Arizona republican., 1902-12-19
The Navy Under Construction.

Washington dispatches yesterday stated that the house committee on naval affairs would not recommend ap- propriations this session for additional course. for either of the two houses may insist upon items for new ships in the naval appropriation bill, but in view of the large number of unfinished vessels now in the yards it would not be surprising should congress decide to postpone for another year any addi tions to the navy in the way of great fighting ships. Although that portion of the new navy now afiOat is fairly formidable, the better and stronger part of it is still on the stocks in wide | ly scattered shipyards. Secretary Moody reports as under construction eight battleships, six armored cruisers, nine protected cruisers, four coast de- ! fense monitors, thirteen torpedo boat | destroyers, seven torpedo boats and seven submarine vessels. Here are | fourteen ships for ths first line of naval deiense-the armored cruisers ranking easily with battleships of the | first class. The navy department now | has in commission ten battleships and ! two armored cruisers. none of which could be regarded as the equal in naval ! combat of the latest products of the bureau of construction. These are the designs for the two battleships of the Connecticut class, one of which is to be built at the New York savy yard, the other at Newport News. The yer dict of official opinion evidently pro nounce for larger and still larger ships of war.
 Advancement in this direction is shown in a comparison by Rear Ad- miral Bowles of the new Connecticut type with the Alabama and Maine classes. The latter cost, all told, about $6,OO0,OO0, with a 12OOO-ton displace- ment;, the Connecticut will cost not less than $7.5OO,OOO, with displacement of 16,000 tons. Battery and ammuni- tion weight is correspondingly in
 
 ing at 1903 tons. while in the COnnecti- cut class it will be 1,340 tons. The re- spective main battery dicharges will weigh in the aggregate 5,312 pounds foI a single discharge from the guns of the Maine class, 1856 pounds from similar guns of the new class. The increased cost is thus balanced by greater hull capacity, heavier batteries and largely enhanced offensive power, while at the same time the defensive power is in creased by adding weight of armor 4 per cent in excess of that used or fighting ships of the Maine class The new armored cruisers of the latest type the Pennsylvania class-will carry 8 per cent more in guns and ammuni- tion, hurl at a single discharge nearly 90 per cent more metal, and be giver 30 per cent more armor protection thar the older class of which the Brooklyn Is a type.
 These data afford a promise of ma terial improvement in naval construc- tion and efficiency of which Secretary Moody evidently anticipates an earlN realization. Contrary to the custom. ary practice of navy department chiefs he asks in his annual report for nc definite number of ships. Ample ex- perience on the house naval affair. committee has doubtless inculcateC upon MT. Moody the futility of such official recommendations. The depart ment must take what the naval com mittees recommended and congres! indorses.