The Ravalli Republican. [volume] (Stevensville, Mont.) 1894-1899, 1898-05-25
ANOTHER BIG WARSlIIp.
Successful Launching of the Battlcshir
Alabama.

to Uncle Sans navy, was successfully
launched at Cramps shipyard today.
There was not hitch Of any sort
to mar the success Of the launching.
Miss Emory Morgan, daughter Of
Senator Morgan, chrstcned the ship
for her native state. The whole GER
cmony was beautiful, though there
were but few guests and newspaper
men. The ship can be ready for
commission in year il the armor is
delivered promptly;
The Alabama is the first one to 0c
launched Of three battleships of her
type, the other two being the Illinois
and Wisconsin. She presents very
marked Emergencies Of design from
the first three, the. Oregon, Indiana
and Massachusetts,. These differ
enccs involve both the battery and
the disposition Of the armor, and
there is considerable increase in size
and displacement. The first type
had the armor arranged in a water
line belt and easements amldships,
with the ends, forward and aft belt
protected by submerged armorcd
decks, and their batteries mounted
as follows: -Four l3-inch guns in two
turrets; eight s-incll guns in four
turrets, one at each corner OF the
supcrstructurc, and four G-inch guns
mounted at the corners Of the case
mate below the superstructure. In
the Alabama the water line armor is
carried clear forward, the protective
deck, instead Of being submerged as
in former ships. is raised to the level
of the belt by slopes at each side, the
same as in protected cruisers. ..
| The S-incll guns Of the Indiana are
done away with entirely, the main
battery Of the Alabama type consist
ing of four l3-incil guns in tnrrcts
and If G-inch rapid fire guns, Of
which 10 are mounted on the gun
deck, eight in broadsidc between the
turrets and two firing straight ahead
| forward Of the fore turret on the gun
deck. -Four are mounted in a small
redoubt on the casematc deck, two
! On each side. The bToadsidc 6inch
guns, instead OF being smountod t1
projecting ports are mounted On re-
cess ports forward and about aft of
the beam. The general dimensions
Of the Alabama class are us follows:
Length over all, 374 feet: breadth -
feet: frceboard forward 20 feet; free
board abaft the after turrct l;5 feet 4
inches; drauglt 23 feet inches: dis
| placement .520 tons: guaranteed
1speed l6 knots, and the estimated
horse power 10000.
The main battery laas already been
described. The secondary battery
consists Of - G-pounder rapid fire
guns, six 1-pounde1 rapid fire guns
and four Gatlngs. The arrange
me1lts 1,f the boilers OF the Alabama
class differ from that in the Indiana
in being eight single 'onder boilers
instead OF four double endcrs and IN
being placed atiwartship, a fore and
aft FIRE room instead Of longitudinal
with athwartship fire rooms as in the
former class.
Examinations of the plans Of Tic
~Alab abama, as,conlpared with those OF
the earlier slrips, will show that the
ldcparturc in the details Of construc.
tion are in the direction Of simplicity
and also the reduction Of the number
Of different calibrcs Of ammunition
required to be Carried on board, the
effective weight of fire in various po
sitiOns remaining substantially th(
same. Dispensing with the S-'nci
turIcts also clearly reduces The
wei yhts to be carried high above tho
water, which it is believed viii be al
advantage in d heavy sea.
| On the whole the armor, armament
and speed of the Alabama with ads
placement of II, ,5OOi tons compare:
favorabiy with the latest type O.
battlcship abroad With a displacc
mcnt of $4,000. The maximum
thickness Of the armor on the waite
line is 1G! inches, tapering to 8:
inches at t}ee bottom OF the belt. Th'
cascmate ar1nor is 8! inches thicH
and the Supcrstructure armor IS .
the same thickness. The armor q
the 13-inch gun turrcts is Is inches
thick, except in the port hole plate
which is II inches thick. The thick
ness Of the protective deck armor OF
, the l>at over the citadel amdShip:
and also forward and after is :
inches and the thickness Of tht
, slopes forward and aft OF the amid
ship citadel is IA inches, The arnlo
of the barbcLtc, on which the turrct:
rest, is Is inches thick. The con
ming tower is cylindrical and Il
inches thick. The total weight O.
the armor and the bolts is 2,7770 ton;
: and the protective deck armor 5:93'
: tons. The weight Of armament Will
normal supply of ammunition, which
is tWo-thirds Of the full war supply
is SG4 tons. The builders say the
construction Of the Alabama has bccl
J. delayed over a year by the failure o
!. the last congress to provide the nee
s cssary armor which, had prompt pro
vision been made, the Alabama wolll(
at this time. instead of bcin!
launched, be fitting out for service
To Cure "A Cold in One Day.
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