Evening star., 1898-12-17
Will Give Her Sixth Place Among the
Werlds Powers.
POWERFUL BATTLE SHIPS BUILDING
Cruisers Are the Very Best That
Can Be, Turned Out.
AND PROTECTED
Written for Tie Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
The development of the new navy of ia.
pan is specially interesting from the view
point of the United States inasmuch as the
two countries have always been close
friends, and the policy of expansion may
lead to international complications which
will make the good will of the England Of
the Pacific exceedingly valuable
No sooner was the conflict with China
finished than the mikados government
awakened to the immense Importance OF
sea power, started in to build ships, appro-
priating to that purpose the bulk of the
war indemnity received from its beaten ad-
versary. Contracts for vessels were award
ed to builders in Europe and America,
while Others were begun in home ports,
and, as a result, Japan will soon stand
sixth among the nations of the world in re-
spect to fighting strength, or next after the
United States. Great Britain comes first,
OF course, with France, Russia, Italy, Ger
many, the United States and Japan fol-
lowing in the order given. 1t may be men
ticned incidentally that Germany at pres
ent is much stronger on the sea than this
country. This year she has doubled the
personnel of her navy, and in 1899 she will
have no fewer than nineteen battle ships,
with a proportionate number of cruisers.
An Latest Improvements.
The ships of the new Japanese navy. new
built or under process of construction, are
the very best that can be turned out by the
most famous yards-up- to-date in all re-
spects, and provided with every improve
ment known to the art today. Only Il few
weeks ago was launched IN England the
ShlkiShima, which is perhaps the most
powerful fighting machine in the world.
This vessel has displacement of 1850
tons-nearly 1900 tons greater than that of
the Iowa, which represents our largest
type of battle ship. The Sikishima is slight
ly bigger than the Majestic, which is the
largest craft in commission in the navy of
Great Britain. She is 100 feet long, and
has a complete belt of Harvcyized Steel
very wide, but not exceeding nine inches in
thickness This reduced thickness of armOT
is in line with the latest ideas on the sub
ject, which are that thinner belt extend
ed over more of the ship possesses the
maximum of advantages.
This mOnStrOuS japanese battle ship de-
serves some description in detail, owing to
her exceptionally formidable character. She
carries four Pinch reech-loading rifles
which are mounted in barbettes-i. e., tur-
rets that are overlooked by the cannon.
She has also fourteen 6-inch rapid-fire
guns, eight On the main deck and six on
the upper deck; twenty 12-pounder rapid
fire, and twelve 3-pounder rapid-fire gurs.
OF her five torpedo tubes, four are s,lb-
IItTBtu f1tI tOlUplcln5Dl Is Ii1 bihtHfS
and men. She will be completed and ready
for commission next year Three other
battle ships exactly duplicating the Shiki-
shima are now under constructon-one cf
them al Stettin, the second at ElsWick and
the third al Clydebank. 3,
Very Powerful Craft.
Great Britain, ana especially the yards at
Elswick, has secured most of the contracts
for the vessels of the new japanese navy
~ l,n
unnamed, are about to be built at Elswick
Two others, the Yashima and Fuji, likewise
of British construction are about finished.
Both of these last are very powerful craft
with displacement of l., ,45n tons for each
They are very speedy, having attained
nineteen knots on their trial trips, and
their steaming radius is 1000 miles, ena-
bling them to travel a distance equal to
twice across the Atlantic without renewing
their coal supply They have two military
masts and armor belts IA to Is inches thick.
Their armament consists of four Pinch
rifles, in barbetteS, and ~ rapd-fire guns
Each Of them has five torpedo tubes and
complement of 600. Il third sister to the
iashima and Full has already been begun
1t will be remembered that in the conflict
with China, Japan had no battle ships, but
she captured one at Wei-Hai-Wei in De-
cember, 1893. This vessel of 1880 tons,
with 14-inch armor belt, is now called the
Chin Yen, and belongs to the mikado's s
navy one was punt dt 5tetCln IN lSS2, ana
is somewhat out of date. Her main bat
terry comprises four 12-inch krupp rifles
and in her secondary battery are two t.
inch krupps and ten rapid-fire and ma
chine guns. Her complement is 80 men
and officers
ArmOred Cruisers.
For the Japanese navy are now being
built four magnificent armored cruisers of
the first class, sister ships of 1000 tons
each, at Eiswick, Stettin, Yokosuka (Japan)
and St Nazaire, respectively. Two more
just like them are to be constructed right
away at Elswick. The Japs captured Il
very good armored cruiser of the second
rate at WeiHai-Wei, called the Ping-Yuen.
1t now sails under the imperial japanese
flag and is named the Hei-Yen This yes
sci is of $500 tons. and has a complete
armor belt eight inches thick. She was
built at Foochow in 1890, and has a com
piement of 800 men. Her guns are one 10
inch krupp, two 6-inch Krupps and nine
rapid-fire cannon. The only other armored
cruisers in the japanese navy are two out
of-date ships of 2,250 tons, the Hiyei and
kongo, built in England in 1877, and the
Chiyoda. of 2,45O tons, which is very good.
and modern-bGilt vessel, having a speed of
nineteen knots and carrying twenty-four
rapid-fre guns and three Gartlinss
At Philadelphia and at San Francisco re-
spectively, are being constructed two fine
protected cruisers of the first class-the
kaSagi and the Chitose. They will be fin
ished by the first of next year. Each of
them is Of 4,760 tons and has the great
speed of twentythree knots. They have
steel protected decks AZ inches thick. and
each carries two S-inch rifles, one forward
and one aft as well as forty-efght rapid
fire and four machine guns, with five tor
pedo tubes. A third ship of this type is
to be built promptly. 1t will be observed
that these are very formidable craft and
that they are provided with a remarkable
number of rapid-fre guns. This latter point
represents one of the new departures in
warships. rapid-fire guns having proved
themselves SO destsuctitp, by reason of the
showers of exploding ashells they throw,
that more of them are to be placed on
fighting vessels in all the great navies.
Sister Ships.
The Takasago is ans,ther superb first
class protected crtiiser. fuf AGO tons, newly
completed in England. Is Another just like
her is being built, and three more of her
sisters are projected. Zach of them will
carry two 9-inche rifles and twenty-five
rapid-fire guns. Contracts for all Ave have
been secured by.Hhe Elswick yards. IN
addition to these;-three second-class pro-
tected cruisers, Of 5000 tons and twenty
knots speed, are being, constructed in ia
pan, as well as two of o,T0o TONS the Suma
and Akaski, which have also been begun in
home DOrts