Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-10-31
THE MAINE.

Vana. The next three DaCtl6- ships IL
be built will be the Maine, Missouri
and Ohio. The first of these ships
will represent not only the old ''Pint
Tree State'' on the rolls of the navy
but will keep alive the memory of the
dastardly work that precipitsted the
Spanish war, and be floating memo
rial of the martyrs who found their
death in the original ship of that
name.
The original Maine was a second
class battle ship, built from plans
bought from an English firm. The
new Maine will be first class battle
ship, built from American plans pre-
pared by the navy Department. The
plans originally prepared for the
Maine and her two sister ships were
changed after the battle of Santiago,
and advantage taken of all the lessons
learned in that fight. The principal
changes made were with a view to
an increase of speed over that origi-
nally contemplated.
The new Maine is to have a speed
of at least eighteen knots. What is
said of the Maine applies of course to
her two sister ships. She will be a
ship of over II, 900 tons displacement,
and in her main battery will carry
four 12-inch and ten 6inch guns. The
original Maine was of 1852 tons dis
placement, and in her main battery
had four 10-inch and six 6inch guns.
Her speed was seventeen knots.
While these figures give some idea of
the new Maine over the old one, the
idea is only partially conveyed in
them, for the new ship will be an en-
bodiment of everything that has been
learned by experience and expert
ment, and conceived by ingenuity and
study since 1890, when the ship wreck
ed in Havana harbor was built. Among
other things, the new Maine will have
underwater torpedo tubes, the first
ever put in any ship in the American
navy.
Torpedo tubes above the water are
so dangerous to the ship trying to use
them that it is not probable that they
will ever be used in battle. 1t has
been recommended that the torpedo
tubes be taken out of all the battle
ships. A torpedo fired from above
water is liable to be hit by the
rapid fire guns of the enemy while it
is in the tube, ready tor launching,
and exploded. This would hoist
battle ship "with its own petard.''
The British asserted some time ago
that they had discovered a plan for
using submerged torpedo tubes, and
have put them in few of their men
-of-war. There were many difficulties
in the way of successfully firing
torpedo from a submerged tube, but
these have been overcome, and the
Maine will be the the first to have the
advantage of the new plan. A torpe
do fired from a submerged tube is not
in danger of blowing up the ship that
fires it, and is fully as liable as one
fred above the water to hit the enemy
and do it's work.
All the guns of the Maine, except
the big twelve-inch ones in the tur-
rets, will be of the rapid fire pattern
Her secondary battery will be excep-
tionally strong and so mounted that
no torpedo boat can creep up and get
in a "dead angle'-that is, position
where the guns of the secondary bat
terry cannot be trained on her. There
will be sixteen FOUNDERS and several
Colt guns and 1-pounders
in the secondary battery. There is
only one ship in the navy now using
smOkeless powder. the New Orleans,
formerly the Amazonas, which was
bought from the Brazilian Govern
ment at the outbreak of the Spanish
war. The guns of the Maine, however,
will be for smokeless powder, as will
probably the guns of all war ships
hereafter. The Spaniards are far
ahead of us in this respect. All !
of Cervera's ships at Santiago used |
smokeless powder, while the Ameri-
can ships were continually enveloped |
in a cloud of their own smoke, which |
with the craftsmanship |
of the gunners. They did excellent /
shooting as it was, but would have |
done better if their guns had used |
smokeless powder.
In planning the Maine it was sought |
to do away with every bit Of wood
work possible. What little woodwork
will enter into the composition of the /
ship will be treated by a process
which renders it absolutely non-com-
bustible. 1t was originally intended !
to have the armor plating of tie |