The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-12-21
OUR NEW
BATTLESHIPS

approaching completion by the bureau
of construction and repair, provide for
vessels more powerful than those of
any other navy in the world. These
vessels will be known as the Pennsyl-
vania, New Jersey, Georgia. Virginia
and Rhode Island.
The provisions of the acts of 1899
and 1900 for the five vessels have been
covered by designs for three sheathed
and coppered battleships carrying SUI
perimposed turrets, and two unsheath-
ed battleships with the "quadrilateral
arrangement" of S-inch turrets. The
general dimensions and chief charac-
teristics of the sheathed and coppered
vessels are:
Length on load water line, 435 feet.
Breadth extreme, at load water line,
76 feet 10 inches.
Trial displacement, about $4,000
tons.
Mean draft at trial displacement,
about "a feet.
Greatest draft, full load, about 26
feet.
The general dimensions of the un-
sheathed vessels are:
Length on load water line, 435 feet.
Breadth, extreme, at load water line,
76 feet 212 fnches.
Trial displacement. about IA 900 tons.
Mean draft at trial displacement,
about "a feet.
Greatest draft, full load, about 26
feet.
These battleships will have a speed
of at least 19 knots
The vessels will be propelled by twin
screws driven by two 4-cylinder, triple
expansion engines of about 10000 indi-
Gated horsepower, having stroke of
4 feet running, under conditions of
maximum speed, at about 120 revolu-
tions per minute. The steam necessary
to this power will be supplied at a
pressure Of $50 pounds per square
inch, by "a Babcock & Wilcox straight
water-tube boilers, placed a in each Of
six independent water-tight compart-
ments.
Each ship will carry four 12-inch
guns, mounted in pairs in Hichborn
balanced turrets, having an arc of
train of 270 degrees, one forward and
one aft in each vessel. OF the eight
S-inch guns, which will be carried on
each of the three sheathed vessels, four
will be mounted in turrets of the
Hichborn type, superposed upon the
12-nch turrets above mentioned, and
four in two turrets amidships, the
amidships turrets having an arc of
train of 1S0 degrees; and in the two
unsheathed vessels, all eight S-inch
guns will be mounted in four indepen-
dent turrets, each having an arc of
train of las degrees, placed two on
each side at the ends of the super
structure, thus forming quadrilater-
al. In each of the vessels there will
be broadside of twelve 6-inch rapid
fire guns, mounted six on each side, |
on the main deck, each with an arc of
train of 110 degrees, and each ship will
have twelve 14-pounders and twelve
3-pounders, mounted in commanding
positions and having very large arcs
of fire. In the two lower tops there
will be four automatic 1-pounders and
in the upper tops four single-shot ,
1-pounders.
The vessels are fitted with sumal inc
torpedo tubes. Two of these are To-
Gated in one compartment. one on each
side, fitted for the discharge of the
large 1S-inch Whitehead torpedo.
In the magazines provision is being |
made for their artificial cooling. Pro-
vision will be made in the magazines
for the storage of at least 60 rounds
for each of the 12-inch guns, repre-
senting a weight of about 144 tons;
l25 rounds for each of the 7-inch
guns, weighing about $50 tons; 200
rounds for each of the 6-inch guns.
The weight of which will be about 1870
tons; 500 rounds for each of the
5-pounder and 1-pounder guns, and
IN almost ineXhaustible supply of am
nunition for the smaller guns.
Each vessel is to be provided with
4 complete waterline belt of armor,
eight feet in width amidships, eleven
inches thick at the top and eight
inches at the bottom, tapering to
uniform thickness of four inches at
he ends Of the vessel. They will also
have an armored belt extending over
,45 feet of their length, of a uniform
thickness of six inches, rising from
he top of the main belt to the upper
)r main deck. and Joined at its after
md to the barbette of the 12-inch tur-
let by a 6-inch armored bulkhead,
md having AT its forward end an in
lined armored bulkhead from side to
side six inches thick, thus forming a
,itadel or redoubt within which the
finch guns will be mounted. The
for the turrets OF the Il
nch guns are to be ten inches in
thickness, for that portion outside of
he redoubt or citadel, reduced to six
nches in thickness within. The tur-
'ets themselves will be protected by
lrmof ten inches in thickness. the
)ort plates, however, being eleven
inches. The S-inch turrets will, in all
'ases, be protected by similar armor, {
The coming tower and It's shield will Il
,e nine inches in thickness, and the !
lrmored tubes will be protected by
tx inches of armor and will be OF :
size not only to receive all
he voice pipes, wiring, etc, but to ,
Ilso permit OF their being used as ,
'assage-way, II necessary. In add 4
Ion 10 the coming tower, there will (
"a aft a second tower known as the y
ignal tower, which will be protected ]
~ 5-indh armor, From the bottom
II the water line armor belt there Will