The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-01
FOR NEW BATTLE SHIPS
PROGRAMME FOR FIFTEEN MONSTER
WAR VESSELS TO BE RUSHED.
Among the Number Are to BE Three
First-CIass Fighters and Several
Immense Cruisers.
WASHINGTON

ity of the secretary, unanimously reaffirms
its action in recommending comprehen-
sive programme involving the speedy con-
struction of fifteen war ships exactly as
outlined two weeks ago, and directed the
various bureaus of the Navy Department
TO proceed forthwith with the preparation
of the actual plans for the greatest con-
struction project ever undertaken in a sin
gle period by the United States. Since the
adoption of the programme by the board on
Aug II its members have devoted them
selves earnestly to the thorough considera-
ton of the lessons gained in the war with
Spain. and of tho necessity for vast sea
power imposed by the possession of distant
islands and increased American commerce,
and they began on the details yesterday
without modifying, in any material particu-
lar, the classes of vessels which were de
teTmined upon as essential for the navy
hereafter. The meeting yesterday demon
strared that the members were more thor
oughly than ever convinced that larger
ships, with higher speed and much greater
coal endurance than any now in the Amer
lean service were absolutely indispensable,
and ought to be begun with as little delay
as possible
The general programme as originally
laid down, provided for fifteen vessels, of
which six were to be heavily armored line
OF battle fighting ships, six TO be small
protected cruisers and three midway be-
tween these extremes. The three battle
ships were to exceed 1900 tons displace
ment, with minimum speed with all stores
and coal aboard Of eighteen and one-half
knots; there were to be three frst-class
armored cruisers of $1,000 tons. one
third larger than the New York and the
Brooklyn, with twenty-five knots speed
and a coal endurance of at least ten thou
sand tons; three semi-armored aud protect
ed second-cla cruisers of a highly inn
proved Olympia type and six sixteen-knot
protected cruisers of $500 tons, slightly SUI
perior to the Detroit class, with the re-
markable steaming radius of 1900 knots.
The board further determined that all ships
should be sbeathed with oak and copper,
to make them comparatively independent
of dry docks.
AS a result of the meeting practically es-
tabishing this programme as the adopted
policy of the navy for the immediate future,
the work of designing the three battle ships
will begin at along the following lines:
The displacement is fixed at 900 tons, on
a draught of 2512 feet when the vessel is
loaded TO the maximum and at that draugnt
d minimum speed of 1872 knots is to be guar
anteed. Coal bunker space for between 1880
and 1900 tons of fuel is to be provided in
order that a steaming radius of 10000 knots
at Il 1O-knot speed may be secured. The
armor is TO cover the entire vessel in the
form of a cuirass. 1t will be made after
the Krupp modification of the Harveyized
process, and is to be twelve inches thick
amidship, tapering to five inches at the
bow and stern. There will be four 12-inch
rifles of extra length for smokeless powder,
mounted in pairs in two turrets, the latter
being of the elliptical-balanced type with
sloped fronts. The battle ships as we'll as
all the other vessels will be equipped with
water tube boilers and twin quadruple en-
gines. AS soon as the plans for these bat
tie ships progress sufficiently the details for
the big cruisers will be taken up by the con-
structon officers.
1t is a peculiar coincidence that the plans
for these magnificent battle ships are begun
simultaneously almost to a day with the
opening of bids for three battle ships upon
which contractors have been figuring for
the last three months. This competition
will close at noon on Sept /, and it is almost
| a foregone conclusion that the Cramps, the
Scouts and the Newport News Company will
each attempt to secure a vessel which is
practically the duplicate of similar battle
ships now being built by each of these
firms, although the proposals are expected
to develop slight notifications which will
give increased speed and endurance over the
| Alabama the Illinois and the Wisconsin.
| These vessels which were authorized by the
last Congress- have given rise to consider
able controversy because they possess no
| radical improvements over their predeces-
| sors and were of admittedly inferior type to
the heavy war ships now building in Great
| Britain, France, Germany and Russia. They
| are of 15C0 tons displacement draw 1874
| feet, carry 12C0 tons of coal and have pro-
| lection to their vitals only in the form of
| a 1917 inch armor belt. The design called
| for the ordinary 13-nch rifles, and they were
not to be rejected by the navy if their speed
| was above 10 knots although a penalty Of
| S25 600 a quarter of knot was imposed for
any reduction between 16 knots and 1512
knots and at the rate of $4,000 a quarter
between 151a knots and 10 knots.
| Under the circumstances of yesterday $
action of the navy experts these slow battle
| ships will probably be abandoned altogether,
unless the ship builders on Thursday take
| advantage of Secretary Longs appeal for
| the guarantee of higher speed than was at
| first contemplated, and the 100000 pro-
vided by Congress for the hull and machin-
cry of these vessels may be saved to apply
! to the comprehensive naval programme,
| which conservative estimates indicate will
| involve an outlay approximating S40,000000.
| At noon there will be opened in the Office
| of the secretary of the navy the proposals
for building three great battle ships author
lied by the last naval appropriation bill.
| The department will permit bidders to sub
nit their own plans to bid on those of
the department. and it is expected that the
result will be that some of the bidders will
| avail of both privileges. One feature IF
the designs that is likely to give rise to
criticism is the provision for full equip
| ment of tropedo tubes. both above and
under water. This is directly opposed to
| the judgment of some of the foreign naval
experts who witnessed the battle of July
| that the topedo outfits on battle ships were
| a source of great danger to the ships and
that their presence was of only questionable
| value.
Big shipment of ProjectiIes.
| READING. Pa, Aug Peace makes no
| difference whatever in the busy operations
! here on shells and projectles for the army
and navy. During the past month the Cav
| penter Steel Company made the largest
| - in he nj