Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-12

| the middle ii is three inches thick, but
| the sides are six inches, and they slope
| abruptly to below the water line. Be
tween these sloping sides and the thin
| armor belt coal is stored, so that
| shell would have to penetrate the outer
| belt. six or eight feet of coal, and a
| slopins belt of steel six inches thick,
the total resistance of which is calcu-
lated to be equal to a solid horizontal
armor plate fifteen inches thick.
A cruiser is not supposed to fight
with a battleship. because it could NOT
accomplish anything with its S-inch
guns against the 1S-inch armor of its
heavier rival, While one well-directed
shot from the 13-inch guns of battle
ship or monitor would probably sink
any armored cruiser atloat. For TINS
| reason the cruiser must be faster than
the battleship, SO that she can run
| away, and the weight that Is saved IN
| the armor belt and big guns is there
| fore put into the engine room. Inc
| average speed of an armOred cruiser IS
| about tWenty-four miles an hour, anu
! the best types of this class in the navy
| are probably the Brooklyn and New
York.
| Some vessels, like the Spaniard Viz
| caya, are about half way between a
battleship and a cruiser. having the
| heavy guns of the former and IN"
speed of the latter. The Nizcaya, al
though a cruiser, carries 11-inch guns
with Pinch armor belt, and has
speed of tWenty-three miles an hour.
| The next step in reducing armament
and increasing speed produced the pro-
| tected cruiser which carries no armo:
| belt. but retains the protective deck,
| upon the Sloping sides of which is stor-
| ed the coal. The turrets disappear al
together, and there is usually only one
S-inch gun, the battery being princl-
| pally made up of 4-inch rapid-fire guns
and 6. T. and Founders AS this class
| of vessel is mol able To cope with the
| armored cruiser, ii must be faster, for
the general principle holds good that
| the weaker the vessel becomes in point
of offensive weapons or defensive ar
NOR. the greater the necessity that she
| should he able IL run away. The hes;
types of the protected cruiser in the
navy may he found in the Columbia
| and Minneapolis. which have speed of
| about tWenty-seVen miles an hour.
| The weakest class of all is composed
of the unprotected cruisers which have
! neither aImor belt nor protective deck.
| and carry only light batteries of rapid
| fire guns When these vessels are SLOW.
! like the Detroit. they are intended for
| long voyages and for duty in foreign
| countries and are of Little use III a sea
! fight. The very fast unprotected cruis
erS. like the American line steamers s..
! Paul and 81. Louis. attach little i'm
! portance to their armament and rely
| for protection upon slowing the coal
behind the place occupied by the ar
NOR hell in other vessels. All the
beautiful wood work which was SO
much admired IN these vessels has been
ripped out to make room for these coal
bunkers. which are sufficient to protect
them from anything but the heaviest
guns on account of their extreme
weakness as fighters, these cruisers are
necessarily the fastest Of all the large
vessels and can run away from any
thing. For this reason no concern was
felt for the Paris by those who know
the principles which govern The safety
If modern vessels.
The various types of cruiser are nor
expected to fight with any but vessels
'
encounter in the discharge of similar
duties, such as securing the seas as the
advance guards of the slower line-of
battle ships, preying upon or escorting
merchant vessels. blockading ports
and acting as conveys for troop ships
Gunboats are simply light -draught
cruisers, and are intended for use in
shallow waters and rivers.
Torpedo boats, as their name i'm
plies. depend entirely upon the torpedo
as weapon of attack and they carry
no guns except a few very light calihre
rapid-tirers to keep off small boats.
Their success depends on their ability
TO approach a vessel very rapidly.
launch their torpedo, and retreat before
they are detected and sunk. Speed is
their great requisite, and torpedo
boat like the Porter can steam thirty
two miles an hour. Naval experts con-
slider their bark worse than their bite.
because With the modern system OIL
lookouts and searchlights and the ac-
curacy and rapidity of the secondary
batteries, ii is impossible for torpedo
boat to get within range without eH
posing itself to instant destruction, and
after a torpedo fleet has once met With
a serious repulse, it is believed that It
would be almost impossible to get tbs
crews to go into action again.
The torpedo boat destroyer. contrary
to general belief. does not carry any
heavy guns. but depends on its great
speed and its ability to cripple q tOrpc
do boat with its siX-pounders while
keeping out of range of the enemy s
tubes. All torpedo boat destroyers
carry torpedo tubes themselves, so that
they can be used against the enemy
battleships or cruisers if the occasion
offers. The fastest boat in the navy
is the destroyer Bailey. which can
steam thirty four miles an hour.