The herald., 1898-03-25


Ito that class they mount secondary gunl
in such fashion as to make the combina-
tion almost unequaled in naval archi.
lecture. The big rifies Four In number
are mounted in two turrets, one sweep
ing the entire sea from directly ahead
fully half way astern, the other with
equal range, placed so as to command the
| sea from either bow or straight astern.
These are Of thirteen-inch caliber. yet
the British Navy now confines its guns
| to twelve-inch. In inches the difference
seems small, yet the American gun has
about rs per cent more power.
At this point in the armament of the
ships the American designers have en-
barked in bold and enterprising exper-
iment, the result of which will be awaited
with interest by the whole maritime
world. Instead of descending at one
move from the heavy primary battery to
the small-caliber rapid-fire guns, as Is
done in the case of cruisers, it has be-
come the custom of naval architects to
interpose a battery of medium caliber
guns, six or eight inch guns for in
stance, and these are placed in smaller
Independent turrets about the ship. 1t
occurred to the American designers that
If they could dispose with the weighty
and space-consuming machinery at
tached to these turrets, such as the
turning engines and machinery, inde-
pendent ammunition hoist shields and
the like, much more engine power could
be placed in the hull of the ship and
much more armor could be carried. They
solved the problem by rigidly attaching
the smaller n n iniro yv n
eight-inch rifles, to the top of the big
thirteen-inch turrets. The plan had
another advantage than weight-saving.
Theoretically, it tended to a terrible con-
centration of the fire of the ship. Prob
ably the craft does not float that would
survive the awful impact from the four
guns of one of these combined turrets
upon one small section of it's hull, and
because they are trained in unison their
projectiles must strike close together.
With this saving in weight the de-
signers were able to give splendid armor
protection to the ships. All of this ar
NOR is Of Harveyized nickel-steel of
American invention, and the best in the
world up to this date, as is shown by
the many European efforts to equal it
by other processes of manufacture.
Moreover, it is skillfully disposed, so as
to make every ounce of steel count for
the protection of the crew. The big tur-
rets are seventeen inches thick in front,
diminishing in thickness to fifteen
inches in the rear, where they are less
liable to be struck because in action the
guns are supposed always to be turned
towards the enemy. The smaller turrets
above, for a like reason, vary in thick
ness from eleven to nine inches. To
make sure no stray shot strikes the
ammunition hoists leading to the maza-
zines from the turrets the former are
enclosed in tubes of hardened steel fif-
teen inches in thickness. Mounted in
this fashion the guns are almost invul-
nerable from the eight-inch rifles
mounted high in air with good range and
capable of piercing the walls of most
ships at fighting quarters, to
the big thirteen-inch guns that can
project their armor-piercing shot a
dozen miles across the sea.
The combination battery is supple
mented by a, numerous auxiliary bat
terry of smaller guns perched on every
convenient point of the superstructure.
Alb are rapid-fire or machine guns, for
the Navy Department has profited by
the lessons taught in the Chino-Japanese
war of the terrible power of guns of this
type. About four motions suffice to
oad, discharge and reload one of these
guns, and in rapidity of fire they are
equal to three of the ordinary navy
guns. The largest are
Iive-inch caliber, fourteen in all, shell
cred behind six-inch steel walls and
separated one from another by two-inch |
steel walls to minimize the effects of an |
shell in any compartment |
Then there are siX-pounders, one-pound- |
RS and gatlings, mainly for the warm |
reception of hostile torpedo boats or to |
lear deck or an open portfolio or earth
work. To facilitate this some of the |
Machine guns are placed high in the
military tops where they can rain bull
cts down below. To protect the hull
which carries all of this offensive pow
.r, 161a inches of armor is placed along
he sides, dipping four feet below the |
water line, and numerous heavy bulk |
heads are disposed to prevent any shot |
hat may enter from traversing. The |
engines, the vitals of the ship. are COW
red by an arched steel deck two and |
inches thick. placed on an |
iHSle ctICuldteu TO ueHect ana throw |
Upward any projectile.
Under that deck lies 10000 horse power |
# boilers. engines and other machinery |
apable of pushing the vast hull through |
he water at the rate of at least sixteen |
lnots, a good speed for freight train |
IN land, and besides there are no less
han eighty smaller engines to hoist an
hors, pull up boats, drive dynamos and
therwise help the crew. The big tur-
cts swing noiselessly and quickly by
lectricity. the largest application vet
made of electric power in this way. and
verywhere in the ship, from winches
nd ventilators to lighting and tele-
hony, the electric fluid plays a useful
art.
The Kearsarge and Kentucky are s6S }
aet in length, - feet inches beam and
3 feet inches draft. They carry nor
1ally 410 tons of coal but may take
210 tons, and 81 officers. sailors and
larines are required to navigate each
f them.