 161s Inch armor running
along the sides amidships for a dis
lance OF ia feet and tapering thence
to inches at the stern. This belt is
~ feet wide. and under normal COLI
ditions only 31a will be above the wa
ter line. At the extremities of the
thickest part athwartship bulkheads
vii turn inward and end against the
barbettes or heavy tubes of 15-inch
steel, which will rise from the protec-
tive deck and will shield the ammuni-
ton hoists and the turning gears OF
the turrets. The forward bulkhead
will be 10 inches thick and the after
one II. A protective deck of hard
ened steel "a inches thick will rest
on the floor walls formed by the
athwartship buikheads and the inner
edge of the inlaid side armor. Under
| the protecting shelter of this heavy
! roof and many feet of coal will lie the
| engines, the boilers, the magazines and
| the shell rooms-the "vitals," in fact,
of the ship.
A broad band Of cellulose will ex-
| tend from stem to stern and back Of
| the 5-inch armor, which will protect
the sides amidships from the heavy
| armor belt up to the main deck, and
| automatically plug all shot holes adj
hitting water. The protective deck
covering the vitals will be run slant
lingly to the bow and the stern, and for
| ward will form the backbone of the