The evening times., 1899-12-04
THE MIDDIHS' new SHIP
Cadets Will Soon Have
Charge of the Chesapeake.
The Vessel at CharlestOwn. Mass..
sion to an Old Type-Her Building
Undertaken Against Adverse Criti-
cism-She Is of Great stability.

CHARLESTOWN, Mass, Dec. 4.-The
practice sailing ship Chesapeake, intended
for the use of the cadets at Annapolis. is
now at this port ready for her trial trip.
The Chesapeake is not the first vessel OF
the United States Navy to bear a
Maryland name. The naval authorities
have met all efforts on the part of Mary
landers to have battleship named after
the State by saying that there is sufficient
honor for one Commonwealth in the names
of the cruiser Baltimore the gunboat An
napolis and the practice ship Chesapeake.
The practice ship which is ready for her
trial trip had an earlier namesake in the
American Navy-the old s6gun frigate
upon which Commander James Lawrence
made his heroic defence against the Brit
ish ship Shannon, in Boston harbor. in 1918.
Although the earlier Chesapeake was cap
tured, Lawrence made the story Of the fight
one of which Americans still feel proud.
As he was being carried below. mortaliy
wounded in hand-tu hand struggle. he
spoke the famous words: Don't give up
the ship
The new Chesapeake was undertaken
against considerable adverse criticism. 1t
was contended that naval cadets should be
instructed on steamships and not upon
sailing vessels, which are no longer used
in actual naval warfare. The advocates
of the vessel who contended that much
could be learned on a sailing vessel which
must remain sealed book TO navigators
of steamships carried their point, and plans
for the new craft were drawn by Chief
Naval Constructor Hichborn.
The Chesapeake is clipper built and her
estimated speed with following wind is
twelve knots an hour. Her stability and
strength are equal to any steam vessel of
her size. Though sailing ship she is a
modern war vessel in all other respects,
battery, wire rigging. interior arrange
nents and equipment. Her bottom is
sheathed with wood four inches in thick
ness and coppered from the keel to two
feet two inches above the water line. Her
battery consists of six finch rapid-fire
guns Oh the covered gun deck and four g.
Founders and two 1-pounders mounted on
the rail and worked from the flush spar
deck.
The Chesapeake is full-rigged ship
spreading total sail area of 1890 square
feet. upon which she wholly depends for
propulsion. Her auxiliary engines consist
of two boilers for supplying steam to run
NlIt IOhps. ulSllliuS
and refrigerating plants and for heating
the vessel.
The cadets will have their meals on per-
manent tables, so arranged as not 10 inter
fere with passage about deck or working
of the guns Each of the $50 members of
the crew who can be accommodated on the
vessel will be provided with a locker for
his clothes.
The captains cabin and officers quar-
ters are aft. Ample bathrooms are pro-
rided for the cadets-something they never
knew before on a practice ship. Forward
of these rooms are 10 staterooms for ward
room officers. and the wardrOom dining
room, which extends across the vessel, is
near by. Large quarters are provided in
the hold for supplies and ammunition.
Care has been taken to provide the ship
with plenty of boats.
The Chesapeake's dimensions are as fol-
lows: Length on water line, 115 feet;
breadth, 81 feet; mean draft. 16 feet 8
inches: displacement. 1,115 tons. The ves-
sci was built ut Bath, Maine, and cost
s250.00d and has been overhauled at
Charlestown. Mass.
In 1875 the keel of the first Chesapeake
was laid at the Norfolk Navy Yard but she
was not launched until August, 1899. Her
dimensions were as follows: Length. Isl
feet; breadth. 40 feet; displacement, I,2lo
tons; cost $500 SIS. She carried 81 guns
and I crew of 543 men.