The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-03-08
NO MORE
BATTLESHIPS
Can Be Built Until Further
Legislation
Is Had on the Subject of Armor
Plate.
So 90 PRICE LIMIT
Fixed by Congress For ArmOr
Plate Necessary,
Will Not Be Accepted by the
Manufacturers.

washington, Marcn Sine pans 4OI
the three big battleships authorized by
the naval appropriation bill, just passed,
are being worked out. The general
features of the ships have been defined,
subject to the approval of the secretary.
The battleships will be a thousand tons
larger than the Maine and Missouri
class, of a total displacement of IL, 500
tons, making them by far the largest
ships in the American navy and about
equal in dimensions to the best type of
battleships now being constructed
abroad under the new practice. Though
larger than the Maine, the ships will be
laid on almost the same lines, being
only a little greater in every dimension
They will carry each four 12-inch guns
in turrets. This calibre is an inch less
than the guns carried by the Oregon,
but by improved design they will be
almost equal in penetratiVe power.
The S-inch guns of the Oregon type,
although they did very effective work at
Santiago and Manila, have been aban-
doned.
But instead of eight S-inch guns, the
new ships will have no less than sixteen
guns of 6-inch calibre, all rapid firers,
and twenty 6-pounders. This battery
represents the ideal proportion between
guns as taught by the experience of our
own fleet during the Spanish war and
of the Chinese and Japanese vessels
during their late war. The speed of
the ships will be Is knots, an advance.
of two knots over the Oregon class, but
just equal to that of the new Maine.
For protection against the enemy's shot
the battleships will have but one belt of
armOr seven feet, six inches broad, run
ming clear around the water line, three
feet, six inches above and four feet be-
low. 1t was originally planned to have
this armor 16 inches thick, but the de-
siSners have now reduced the thickness
to II inches. This change was made
in order to strengthen the easements,
which will be made seven and a half
inches thick, instead of five inches.
Altogether there is a notable absence
of new features in the designs of the
battleships, which fact, taken in connec-
ton with the small amount of progress
reported in the designs for the Maine
class, may be an indication that our
naval designers have very nearly ap-
preached the ideal battleship in their
work. AS far as these particular ships
are concerned, the fact that the navy
department is limited to $500 per ton in
the purchase of armor makes it i'm
possible to build them in the absence
of further legislation and the depart
ment will be obliged to be content with
the mere preparations of detailed plans
during the coming summer The six
cruisers of the unarmored type provided
for can, however, be built, and Chief
Constructor Hichborn has already been
working out the designs upon lines ap-
proved by the board Of bureau chiefs.
1t is the purpose of the navy department
to place contracts for these ships at
the earliest possible moment They
represent type of cruisers which would
be of the greatest value just now for
our foreign service. The plans call for
vessels of about $500 tons, and the
ships will be improved Marbleheads, so
to speak, being 500 tons larger than
ships of that class and with better bat
teries and more coal capacity. A most
important consideration is that they
will be sheeted with wood over the steel
hull and fully coppered, enabling them
to keep the seas even in tropical waters
for many months without being com
PEELED to seek dry dock The battery
will be made up of six 5-inch guns for
each ship. The cost is expected to be
considerably more than that of the
Marblehead, which was 1914, 900, for the
amount allowed by congress was S114I-
500 each. This difference is accounted
for by the many improvements made
in the Marblehead's designs, a notable
one being the use of water tube boilers.
giving much greater speed and economy.