The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-08-29
NEW QUEEN FOR THE NAVY
ALABAMA DEVELOPS FINE SPEED
IN HER TRIAL.
Makes an Average of Seventeen Knots
an Hour-Iowa Made Better Speed I'm
Her Trial but the New Shi p is Probably
the Faster-Safled with a Broom Mt
Her FOrctopniast.

Boston, Aug. 2S-There is a new
queen of the American navy, the Unit
ed States battleship Alabama, which to-
day, with big broom at her foretop-
magnificent speed trials yet held in the
history of the navy Her average speed
for four hours continuous steaming
was seventeen knots--a figure not quite
as high as that made by another great
battleship produced from the same
builders yard three years ago--the Iowa
but notable from the fact that 1t gave
an idea of the yet undeveloped power in
this latest and great product Of Ameri-
can shipbuilders. The Alabama was
| built by the Cramps at Philadelphia,
| and while of the first class, she is un-
! like any of the earlier creations, both
architecturally and as q fighting ma
chine Built under contract that re-
quired at least an average speed Of six
teen knots per hour, she has been turn
ed out to do seventeen knots or better
under conditions that will not be term
ed extraordinary, and as such she be-
comes probably the fastest of our line
Of battle craft.
The Alabama, called after a favorite
state of the south, has name of great
err significance to the American people,
but it was not simply because of her
name and the figure of seventeen knots
she made that big broom was at her
foretopmast truck as she dropped an
chor tonight below Boston light.
few months ago another ship of her
class, but, unlike her In very many re-
spects, built by a rival shipbuilding
firm at Newport News, was sent over
the same course to meet the same re-
quirements and under almost identical
conditions. That other ship--the Kear-
sarge-with name even more famous
and linked insolubly with that Of the
Alabama, exceeded her contract figure
and made an average speed of 1859
knots. If one Kearsarge on a day fa-
nous in history had a triumph over one
Alabama, a new craft of the same name
to-day achieved triumph over another
kearsarge.
Aside from the desire of the builders
of the Alabama to produce a craft that
would suit the government, there was
not a little anxiety that she beat the
Kearsarge's figures, 16.S9 made on Mo-
vember 25 last The seventeen-knot rec
ord to-day is not the highest for speed
trials, but 1t is the highest for battle
ships since the bonus for extra speed |
had been abolished.
An interesting feature was the use |
of sister battleships as statkeboats. !
These were the Texas of the second |
class, the Massachusetts and Indiana, |
the Kentucky and the Kearsarge. The
trial throughout was, to use f. S.
Cramps own words, a success In every
particular The Alabama will be ready
for delivery to the government in six
weeks, when she will go into commits
sion under Captain w. H. Brownson.
The statistics of the run, which have
vet to be corrected for tidal interfer-
ences which will be given out by the
board at washington, were as follows:
The run out: Total elapsed time,
1921 average speed for thirty-three
knots, 17.15 knots per hour. The Kear-
sarge made the run In 1:5419; average
speed, 1882 knots.
Total elapsed time on the return,
L:57:30, an average speed Of 1885 knots.
The Kearsarge made the run in 1885, an
average speed of 1887 knots.
Average speed for the trial, II knots.
The Kearsarge had an average Of 1888
znots. /,