New-York tribune., 1901-05-19
CHARACTERISTICS OF NEW VESSEL.

CHARACTERISTICS OF NEW VESSEL
The Ohio is a sister ship of the Maine now build
ing at the works of the William Cramp & Sons
Ship and Engine Building Company, and of the
Missouri, building at the yard OF the Newport
News Ship Building and Drydock Company. The
hull which is divided like those Of the recent
battleships. is of steel and is unsheathed The
vessel is 3SS feet long the load waterline, 2
feet 212 inches extreme breadth and at mean
draft of % feet inches displaces u go tons.
The hull is protected abreast of the boilers and
engines by a side armor belt extending feet
inches above the load waterIine and 4 feet below
II. having thickness of IL inches for a depth of
feet inches, taDering TO ~ inches at the bot
tom of the belt and by the casemate armOr
inches thick. which extends from the side belt TO
the upper deck, and IS worked from the centre of
the forward to the centre the after barbette.
the ends of this casemate armor diagonal armor
inches thick extends from the sides of the vessel
10 the barbette armor. In the classmates thus
formed placed ten of the 6-inch guns. Above
this the upper deck four of the 6-inch guns are
placed. in the vicinity of which 6-nch armor is
worked far enough forward and aft TO afford pro-
lection to the crews of these guns
Protection is afforded TO the vitals of the ship
below the wateriine by a protective deck worked
fiat within the casemate, and with slopes forward
and aft of it, The deck is worked in two thick
nesses of plating. the total thickness the fiat
being 23 inches, while that the slopes forward
and aft is, respectively. inches and inches Cot
diagonal armor bulkheaGs to the bow and stern
in the vicinity of the waterline and the berth
deck for nearly the length of the vessel All of
these cOfferdams filled with corn pith cellulOse
The main battery of the ship consists of four 12-
inch breech loading rifles. placed in two balanced
turrets. and sixteen 6-inch rapid firing guns. The
turrets turned by electricity, and the motors
used for this purpose can revolve one of these
great through $50 degrees in minute
The of both the turrets and barbettes is Il
inches thick
Ten of the 6-nch guns within the case
mates as before stated. two others the
berth deck forward in 6-inch armored sponsons,
and four on the upper deck Those In the
sponsors forward and two the upper deck can
fire directly ahead. and the other two on the up
per deck directly astern in addition TO having
broadside fire. The secondary battery consists of six
S-inch rapid firing guns eight 6-pounder rapid firing
guns. six 1-pounder rapid firing guns. two Colts
and two 3-inch rapid firing field guns.
A feature introduced in the offensive power
of this ship is the submerged torpedo tube. While
submerged torpedo tubes not abroad. Ger
warships having been equipped with them for
number of years. the Ohio and her class are the
first hatteships of the United States Navy to be
supplied with them. though prior TO her construc-
ton many vessels of the United States Navy were
fitted with torpedo tubes above the waterline- The
Ohio will have two of these tubes. each side
the vessel. situated about 80 feet from the bow
and about 10 feet inches below the waterline-
The magazine and shell rooms of the ship
stow 2fO rounds of the Pinch ammunition. $500
rounds of the 6-inch ammunition. $500 rounds Of
6-pounder and 1900 rounds of the 1-pOunder- The
forward magazines Immediately forward of the
dynamo rooms, and the after ones Just abaft the
engine rooms.
There are two military masts fitted with the
usual signal yards tops and topmasts: two tops
are built to each of these mastS- The 1oreMast is
located in the usual way over the forward con-
ming tower, the foundation or the tower forming
the lower part of the mast The arnor OF the for
ward coming tower is 10 inches thick, and that
of the after or signal tower is inches thick \
tIhe inches Z
Inches in thickness extends from the forward con-
ming tower down the protected deck and pro-
tects the voice tubes and telegraphs from the
manding officer to the important stations in the
vessel
ia a forty foot steam cutter and another thirty
foot steam cutter of the usual navy type. Over
are located on which is placed portion of the
sacondary battery. The boats handled by four
cranes all operated by steam the engines for this
nurnose being located on the working platforms of
fhe cranes. Each crane can lift the heaviest boat
that il has to handle at the rate of forty feet a
minute and also be revolved by its hoisting
engine at the rate of revolution in one minute
I3ige keels reduce rolling fitted TO the YES
sell The forward bilge keels extend for length of
about 81 feet while those aft have length OF
about 70 feet.
F4ydrauc gear is used in steering the vessel and
can put the rudder from port to starboard in
twenty seconds when the vessel Is moving full
speed The valves of the gear connected by an
electric teemotor with the coming tower. besides
the mechanical connection with the pilot house.
The electricity. both for lighting the vessel and