The times., 1899-05-29
KEARsARGE AND KENTUCKY.
The Great Sister BnttIeships Nenr-
ing Completion

ihe Grcat sister Bnttleships Near
ing Completion.
Navy Department officials confidently ex-
pect to be able to put the two new battle
ships Kearsarge and Kentucky in commits
sion during the coming summer. The two
vessels are at Newport News, Va They
are practically completed, except for GER
tain finishing work on the inside. All the
armor is now in place. the last shutter
plate having been fitted, it is learned,
within the last few days.
The batteries for the two ships are COM
plete In every detail The guns. however,
with the exception OF the turret rifles,
will not be mounted until Just before COM
missioning. On the trial trips equivalent
weights Will be submitted In number Of
the gun positions.
Preliminary tests made Of the mechan-
ism Of the turrets have proved very salts
/ factory The turrets of the kearsarge and
Kentucky are superimposed, and the re-
ports on the working OF the new system
in actual service are being looked forward
to expectantly by naval officers The pow
er employed for turning the turrets hoist
ing ammunition, and operating gun-work-
ing machinery is electricity Although
I considerable skill is demanded for the
proper care Of electric mechanism, expe-
rience has shown that on those ships
where electricity is employed to consid-
erable extent officers and men rapidly
adapt themselves to the new conditions,
no matter how novel or intricate their
character.
The hammers for the heavy turret guus
of the Kearsarge and her sister ship viii
be a simple form of telescope rammer,
capable of being worked by hand or By
electric power. In the early types of
United States battleships hammers for tur-
ret guns have been operated by hydraulic
| power. These hydraulic hammers are now
! being replaced by new contrivance known
as the hydro o-pneumatic rammer. With
I the exception OF the heavy turret guns, all
rifles On the Kearsarge and Kentucky are
of the rapid-fre type. The fittings for the
| guns are of the most improved form.
Every gun. save the smallest -calibred wea-
/ pOns, viii be supplied with telescope
/ sights. In addition to the telescope sight,
/ there will be furnished, to ship in its place
! in case of accident. an auxiliary horizontal
7 bar sight.
( Heretofore the sighting arrangements
! for turret guns on United States vessels
has been confined TO the sighting hoods
The hoods are placed above the turret just
over each gun position. The officer or gun
ner who is directing the firing occupies Il
| saddle rigged up in the sighting hood
Sits cut in the sides of the hood enable
/ him TO see beyond. The hoods, as 4 rule
are the weakest parts of the turret5, and
it, is calculated that a blow from a six
inch projectile would destroy any sighting
hood If fairly struck, and while the guns
and turret would remain intact the means
OF sight ng would have disappeared. To OBJ
viate any such disaster the ordnance off,
cials have arranged to fit to the tGrret
guns CT the two big battIeships bar
sight, to be used through a slit in the main
turret armor. The bar-sight will be in ad-
dition to the telescope-sight in the sight
ing hood.
The one-pounder guns OF the Kearsarge
and her sister will be drawn, it is said.
from lot consisting of 100 heavy auto
matte guns, recently completed at the
Washington gun foundry Tests made Of
these new guns record a rate of fire of 250
shots per minute. The one-pounder will
be utilized, however, merely for boat guns,
since the ordnance officials do not deem
weapons OF this calibre as of appreciable
value in the economy of battleship. The
six-pounder guns of the two new ships
will employ only armor-piercing shell. 1t
has been found. owing to the facilities for
manufacture at the present day that steel
shell possessing armor- piercing properties
can be turned out practically as cheap as
common shell.
The KearSarge and Kentucky are the
last of the battleships to be given 13-inch
guns. These weapons weigh, each, sixty
and one-half tons, and four 13-inch guns
are allowed per vessel. In the turrets
mounted above the 13-inch guns S-inch
weapons will be carried. Hereafter 12-
inch guns will constitute the heaviest
weapons to be mounted on United States
vessels. The new 12-inch guns of the
American Navy weigh only seven and one
half tons less than the 13-ineh rife, but
the reduction in size, and the weight OF
turrets, as demanded for the smaller gun
is very great. Owing to the introduction
of smokeless powder 1t is possible tC
obtain a power of penetration for the
capped 12-inch shell, weighing SEQ pounds
which is deemed sufficient for all practical
requirements of today. 1t is not doubted
that the new 12-inch guns of the United
States are able to overcome, at 2.0e0 yards
the armor that is now carried by any shiI
afloat.
The crew compliments of the KearsargC
; and Kentucky will number 511 men fol
each ship Independent of some twenty
commissioned officers per vessel. 1t i:
understood that for fully one year aftel
first going in commission the new Graf
will be retained in home waters If any
defects then develop they can at once bt
made good.
In the latter part of this week the bat
tleship Kearsarge. which will go on hel
trial trip next month, will be furnished
with the big guns OF her main battery
Word ta5 been received here that the foul
13-inch guns and the four S-inch guns fol
this vessel will be shipped at once from
the gun foundry at Washington, and viii
probably reach here on Friday. The ship
yard officials are only awaiting for the
guns before sending the Kearsarge on her
| blilder'S trial.