The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-03-16
.kATAHDIN FIGHTER
COMMANDER WILDE HAS HIGH
HOPES OF THE RAM IN WAR.
He Will Take Command of Her This
Week and Begin to study Fighting
Tactics With Her-A Belief That
She Would lie Formidable Even
Against q Fleet-HOw She Would
Fight.

heAAM8t u r1eOt-HOw she NOuIO
Fight.
WASHINGTON, March 14-In the event
of war with Spain a good many naval Of
ticers would be interested in the demonsta-
ton of what could be done in an actual en-
gagement with the modern ram, and the
belief prevails among some OF them that
the country would be electrified with the
havoc caused among the enemy's fleet by
such vessel as the katah-
din. No modern vessel of this kind has
ever been used in actual warfare, and, IN
fact the Katahdin is about the only craft
Of her kind in the world. In the early days
OF our own civil war the Confederate Mer-
rimas, crude she was. according to
present i>eas Of naval construction, did
fearful mischief in the brief career which
preceded the performance in Hampton
Roads Of her specially designed antogon-
list, the Monitor. The operations Of the
Merrimac were considered wonderful and
II was then that the effectiveness of the
ram in naval warfare was first demonstrate
ed
The katahdin, which embodies the latest
Ideas In the construction Of vessels of that
class and was placed in commission at
LEAGUE last thursday, IS almost
as little like the old ram Merrimac as she
might have been if the dates of their con-
struction We're separated b. hundred
years. The only points they have in COM
mon are the use of armOr, the employment
of steam and the pointed steel Prov. The
katahdin was the idea Of Admiral Daniel
Ammen, now retired, and she is regarded
as a sort of monstrOsity in the naval con-
struction. She was built at Bath Me-, in
1892, by the Bath Iron Works. The vessel
has length on the load water line or
1903 feet, and her Leak or ram, which is
below the water line, gives her an extreme
length of about 254 feet. Other statistics
of the vessel are: Displa cement under nor
NAL coal supply, 2,155. tonnage, 582: ex-
IRENE breadth, 43.5 feet: mean draught, Is
feet indicated horse power, 5O6S; speed,
1911 knots: capacity of coal bunkers, 1872 10
tons. The Katahdin is propelled by twin
screws. Her full complement consists of
80 men.
The most peculiar feature Of the Katahdin
is her concealment under water. Only her
smooth turtle back, covered with armor
plate and surmounted simply by small
coming tower and a smokestack visi-
bic. The tower is made of steel, eighteen
inches thick, and unless squarely hit by
heavy shot at close range, is proof against
any attack. Aside from her dangerous
sharp beak of steel and her covering of
armor plate. the Kathadin is equipped with
slight means Of offensive defensive
character. She carries four siX-pounder
rapid-tire guns, which are intended as de-
Tense against torpedo boats and boarders.
Her speed is low hardly higher than that
of a battleship; but with her tremendous
momentum and powerful propelling force
behind a sharp steel prov the katahdin is
calculated to do a lot Of mischief among the
enemys fleet The ram, being situated be-
low the water line is directed at the most
vulnerable part of battleship or cruiser
where armor is either thin altogether
wanting.
Commander George F. f. Wilde, who was
relieved from duty last Tuesday as naval
secretary of the Lighthouse board to take
command Of the katahdin. Capt. Wilde is
enthusiastic over his new assignment Four
weeks ago. when talk Of war with Spain
especially prevalent. he asked the navy
department to give him command Of the
Katahdin in case she should be placed in
commission. His request was granted last
week, and he was pleased as school
boy at the prospect of holiday. He went
to Philadelphia yesterday TO look over the
Katahdin, which is now lying at the League
Island navy yard, and to make some ar
engagements for taking charge of the YES
sci. Before leaving he expressed to fellow
naval officers and others some of his Ideas
in regard to the Katahdn and what could
be done with her in warfare.
Il believe" ne said, that the katahdin
would prove TO ne ALMOST lOI liz
err in case she could have the opportunity
to show what is in her. She lies under the
water where her offensive power Is locat-
ed, and the sinai: part which is exposed
to the enemy's fire Is practically invulner-
able. She can carry 236 tons OF coal, which
would last four and one-half days under
full speed of 16 knots 1t may be surpris-
ing to hear that she would steam eight
miles an hour on a consumption of 10 tons
of coal a day, but it must be remembered
that the coal consumption Increase In
multi-fold ratio to the increased speed at
tanned. The steamship St. Paul burns $50
tons a day to steam q knots an hour. but
she can steam 10 knots an hour on a con-
sumption of only SO tons day. That is.
by reducing the speed by about One-half
the consumption Of coal is reduced to about
one seventh of the quantity required for
the higher speed. The old formula to ex-
press this, which was beaten in our heads
when we were youngsters in the navy was
Hp-C Vs. to the third power, in
which HIP is the horse power. is a con-
stant a is the area of a cross section of
the vessel amidships. and V Is the velocity.
This is the old empirical formula used to
determine to horse power necessary to
drive a steam vessel at a certain speed.
The modern formula is different. the v3, or
v to the third power, being changed to v15,
or to the fifteenth power. because pre-
sent-day ships of high speed are required
to make % knots or SO.
Il explain the meaning of the increasing
coal consumption in this way: If You
should drop an iron block from a great
distance above the water it would be az
fected by the water about as 1T would be
by a stone pavement. If you drop 1t from
a elevation the water moves away easily,
allowing the block to sink with only
small diminutiOn Of velocity. In the case
of falling through the longer distance the
block Is practically stopped for an lnstaAt
by impact with the surface or the water.
1t is because water is practically 1ncom-
pressible and in the swift impact Win
the falling block the momentary resistance
is very great So with steamship. When
It moves swiftly the resistance exists In
higher ratio to the horse power than ~hen
the shin moves slowly. Thus the greater
consumption Of coal required.
1.-The Katahdin would be q formldaeIe
vessel for an opposing vessel or neet TO
cone with in battle because though not
IF high speed as compared with cruisers
and torpedo boats. no ordinary shot can
make an impression on her. 1t is physi-
cal impossiblity for a projectlle TO OBTAIN
direct impact on her sloping turtle BACK
Even at close range the enem. $ guns
could not harm her.
THE only thing l should fear in an en-
parement would be torpedoes. From the
nature Of her work she cannot be pro-
tected against these 1t would be my pur-
nose however to make the most Of her