The evening times., 1899-12-30

| DeEigns for the greatest battleships ever
| projected for the American Navy have
| been agreed upon by the Naval Board of
Construction after several months OF dis
cussion over the important questions Of
| battery. armor. speed coal capacity, and
| displacement. -
The three new vessels-to be called the
Georgia, the New Jersey. and the Penn
syivania-wiil equal in formidability the
finest line of battle vessels yet laid down
by any foreign power, and with the addi-
tion Of typical American improvements.
will surpass in fighting force any ships
now afloat
The salient features of the design con-
template a displacement OF approximately
IA 600 tons. as compared with the Oregon's
II. 900. or the rev Maines 1890. The
speed is to be ''at least nineteen knots"
with coal bunker capacity of 1000 tons.
There Will be two superimposed turrets.
one fore and the other aft, each containing
two 12-inch and two s-inch guns OF the new
elongated bore and high smokeless powder
velocity. The remaining guns OF the main
battery will consist of twelve 6-inch quick
fire in broadside This arrangement OF
battery has been finally adopted instead of
an alternative plan which provided for four
12-inch guns in turrets and sixteen 6-inch
broads,de which had been put forward TO
avoid the expedient of Superimpcsed tur-
rets.
The two-story turrets. which are dis
tinctively American innovation as applied
to the Kearsarge and the Kentucky. are re-
garded as no longer Of doubtful success,
and it is known that foreign governments
are preparing to adopt them to secure the
concentration and angle of fire they secure.
which is unapproached by any other expe-
dient.
The hoard also definitely determined up
on the use of the most modern Kruppized
armor for the new vessels. its precise dis
tribution TO be decided upon after the Chief
Constructor has made sufficient progress
with the actual plans to determine the
proper arrangement of weights.
The armor problem has been the most
difficult to solve. and to this cause is at
tributed the delay in planning the ships
The act authorizing the vessels was ap-
proved ON March 3 of this year, and it stip-
ulated that no contract should be made
for any portion of the vessels until a con-
tract was made for the armor.
Congress having limited the cost of the
armor to the ridiculous price of $500 ton.
1t was evident from the beginning that no
satisfactory ship could be built under such
restriction. and for that reason the plans
have been discussed with unusual delibera-
ton.
As the weight Of armor entering into
these ships was very large item, the
question of the adoption of Krupp or the
inferior Harveyized material was extreme
ly important This can be readily appre-
ciated from the fact that roughly 3,00c
tons of the former (the approximate
weight required for each battieship) is
equivalent. as regards resistance. to pene-
tration, to 1000 of the latter. The adop-
tion, therefore. of the material treated by
the Krupp process meant that 1000 tons
OF weight would be available for distribu-
ton among other vital characteristics of a
Of propeliing machinery
(speed), armament, coal carrying capacity
and draught.
The total cost of each of these three
ships when ready for sea will exceed ST.
coo. .0eD each. They will cruise seven thou
sand miles straightaway. and there viii,
not be three ships of similar offensive and
defensive strength in the fleet Of any pos
sible enemy.