Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-25
Proposition Ito Tighten the New
Battle Ships.
THEY WILL Draw TOO MUCH WATER
An |ncorfit Report Regarding
P'aHafor the Maine.
VIEWS AT THE DEPARTMENT

inquiry at the Navy Department into the
report that very. serious defects had been
discovered IN the plans for the battle ship
Maine, now building at Cramps, ELECTED
the statement from all of the persons con-
cerned In the designs Of ships that there
has been no mistake made in the depart
ment, and that what appears to the unin-
lt1ated to be an effort to correct a serious
error in design In the case of the Maine is
nothing more than the working out of
plans intended to give effect to changes in
the general characteristics of the three big
batsie ships Maine, Ohio and Missouri.
Conditions of Building.
The conditions attending the award of
contract for these three vessels were pc
cul1ar, the routine being complicated by
the decision of the Navy Department to
increase the proposed speed for the vessels
from sixteen to- eighteen knots an hour.
This decision was reached a long time af-
Ter the advertisement was issued calling
Tor bids for building the ships, but before
the bids were opened. The most radical
erect of the decision was to require the
shipbuilders to abandon the carefully pre-
pared plans of the department originally
issued. The conditions imposed were that
they should build battle ships with 13-inch
guns, with 1000 tons coal capacity, with
lS-knot speed. and. a most important con-
ditfon, that they should be generally like
the Alabama
The builders accepted these conditions and
began to work out the detailed plans of the
ships. and even began the actual construc-
tlon. Tnen 1t was found by the Cramps that
II they gave the full amount of armor
proposed in the original scheme the ship
would draw more water than was desirable
or contemplated This fact it is said at the
department was owing entirely to changes
made in the original plan-changes calcu-
iated to benefit the ship in every respect.
Problem Before the Department..
Now the problem confronting the DEPART
ment is to decide whether it shall carry
out the original armor plans with the in
creased draft involved, or increase the
size of the ships so as to enable them to
carry the armor, or shall diminish the
thickness of the armor so as to keen the
originally planned draft The bulk of opin-
ION 1nclines toward the latter course il
being the conviction of the ordnance bu-
reau that the armor may be safely light
ehed without 1n1uring the ship. In fact
the Russ!anaibattle ship now building at
cramps is pointed to, and the very latest
English battl6 ships under construction. all
Of which haze les armor than the Maine
would have, 70 show that this reduction is
strictly in th@ilin4olof the be st modern nrac-
lice In addition, the government will
save IN money the cost of about POO tons of
armor, which in This case would be worth
ABOUT 800 per toh-a substantial item
VIII lie FINER Vessels.
The constructienib bureau is in accord with
the ordnance people on this point, insisting
that the ships Will be actually finer vessels
IN every respect than if carried out accord
ing to original plans 80 -.-
1t is understood that the Cramps are en-
tireiy willing. 10 barry out these plans or
10 make the Change which the department
low mas in contemplation rs to the arrnor.
me Maine Is already under construction
but It Is not heHeYed that she has cached
a point where she could not De changed in
pesign III almost any direction - 1t is said
that the same state of facts as to the Maine
Is true as'to her sister ships the Missouri
ar Newport News, and the Ohio at the
Union iron works, except .hat the actual
construction of the ships has not ter,In
and the plans are SO more susceptible TO
change. -
Drift of Modern Opinion.
To show the drift of modern opinion in
the matter of armor. it may be stated that
the plans which Secretary Long Will submit
to the next Congress for new construction
Will provide for several magnificent battle
ships with armor fully % per cent less In
thickness than that which battle ships now
building will carry The designers state
that nearly half of the sixteen inches of
armor carNsd around by the Indiana class
OF battle ship is unnecessary according to
the latest ideas, as eNamplifed IN European
snip construction and verified by our ex-
perience. -