Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-05-25
THE BATTLE SHIP ILLINOIS
Effort to Have the Vessel Ready for Launch
ing June 10.
L Mighty Fortress Anoat-Descrfption
of 81 Great Superstructure-The
Guns and ArmOr.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va, May %, 1905

ILLINOIS Is being pushed SO IL
is believed she will be ready for launching
by the 10th of next month
When completed the Illinois will be one
of the mightiest fortrcsses afioat. Accord
ing TO the terms of the contract, she would
not be ready for transfer to the govern
ment for about year, but it is consid-
cred probable that arrangement will be
made to have her in cordition for fighting
an enemy several months earlier than that.
The dimensions of the Illinois are as fol-
lows: Length on load water line, 36S feet;
beam. extreme ~ feet . inches: draft on
normal displacement. % feet q inches;
normal displacement. H. tons; maximum
displacement. all ammunition and stores on
horse power .(estimated), 10000; maximum
speed required by contract IL knots;
normal coal supply, 40 tons: maximum
coal supply, bunkers full, 1,210 tons; COM
PIGMENT, officers, seamen and marines, oil.
The strictly novel characteristic of the
Illinois and her two sister ships will be
their exceedingly moderate draft of water.
but Twenty-Five feet when full laden, by
which they may enter practically any har-
Dor of Importance along our coast lines,
something denied to most of the armored
cruisers of all other nations. The offensive
advantages which this single feature will
possess cannot, 1t Is believed, be over
valued.
The power to meet any enemy will be
forming the main and auxiliary batteries,
ard these will consist of: Main battery,
four thirteen-inch breech-loading rifles and
four eight-inch breech-loading rifles: aux
Hilary battery, fourteen five-inch rapid-fire
rifles.
For the purpose of resisting torpedo boat
attack and enfilading the open decks or
unprotected gun stations of an enemy,
twenty six-pounders six one Founders and
four Calling guns will keep up destruc-
tive fire, and woe to the venturesome small
craft that exposes itself to the fury of the
fighter The thirteen-inch and eight-inch
guns will be found in two two-story gun
turrets- The eight-inch guns will be in
the upper half. which is fixed rigidly to
the lower half The whole structure will
have total swing of 27O degrees and all
four guns will be pointed in the same gem
eral direction and swung from side to side
by the one great turning gear engaging the
lower half.
Sheltered Behind Walls.
The eight-inch guns will be sheltered be-
hind walls generally nine inches thick but
augmented to eleven inches at the front.
The thirteea-inch guns Will be covered by
fifteen inches of hardeLed STEEL also. ex-
cept a: the front. where there is an added
thickness of two inches. To pierce the
walls of the lower turret a shot would have
to strike them from q distance of 100
yards with all the pent-up energy equal to
carrying that shot fully thirteen miles.
The auxiliary battery of fourteen five
inch rapid-fire guns will be mounted in the
superstructure, on the main deck. This
superstructure will be composed of hard
ened steel six inches thick, and it is as
serted that 10 explosive six-inch shell could
ever get through tina; bulwark. Each gun
station Will be separated from the adjoin-
Ing gun by a twO-inch wall of. steel, in
orGer that the effect of penetrating shot
and bursting shell may be localized. Each
of these gUEs will have a service rate of
speed of quite six aimed shots minute.
The six-pounders will be mounted in part
on the berth deck, forward and aft. The
rest of them will be placed in the super
structure above the five-inch guns. where
they will have very desirable range of
fire. The one-pounderS and the Cuttings
will be placed on the bridges and up in the
military tops. To feed all these guns the
Illinois Will carry 500 tons of ammunition.
Armor at the Water Line.
The water-line region of the sides will be
protected from attack by broad band of
1614-inch armor running along the sides
amidships for a distance of ia feet and ia
pering thence to inches at the stern. This
belt is ~ feet wide and under normal con-
ditions only 3is will be above the water
line. At the exjreTities of the thickeSt
part athwartship bulkheadS Will turn IN
ward and end against the barbettes or
heavy tubes of 15-inch steel, which will
rise from the protective deck and Will
shield the ammunition hoists and the turn
ing gears of the turrets. The forward bulk
head will be 10 inches thick and the after
one II. A protective deck of hardened steel
%. inches thick will rest on the floor walls
formed by the athwartship bulkheads and
the inner edge of the inlaid side armor.
Under the protecting shelter of this heavy
roof and many feet of coal will lie the
Etnes, the boilers, the magazines and the
shell rooms-the 'vitals,'' in fact, of the
ship.
A broad band of cellulose will extend
from stem TO stern and back of the 5-inch
armor. which will protect the sides amid
hi T.a1t ftoz
main deck. and automatically plug all shot
holes admitting water. The protective deck
covering the vitals will be run santingly
to the bow and the stern, and forward will
form the backbone of the murderous ram
which will lie just below the water.
Two sets of triple-expansion engines,
each in its own water-tight compartment,
Will actuate the twin screws, while five
great boilers. each sustaining a pressure of
$50 pounds of steam. will supply the energy
needful TO drive those engines and turn the
screws 12D times a minute.
The turrets will be turned and controlled
by electricity, and the same power will
bring the ammunition from its store rooms
TO the breeches of all the large guns-the
6-pounders and less excepted. Each mast
Will be fitted with its own signal outfit
and the lower half of each mast will form
vast wind pipe. down which fresh air
will be drawn TO the depths of the craft
The Auxiliary Engines.
Eighty-odd auxiliary engines will reduce
the tax upon the muscular energies of the
crew and add to- the efficiency of the ship
by handling and lowering the boats, rails
ing the anchors. loading the coal, discharg-
Ing the ashes, bringing the shot, shell and
powder from the depths below to the gun
stations. and turning the turrets and ex-
cept for the guidance of these mechanisms
named, manual labor is practically need
less.
Compared with any of our wooden ships
OF the line, the contrast is Instructive
Steam will spread its comforting glow for
all alike, where the occasional small stove
or hot cannon ball did service In the past
and immense revolving fans will force
fresh air into the most secret recess of the
snip and make every nook and GRANNY
purer than the actual living spaces of our
ancient craft. whose between-deck quar-
tiers were so often foul with the noxious
Tunes of bilge water and rotten wood
while the refulgence of hundreds of electric
lights Will shed brightness everywhere. and
De a substitute for the tallow dip so grudg-
fngly bestowed in former times
Distillers. with daily output of thous-
ands OF gallons. will give fresh, pure water
where once the rusty tanks yielded a taint-
ed. Stlnteu portion. Sptendid