The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-03
The New Battleships.

The practical result Of the bidding for tho
Maine, the Missouri. and the Ohio Is that
three great establishments. the CRAMPS,
the Union Iron Works, and the Newport
News Company, will each have one ship to
build. This result Is to be considered for
tunate, not only because they are all ex-
perienced builders OF the highest capa-
bility, being, in fact, the only firms that
have ever constructed flrst-class battle
ships for our navy, but because this divi-
sion Of the work will be likely to give US
the ships at an earlier day.
The bids were noticeably close. The San
francisco firms was the highest, and it
would therefore nave been shut out but
for Congresses percentage allowance in
favor Of Pacific coast yards, which in
sured 1t one ship. The other two would
have gone to the Newport News Company
as the lowest bidder, save that it only
offered to build one, having already three
first-class battleships under construction.
The Philadelphia firm, therefore, came in
for the third vessel. The only remaining
bid, that of JOIN 81. DIALOGUE d Son Of
Camden, who built the Princeton, was not
only too high, but was under the slow
speed class, which was virtually barred.
With this assurance Of competent con-
tractors We find next a guarantee Of 18
knots. Each firm offered to build either a
17-knot or an 1S-knot ship, and beyond
doubt the latter will be chosen. The differ
ence in price is not great, and, in any case,
comes within the limit fixed by Congress,
while the difference In possible efficiency is
great. To show the gain in this respect
since 1890, when our earliest group of first
class battleships was contracted for, we may
note that they were required to make only
10 knots, and that the Indiana only showed
an average of 15.547 on trial, the Massa-
chusetts 1921, and even the Oregon
not more than 1879. In foreign navies
arst-clnss battleships beating 1s knots are
common, and some of them reach 1917 or 10
knots. We are, therefore, only keeping up
with the times.
TIL time allowed for construction also
shows a great gain over our first group.
Two ofthe new ships are to be completed in
thirtySwo months and the third in thirty
three months. OF course this is not much
OF a showing compared with the English
bodybuilding, which Is the fastest known;
but the Indiana did not geti into commission
until five years after its building contract
was signed, and the Massachusetts and
Oregon were delayed still longer.
The three new ships will be the largest in
our navy. The Indiana class displace 10 2ss
tons, and the Kearsarge and Illinois classes
11,625 tons each, while the Iowa displaces
11,41o. The Newport News ship is to be Of
12,5oo tons, the San Francisco ship Of
12,2o0 tons, and the Philadelphia ship Of
~, $50 tons, while II a duplicate OF the ship
which the CRAMPS are building for Russia
be substituted, this would be the larg-
est of all. Yet with this difference of
1000 tons per ship over the Indi-
ana class. and the great increase
In speed. implying costlier machinery,
the contract prices for the now group will
average much less. being So, $50, 900,
OF. $40. 900 and 50, s99, 900 for hull and
machinery, against $4,000 900 each for
the Indiana and Massachusetts and So, $780,
900 for the Oregon. There are also no
speed premiums to pay on the new ships.
II this latest trio does as much service
for the country as the Indiana, Massachu-
sets and Oregon have already done, it will
more than pay for itself.