Evening star., 1901-07-18
NEW WAR VESSELS
Proposed Cruisers of Unusual Steam
ing Capacity.
TO Be PROVIDED WITH THREE SCREWS
Plans for a Most Powerful Battle
ship.
E PROVIDED WITH THREE SCREWS
DISCUSSION OF BATTERIES

by Congress contemplate such a new de-
parture In steaming capacity that these
ships Will be able to make voyages far es-
ceeding any by the ships now in commits
sion, and eQualing, If not exceeding. the
long distance trips OF any warships afioat.
Although the plans not finally passed
upon, the main features are pretty well
worked out.
Owing to the growth of our foreign ac-
Quisitions, particularly in the Philippines,
II has been felt desirable to largely In
crease the steaming radius OF new war
ships, so that they could make the trip
from the Atlantic seaboard around 20 the
Pacific, or across the Pacific to the Philip
pines, without stop to recoal. That prob
lem has now been worked out by combi-
nation of three screws, so separated that
any one can work Independently. BY using
all three screws, the ship could develop
great speed, from twenty-five to twenty
three knots, that she would Toe listed
twenty-three-knot ship. But all three
screws would be used only in case of emer-
gency, when the ship was In action. or
being forced to a high rate of speed
For the purposes Of making long voyages
only one screw would be used at time.
Saving of Coal.
1t is estimated that this would give a
speed of ten knots an hour. The energy Of
the other two screws would. thus be held
in reserve. each capable in turn of giving
ten knots an hour. BY this means OF al
ternating the screws, the big craft could
make a voyage of at least 10000 miles,
without a stop to rccoal, and at the same
time she would always have her three
screws in readiness to develop twenty
two-knot speed in case of necessity.
Admiral Melville and his associates of
the naval bureau of engineering have been
giving special attention to this long-radlus
steaming. Tables have been prepared
showing that only n few of the small ships,
mainly converted merchant ships, having
no heavy armor to carry, are capable or
making long-distance voyages without
stop for coal They clearly show the de-
STABILITY of adding to the steaming radius
of our new ships, and the plans now under
consideration are expected to accomplish
this most desirable end.
Design of New Battle ships.
Secretary Long has given out the maiori-
ty report of the naval board on construc-
ton on the design of the seagOing battle
ship OF which plans are to be submitted to
Congress next December. according to the
requirements of the last naval appropria-
ton bill. The report states that the board
has been unable to reach a unanimous
agreement concerning the armament and
its disposition, and now makes this pre-
liminary report in order that progress may
be made upon some definite designs. The
plan Of the battle ship as submitted is as
follows: Length, 4J0 feet; beam. 40 feet;
mean draft "a feet inches; displacement,
IL $50 tons This displacement will give a
ship considerably larger than anything in
the present navy. The hull alone Will
weigh about 1000 tons, while the pro-
tective armor will be about 300 tons. The
total coal capacity Will be about 1000 tons;
total load displacement. 1890; deep load
draft Of % feet inches, and 10 knots
speed, and an indicated horse power Of
10000.
The Armament.
The battery recommended by the ma
jority is to consist of four twelve-inch
guns in two ten-inch armored turrets,
twenty seven-inch guns in classmates and
twenty three-inch guns. Eight Of the
seven-inch guns are inclosed in individual
armor, four on the upper deck and four on
the gun deck, firing ahead and astern. The
remaining Twelve guns are located on the
gun deck in a central casemate battery.
The machinery is protected by lu-inch
armor belt, tapering to 4 inches fore and
aft beyond the machinery space, and the
other protection consists of armor and
inches thick, except on the 12-fnch turrots,
where 1t is 10 inches thick.
Main Point of Difference.
The main differences between the ma
jority and the minority of the board arose
over the battery and its arrangement. The
ma ajority is opposed to the further of
superposed turrets, and recommends uni
form caliber of 4 inches for the aux
iliary battery in preference to a mixed bat
terry of S-inch and 6-inch guns. In its com
parison of the two plans, the maj j1rity
makes the point that the use Of the super
posed turreJs. favored by the minority. eX-
poses four guns to disablement by a single
shot, and 10y the mounting Of the twelve
6-inch guns in q single casemate renders
them all liable to be placed out Of action
by single large shell charged with high
explosives.
Attention is also called to what is claim
ed to be a very important advantage in the
majority's plan in providing for twenty
3-inch guns as against eight of that cali
Der provided for by the minority.
Most Powerful Vessel.
A comparison Of the results of the fire OF
ships that participated in the battle OF Ma
Mia is submitted to show that guns not
mounted In turrets gave greater rapidity
than the turret guns OF the Olympia 1t is
claimed also that at the battle of Santiago
there were only thirty hits made by the S19
projectiles fired from eight-inch guns. The
majority argues at length in favor Of the
proposed seven-inch guns. which, ii con-
tends, far exceed the eght-inch guns in
the extent of their range and the flatness
of their trajectory, The majority holds
that in providing for uniformity of charac-
ter, simplicity or mounting ana separation
of guns It has presented vessel more pow
erful than any yet built or projected by
any power.
A table is submitted to show that the
twenty seven-inch guns of the majority
plan will throw 4,125 pounds of metal
minute from each broadside, and that the
twelve eight-inch and twelve siX-inch guns
provided for by the minority, while capable
of throwing 400 pounds of metal minute
from one broadside, can throw only $500
pounds of metal minute from the other
broadside All the main battery guns, ex-
cept the twelve-inch of the majority ship
will throw 80 pounds of metal in min
ute, while all the main battery guns except
the twelve-fnch Of the minority ship Will
throw 1.sG0 pounds of metal in a minute
Mr.. Fox Made DfsbursInp OHicer