The times., 1899-11-18
SPEEDY VESSELS OF WAR.
A Large Increase i'm the Strength of
the Navy Recommended.

the Navy Recommended.
SO far as it was in its ability to do so,
the Naval Board on Construction yester-
day adopted a programme of naval increase
which numerically is greater than any
heretofore entered upon by the United
States. Eighteen vessels are included
within the scope OF the boards determine
ton and contrary to expectation, some of
them are armorclads. The programme
briefly is as follows: Three armored cruis-
ers Of about 1850 tons displacement;
three protected cruisers of about 5000 tons
displacement; six light draft gunboats Of
about 1000 tons displacement and six
light draft gunboats of about 800 tons
displacement
At the meeting Of the board yesterday
an agreement was quickly reached and
report recommending the adoption Of the
programme mention was signed and laid
before Mr.. Allen, Acting Secretary of the
Navy. The report, which is very brief,
will be presented to Secretary Long on his
return from Colorado. He is expected here
by Monday, and before the end of next
week the programme to be recommended
to Congress viii probably be determined
by the Secretary. All the decisions of the
Board on Construction are ad referendum
so that yesterdays action cannot be re-
garded as final. 1t is customary. however,
for the Navy Department TO follow the
advice of the board.
One feature of the boards report is that
it was signed by all five members. Viii e
Ito
ter of vessels that should be built and as to
the advissbiIity of constructing more ar
mor-clads, while the controversy with the
armor plate makers remained unsettled,
there was a unanimous feeling that the
steady progress of increase of the Navy
should be continued.
The three armored cruisers contemplated
are to be much larger than the Brooklyn,
which exceeds in tonnage the only other
vessel Of that class in the United States
Navy, the flagship New York. They are
TO be even larger than any armoTed cruiser
in the British navy, and none OF the bat
tleships now under construction or in ser
vice in the American Navy is within 1900
tons OF their projected displacement. The
displacement of the Brooklyn is l53 tons:
of the battleships Illinois, Wisconsin, and
Alabama, 1885, and of the KeaTsarge
and the Kentucky II SEQ tons. The Iowa,
which was the largest vessel that partici-
pated in the war with Spain, has a ton
mage of 1926.
The idea OF the board Is to provide three
vessels that Will combine the elements CT
strength and the offensive qualities of the
hattleship and the speed of the armorel
cruiser. Armor and armament are sacri-
feed to speed in armored cruisers just as
in the battleship the aTmOr and the arma
ment are the most important features
The boards object is to have a trio OF yes
sells second to none in the world in respect
to speed and armament. OF course, there
must be an increased weight OF macnInerv
to drive these big floating forts through
the water at high rate of speed, AMI ar
NOR and armament must be pared down
correspondingly Otherwise an anomalous
type not having the speed of the cruiser or
the strength of the battleship would result.
Questions relating to the offensive and de-
fensive qualities of the proposed vessels
were not determined by the board, but il IS
regarded as certain that they will carry
rifles OF at least ten inches calibre in their
main batteries The Brooklyn and the
New York have 8-inch guns. and those Cf
the Indiana class have guns of 13-inch cali
bre The largest rifles Of all the new bat
tleships are to be 12-inch calibre, manufac-
ture of the 13-inch gun having been aban-
IL
made 21 90 knots. 1t is contemplated ,hat
the new armored cruisers shall b. even
faster than that.
The three protected cruisers are to be
larger than the three vessels OF the same
class advocated by Secretary Long in his
last annual report, but omitted by Congress
from the Naval bill for this year. Those
recommended by the Secretary TO Congress
we're to be of about 5000 tons. Those ia
In Go 70 rua do
partment are of 600 tons greater displace
ment. The Columbia and the Minneapolis,
the largest vessels of the protected cruiser
tyne in the Navy are of ,4I5 tons, while
the Olympia, which may be said to be the
largest actual fighting ship of that class in
the service the Columbia and Minneapolis
being more properly designed as commerce
destroyers, has displacement OF only $500
tons Thus the protected cruisers proposed
Will be larger than any OF their class here
tofore constructed, and even larger than
the armored cruisers New York and Brook
Iyn and the battleShip Texas. The scope
given TO speed and armament by the radical
departure from previous ideas affords an
opportunity of making the three protected
cruisers superior TO many armOred ships in
the two qualities mentioned.
The recommendation in regard to the
twelve gunboats was made by the board
at the suggestion OF AuinlIdI DeWey
These little ships are intended for service
in the Philippines They are to be OF
light draft. the six smaller ones not draw
ing more than eight feet Like the arm
ored cruisers recommended, it is intended
that they shall be sheathed and coppered
TO prevent fouling.
There will be two reports Of the board
concerning bids for the construction of the
six small protected cruisers authorized by
Congress in the last naval act. The ma
jority report will recommend that con-
tracts be awarded to the six lowest bid
ders on the plans of the Navy Department
The minority report will recommend
awards TO bidders who promise greater
speed on their plans than demanded by
the department