Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-03-30
Three New Cruisers Planned for
the American Navy
THEIR GREAT BATTERIES.
: ixty-six Fixed Guns Zach, and n
speed of 80 Knots Amor aud
Modern Equipment.
fEarly DlspatchosI

the Tribune from Washington says:
No warships Of such Sighting power
have ever before been planned abroad
or at home as the three cruisers whose
details have Just been practically COM
peted by the admirals OF the naval
construction board. They are really
most formidable battleships, with the
speed and staying powers ot an ocean
liner. Never has such q tremendous
battery been mounted a.loat as the
California, the Nebraska, anu the West
Virginia will carry. Sikgy-slx fixed
guns constitute their armament and
their magazines are 10 hold over 400
tons OF ammunition.
The board has given these ships Ia
900 tons displacement, % knots speed,
and with coal bunker capacity OF 1000
tons, a steamng radius OF 1000 miles.
They will be the only ships IN the navy
literally armored all over, their protec-
ton extending from below the water
line above the entire superstructure.
In appearance they Will mark notable
departure from existing cruisers and
battleships Of their class, In that they
will stand much higher out Of the
water, giving better distribution OF
batteries and quarters and making
them most impressive.
Until Congress gives the navy de-
partment authority 10 contract for the
best possible Grmor for these vessels,
the final drawings cannot be made,
nor can ship builders secure all the in
formation required by them 70 enable
the preparation OF alternative plans.
The general characteristics Of the ships
are now settled beyond material modi-
ication except that triple screw ma
chlnery may be substituted for twin
screws. The machinery Is to develop
over $4,000 horse power TO drive the
ships % knots and this With the stand
ard naval water tube boilers must not
exceed 1000 tons In weight
The armored protection is to include
water line belt Of Krupplzed steel
six inches thick abreast the engines
and boilers, tapering 70 3i2 inches at
the bow and stern. Above this belt
there win be a Ave inch casemate ex-
tending bali the ships length, TO pro-
tect ten 6-inch guns. The s-inch tur-
rets viii be six inches thick the con-
ming tower nine inches and the signal
tower FIVE inches. The total weight OF
armor. including the 4-inch protective
deck, will be l,i21 tons.
Among the novelties. the lower decks
will be covered with linoleum. all wood
work reduced 20 a. minimum and fire
proofed. the magazines covered with
non-conductors Of heat, and cooled by
refrigerating apparatus. coal bunkers
arranged for extremely rapid filling and
emptying, automatic water tight doors
between all compartments operated
from several stations, fire main laid
below the protective deck. laundry for
70 men and machine shop. Space Is
provided for six months provisions,
tanks for 5000 gallons OF drinking water
/ and an ice machine TO make three tons
a day and a distilling plant for ten
thousand gallons a day. Electricity
will operate the turret turning gear
blowers for ventilation, mechanical
bread mixers, laundry. ammunition
hoists. gun hammers and air compress
sors for torpedOs.
The armament win consist OF sixty
six guns, distributed as follows: Main
battery. four S-inch breech loading
rifles Of As callbres length; fourteen six
! inch rapid fire rifles OF 80 callbres
length. Secondary battery all rapid fire
| light l4-pounders twelve 3-pounders. two
S-inch field guns and two gatlings. In
addition the hand battery will Include
800 magazine rifles and two hundred re-
volvers. The S-inch rifles will be
mounted in pairs in elliptical balanced
turrets having inclined pouts, located
on the keel line Of the ship fore and aft
| on the upper deck the tremendous tor
pedo boat destroying li-pounders Will
| be located and at each corner Of the SUI
perstructure a e-nch gun with an arc OF
fire OF l45 degrees will be protected in
a sponsor.
on the main deck in the casemate
viii be placed the battery OF 6'inch
rapid fires In broad sides, five on each
side. with not less than ITO degrees arc
Of fire. except the forward pair, which
are 70 be sponsored so as to permit
them 10 aim directly ahead. The auto
matte one FOUNDERS viii go In the lower
military tops and the single shot OF
the same calibre In the upper tops
| There viii be two submerged torpedo
tubes In one compartment forward and
six whitehead torpedoes VIII be carried
The aggregate weight OF this armament
exceeds 400 tons,
AS indicating the rapidity Of destruc.
J tive fire 10 be attained With this great
battery. provision Is made for the am
munitlon HOSTS % deliver charges tc
each gun AZ the following rates. S-lnch
one every fifty seconds 6-inch. three
rounds a minute, l4-pounders, sis