Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-03-31
TWO BATTLESHlPS LAUNCHED
Kearsarge and Kentucky Sent
to the Water Thursday.
THEY ARE BOLD VESSELS OF WAR
More Formidable Than the
Large Cruisers.
A Resume of Their Fighting Capacity-The
Launch Came on Promptly and Success
fully, the KeHrsarge Leaving the Ways at
10 o'clock and the Kentucky at IL.

Newport News. Va, March 24.-Thc
United States battleships Kearsarge and
Kentucky were successfully launched
here this morning.
The former left the ways at 10 O'Clock
and the latter at II.
The Kearsarge was chrietened by Mrs.
Herbert WinslOw; the Kentucky by
Miss Christine Bradley. daughter Of
Gov. Bradley of Kentucky.
The interesting double event was wit
messed by large and delighted crowd.
These two ships, with displacement
Of II, 1925 tons, draw only % feet 6
inches of water, less than the armored
cruisers New York and Brooklyn, which
would not, combined, be equal in COM
bat to one OF the hattleships. Save the
Indiana class, they carry the heaviest
batteries in accord with modern naval
practice, and with primary batteries
fully equal to that class they mount
secondary guns in such fashion as to
make the combination almost I'M
equalled in naval architecture. The
big rifles, four in number. are mounted
10 two turrets, one sweeping the entire
sea from directly ahead, fully half way
Rstern, the other with equal range,
placed 30 as to command the sea from
eitler bow straight astern. These are
Of 13-inch oalibre. yet this British navy
now confines its guns TO 12-inCh. liz
inches the difference seems small, yet
the American gun has about 20 per
cent more power.
At this point in the armament of the
ships the American designers have EN-
barked in a bold and enterpriaiug ex
primeDt, 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 Galibre rapid fire.
guns, as ia done 10 the case OF cruisers
1t has become the custom OF naval
architects to interpose battery Of
medium calibre guns, six or eight-inch
guns for instance, and these are place
in smaller independent turrets about
the ship. 1t occurred to the American
designers that if they would dispense
with the weighty and space consuming
machinery attached to these turrets,
such as the turning engines and ma
chinsry, independent ammunition hoist
shields and the like, that much more
engine power could be placed in the
hull Of the ship and that much more
armor could be carried. They solved
the problem by rigidly attaching the
smaller turrets, each containing two
eight-inch rifles, to the top of the big
13-inch turrets. The plan had another
advantage than weight saving. Theoreti-
cally, it tended to a terrible concen-
tration of the fire OF this chip. Prob.
ably the craft does not float that would
survive the awful IMPACT from the foui
guns of one of these combined turrett
upon one small section OF the hull, auc
because they are trained in unisor
their projectiles must strike close to
gether.
With this saving in weight the de
signers we're able to give Rplendio
armor protection to the ships All o
this armor OF harveyized nickel steel, o
American invention, and the best il
the world up TO this date, as is shown
by the many European efforts to equa
it by other processes of manufacture
Moreover. it is skilfully disposed, so q
to make every ounce Of stuel count TO
the protection of the crew. The BIZ
turrets are II inches thick in front
diminishing in thickness to IL inche
in the rear, where they are less liab
TO be struck because In action the gun
are supposed always to he turned to
wards the enemy. The smaller turret
above, for like reason, vary in thick
ness from II to Q inches.
The Kearsarge and the Kentucky ar
1868 feet iu length, Y feet . inche
beam. and 20 feet aad inches draugh hi
They carry normally 4lo tons of cos
but may take aboard /, 2l0 tons. Fiv
hundred and eleven officers, sailors an
marines are required to navigate eac
of them.