The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-19
FIFTEEN NEW WAR SHIPS
PLAN FOR GREATLY INCREASING
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE NAVY.
Congress to BE Asked to Authorize
Construction of Vessels with Large
COaI-Carrying Capacity.


programme for presentation to Congress,
involving the immediate construction of ff-
teen war ships. has been adopted by the
naval board of experts, to whom the sub
Ject has been referred by Secretary Long
1t provides for three sea-going barbette tur-
ret battle ships of 1900 tons displacement
and a minimum of eighteen and half
knots speed when the vessels are loaded
to their deepest draught. or average
speed above nineteen knots under ordinary
cruising conditions, three first-cass ar
mored cruisers of 1900 tons and twenty-five
knots speed, three second-class protected
and armored cruisers of 5000 tons displace-
ment and twenty knots speed, similar to
the Maine type, but highly improved, and
for six protected cruisers of $500 tons and
sixteen knots speed.
THE reduced speed of these ships, which
is uniformly about two knots less than
that proposed at the preliminary meeting
of the board of Tuesday, was brought about
by the decision TO secure unprecedented
range of action on account of the increased
responsibilities of the United States in the
Pacific and the certainty that these YES
sells, or most of them, would be required
to make up the fleet in that ocean. The
sacrifice of speed to endurance was made
with view of securing vessels of at least
5000 knots radius or capable of steaming
straightaway from San Francisco to Manila
and Samoa The board decided that the
tactic, rather than the Atlantic, would be
the chief theater of American naval opera
tions in the future, and that while great
sacrifice to speed could be safely made for
vessels assigned to the line of national de-
Tense on the east coast of the United States
abnormal coal capacity and high economy
We're requisites as long as distant possess
sions to the westward required protection.
All the vessels, however, will be as speedy
as the fastest vessels now building abroad
and they will be eminently more practicable
In endurance, strength and formidability.
The main battery of each of the battle
ships will be composed of four tv ,lve-inch
rifles in turrets on the center line forward
and aft, similar to those of the Iowa, and
the secondary batteries will mount from
fourteen to sixteen rapid-fire six-inch guns
In addition to these there VIII be unusually
large auxiliary batteries OF assorted sizes,
botn quicK-ilre and automatic. The th1r-
teen-inch guns or the earlier battle ships
have been put aside in the new designs on
account of their great weight and because
1t Will be necessary to increase materially
the length of the twelve-inch caliber to
meet the requirement that SmokeleSs pow
der be used hereafter in the navy. The
nrSt-claSS cruisers Will be covered with
heavy armor from bow TO stern and will be
armed with four eight-inch rifles in turretS
and ten to twelve six-iDch rapid firers
They are to be superior in every way to
any ships afioat in the world to-day. The
second-class cruisers as at first proposed
were TO be of 5000 tons each, but the board
added 1,JU0 tons to them, to be utilized
wholly in coal-carrying capacity. They
viii have two eght-inch guns and ten to
twelve hve-inch rapid firers. The details
of the six smaller vessels are not yet de-
termined on, as all the energies of the board
were first directed to the heavier vessels
all have quadruple expansion engines and
Nater-tube boilers, and, with the exception
of the smaller craft, they will be equipped
with underwater torpedo tubes The small
er cruisers will have a Steaming radius of
1900 knots at a ten-knot rate The second
class will nearly approach this radius. The
first-class cruisers will be able to go 10000
knots, and minimum OF 5000 knots is fixed
for the battle ships.
"The board also took under advisement
the construction of two troop ships, each
capable of transporting a regiment of
100 men, with officers, arms ammunition.
equipment and supplies. 1t is proposed, if
Congress turns over to the navy the re-
sponsibility of transporting troops accord
ing to the established usage in England and
other foreign military powers of great ex-
perienee, that model armed vessels con-
structed solely for the purpose of speedily
and comfortably carrying the military
forces shall be promptly built 1t is argued
that such vessels will be Indispensable. not
only In. the Pacific for changing the garri-
sons at Hawaii ard Manila occasionally,
hut also for Porto Rico, and perhaps for
Cuba"