Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-10-27
INCREASE IN THE NAVY.
SONE INrEtES STING PLANS OF THE
NAVY DEPAitThHENT.
Nh.r~ Newport News VIII Come I'm. Thr. Q
Ha,tl~rhipsssnd Three Cruiners.
Tentative Scheme.

ms battery arrangement on battleShips
.! he United States navy and the cred
IT for building the first ships in the
world carrying their batteries in two
story turrets belongs to the Newport
News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Com
panE. the three new Dattleships FOR
which plans are being prepared by the
naval chiefs at'Washington will be i'm
proved KcarSarges and kentuckys.
At least one and possibly Two Of the
new American defenders ana at least
one Of the three new armored cruisers,
which will be virtually fast second
class Eattleshirs. will be built at New
port News. The policy of the Navy
Department is TO give the three big
American shipyarls for building the
big warships and each each yard gets
one vessel of each class authorized. in
view Of the fact that this yard built
the first ships With surermpnsed tur-
refs and no Others have ever been built,
il is possible that more Than one Of The
new hattleship contracts "lll come this
way.
When the announcement was mads.
that the Board o: Naval Chiefs ut
Washington was considering the advis-
ability Of making the superimposed iur-
ltts features OF the new Dattleships.
much interest was manifested here. as
the universal prediction three years & go
was that the kearSarge and Kentucky
would never he duplicated. Since the
completion of the kearsarge. however.
the big naval officers have had an OPP
portunity TO inspect the double turret
arrangement in steel instead OF on pa
per and all but one on the Board Of
Construction is in favor Of adopting the
plan on the new Dattleships
The tentative scheme for the new
ships has been worked out and its ,.onl-
parison with the kearsarge and Ken
lucky shows many points where i'm
provenent has been made The new
ships will have normal displacement,
CT 1850 tons or 1a.0G0 tons when deep
loaded The kearsarge's displacement
IS ll.320 tons normal and 1880 tons deer,
loaded The draft OF the new vessels
will be 25 feet inches, where the kear-
sarge measures 50 feet inches The
new 'battlesilips Will have water tube
boilers. twin screws and coal capacity
for o.0Oe tons: the Kearsarge has space
for 1900 tons Of coal. The new ships
must make at least 10 knots. which is
three knots greater than the required
speed of the kearsaree, although the
latter vessel has demonstrated her RICH,
to be classed as u l1.5 knots ship.
The main battery on the new ships
will consist Of four 12-nch guns or
modern make in the main turrets. four
S-inch guns IN the upper turrets. four
S-inch guns in TWO turrels, one turret On
each beam. similar to the ones on the
cruiser Brooklyn. and ten 6-inch rapid
fire guns.
The Kealsarge while admitted TO be
the most powerful snip in the navy, az
to turret arrangement. will not have
the destructive power Of the new ships.
She carries l3-ineh guns where the lat
Ter vessel Will carry l2-inch modern
rifles. The guns. in the upper stories
Of her superimposed turrets are Of the
same calibre those in the new ships
but the latter Will be OF later design
The kearsarge has no beam turrets,
which gives the new ships each four
more S-lnch guns than she carries
Where the Kearsarge carries fourteen
3-inch rapid rifles. the new vessels
as stated, Will have ten 6-inch quick
fire rifles.
The following dispatch from Wash
inston 70 the New York Tribune Civ
ing details Of the plans for the new
battleships. will be Of interest here:
The Naval Board Of Constru cton has
finally adopted tentative plans for three
new battleships superior in offensive
fOrmldability to any vessels Yet de-
signed or building, for the United
states. After five prolonged meetings
required for partially harmonizing
widely divergent views on the various
features of the ships which were au-
thorized by Congress last March. the
bureau chiefs who compose the board
with single dissenting Voice on one or
two points, agreed to the general feat
ures which are reasonably sure Of be-
ing embodied in the complete drawings
and specifications. The battleships are
70 be improved Kearsarges, two thou
sand tons heavier three knots faster
and With four additional heavy guns.
The battery is the most difficult cues
ton to determine in all warships. the
object being to put as many heavy guns
as possible along the center line in or
der that they might be fired on both
broadSideS, rather than placing them
on either side Of the ship. where their
range of fire would be reduced one-half
The discussion among the rear admiras
Of the board has been confined princ-
Tally to securing the highest possible
utility for the guns. and 70 secure with
the least weight Of gun the heaviest
IRE on a target, wherever it might lie.
-four members are convinced that the
superimposed turret of the Kearsarge
class fultils all desira Die conditions as
to saving weight and securing the wild
est angle Of aim, and they have salts
fed themselves as practical men that
no difficulties will be encountered in
actual practice in the use Of such dou-
BILE turrets. The obvious advantages
Of such an arrangement, involving the
greatest possible concentration Of fire.
together with a single barbette, We're
adopted for the kearsarge and the
Kentucky after thorough study by some
Of the most accomplished as we'll as
cautious men in the service. and the