The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-05
ILLINOIS.
The w arship
Launched at
NEWPORT NEWS.
Most Powerful Battleship in
the Q. S. Navy.

Newport News, Oct 4.-The battle
ship Illinois was successfully launched
at 1888, amid the enthusiastic cheers
Of vast multitude of people and the
blasts of hundreds of whistles. The
weather was perfect Boats and trains
crowded with people began to arrive
before daybreak, and by II o'clock, the
hour set for the launching, people had
assembled in the yard Of the Newport
News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Com
pany. AS many more swarmed the
decks of steamers, tugs, yachts and
other craft which had taken up posi-
tons Of vantage in the river opposite
the shipbuilding plant. Probably $4,000
persons were present.
At 1890 o'clock Miss Nancy Letter,
sponsor for the Illinois, accompanied
by distinguished party from Chicago
assembled the christening stand There
was considerable delay, but the i'm
mense throng waited patiently. At
last hush fell over the crowd as the
sharp saw cut its way through the last
timber.
When the supreme moment came
Miss Letter poised the gaily decorated
bottle of champagne in her right hand
and as the big ship moved slowly
down toward the river, cast it against
the bow The bottle crashed into
fragments and the vintage streamed
down the ships side. AS the vessel
moved down the ways, cheer after
cheer went up from the crowd, whose
enthusiastic shouts almost drowned
the noisy welcome to the newcomer,
sounded by the whistles in the har-
Io w n
into the stream. Immediately after
the launching. several hundred guests
of the Newport News Shipbuilding and
Dry Dock Company boarded the steam
er Newport News for "Old Point"
where they were entertained at a
launching banquet at the Chamberlain
Hotel.
Toasts were responded to by Gov.
Tanner of Illinois, Gov Tyler Of Vir-
ginia and other prominent guests. A
launching hop was given in the even
ing.
The battleship Illinois is tho largest,
most powerful and probably the most
generally effective warshlp in the Unit
ed States navy.
Larger by 1000 tons than the Oregon;
larger than the Iowa, now the biggest
battleship in the service, the Illinois
is still SO designed that she will be able
to enter any harbor open to the small
err battleships, while in the matter Of
speed she will rank with any of them.
The most striking difference between
the Illinois and the battleships now in
service is the high freeboard of the for
mer, enabling her to work her guns
from their great elevation above water
in seas so heavy that the guns of the
lower vessels would be submerged and
useless. Splendid seagoing powers are
also expected to result from this in
creased seaboard, by which is meant
the height Of the hull above the water
line.
What will the Illinois be able to do
when in action?
Naval authorities say that she can
stand IA miles out from any sea coast
city in the world and hurl destructive
shells into the center of it. In a fair,
open sea fight, with her steering ap-
paratus uninjured and American gum
aers on board of her, she is considered
to be more than match for any bat
tleship afloat today. If pitted against
an armored cruiser Of the type of the
New York, one OF her bloadsides, 1t
is said, would destroy all Of the upper
works of that magnificent vessel and
render her gun shelters untenable by
any human being. Matched against
vessels Of the type of the Oquendo or
the Viscaya at a range of 1000 yards,
she would hurl against either one of
them 1850 pounds more of chilled pro-
jectiles than their combined broad
sides could discharge against her. If
fighting alone all the vessels Of Ad-
miral Cervera's feet, as it was when
ahoat at Santiago, the Illinois would
discharge in a double broadsde more
los IN, fcrl1 10 T,ad
by the combined Spanish fleet. If in
contest with such vessels as Dewey
fought at Manila, the secondary bat
terry of the Illinois would discharge
more missiles in weight in one broad
side than the entire fleet Of Montejo
would fire.
The total muzzIe energy Of all her
guns is greater than the total muzzle
energy of Dewey's and Montejo' s
squadrons combined. Another way Of
putting it is that if O quantity of dy-
Mantle six hundred feet in length, two
feet in breadth and two feet IN height
were discharged in the heart Of Chica-
go it would represent the muZzle en-
ergy of all the guns of the Illinois
when in action.
Greater battleshiDs will undoubtedly
be constructed as naval skill progress
es in the future, but for many years
to come the Illinois will be type of
battleship TO be respected and feared
by all foreign ma D MS and to be hon
ored by the people whom she defends.
In one respect, the Illinois will ma
terialiy differ from that terror of the
seas" the Oregon. The battle lines of
the Oregon are vicious, mean and ugly.
She stands fer the word fight in ev-
cry outline that she presents to the
eye. The outlines Of the Illinois are
far more graceful, and while in many
ways she is more terrible vessel than
the Oregon. she does not show it. Her
appearance IS fierce, but softened by
lines that will give her beautiful ap-
pearanee when afloat and not stripped
for action.
The Illinois is one of FIVE battleships
planned for the same displacement,
namely, j ,535 tons. the other four be-
ing the Kearsarge and the Kentucky,
launched and building in the same
yard the alabama, also launched,
building by the Cramps in Philadel-
phia, and the Wisconsin. soon to be
launched at San Francisco. The two
latter. however, can alone be called
sister ships Of the Illinois, since the
Kearsarge and Kentucky differ wide
ly from the other three in armor and
armament, and very notably in carry
ing eight-inch turrets superposed upon
the 13-inch. which is novelty in naval
architecture. At first 1t was supposed
that the new Maine, Missouri and
Ohio would also be of the II, 525-ton
class making eight In all; but changes
of ulan involving an increase of 5000