Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-08
The IDEAL
%BAITLEsHIP
American Designers Have Got
to the Limit.
ADDITIONS TO THE NAVY
The New Warshirs Authorized by Con-
gress Will be the Largest
Yet Built Here.
ADDITIONS TO THE NAVY

Washington, March THE plans for
the three big battleships authorized by
the naval appropriation bill just passed
are being worked out. The general feat
ures of the ships have been defined, u b
ject TO the approval of the secretary. The
battleships will be 900 tons larger than
the Maine and Missouri class, of a total
displacement of 1850 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 prac-
tice. Though larger than the Maine the
ships will be laid on almost the same
lines, being only greater in every dimen-
sion. They will carry each -four 12-inch
guns in turrets. This calibre is an inch
less than the gun carried by the Oregon,
but by improved design they will be all
S-inch guns of the Oregon type, although
they did very effective work at San
tiago and Manila, have been abandoned.
But instead Of eight S-inch guns the
new ships vii have no less thar 16 guns
Of 6-inch calibre, all rapid firers, and 20
~six-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 the 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 an enemy's
shot the battleships will have but one
belt of arrnor Sayan feet ciY inches broad
running clear around the water line, three
feet six inches above and four feet below.
1t was originally planned to ave this
arnor 16 inches thick but the designers
have now reduced the thickness to ~
inches. This change vas 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 connection with the small
amount Of progress reported in the de-
signs for the Maine class, may be an in
dicatiOn that our naval designers have
very nearly approached the ideal battle
ship in their york. AS far as these par
ticular 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 department
will be obliged to content itself with the
mere preparation of detailed plans dur
ing 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
approved by the board of bureau chiefs.
1t is the purpose Of the navy department
to place contracts for the ships at the
earliest possible moment They represent
a type of cruiser 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 Marble
heads, so to speak, being 600 tons larger
n a ships of that class and with better
batteries and more real coal capacity. A
most important consideration is that they
will be sheathed with wood over the steel
hull and fully coppered, enabling them to
keep the seas wen in tropical waters for
/ many months without being compelled tC
seek a drydock. The battery will be made
up of six tive-inch guns for each ship
The cost will be considerably more thar
that of the Marblehead. which was 1914,
900, for the amount allowed by congress
was 81, 141 800 each. This difference is ac-
counted for by the many improvements
! made in the Marblehead's design, a nOta-
BILE one being the use of water tube boil
ers, giving much greater speed and econ
Omy.