Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-08
DESIGNS COMPLETED
FOR THE NEW BATfLE sHIPs AND
ARMoRED CRUISERS.
A Decided Addition to Our Navy
Powerful and
Speedy. T.

There are probably mo vessels in the
| United States navy the general features or
| details of whose designs have been given
more careful consideration than the two
| battle ships and the two armored cruisers
\ authorized by act of Congress of July 1,
1902
The designs Of the two battle ships have
been completed. the contract for one, the
| Louisiana, having been awarded to the
Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company. The other, the Connecticut, Is
building at the New York navy yard. Both
of the armored cruisers, the Tennessee and
Washington, are to be built by contract
| The speed of these vessels is to be twenty
| two knots, the same as for the Maryland
! and st. Louis classes of armored cruisers
| now building, and one knot in excess of the
| designed speed Of the earlier armored
| cruisers. the New York and Brooklyn. In
| the designs as finally developed the naval
| board gave careful consideration to the
| question of speed, and ascertained that
| the large increase In horse power necessary
| to Increase the speed beyond twenty-five
| knots involved such dsproportionate in
crease In the weight of machinery as to
| seriously curtail the weights available for
| battery and protection, and thus seriously
| arect the offensive and defensive qualities
| of the vessels
| The Tennessee and Washington excel in
| cruiser built, building or designed in the
| world, and they are the equal of a large
majority of the battle ships Of the world.
With the high protection and battery, 1t
is asked in what respect these vessels differ
| from battle ship. The designers say that
| they bear the same relation to the battle
ship as the cavalry does to the infantry in
| the army. With four knots greater speed
| than the vessels of the Connecticut class
| of battle ships, they are able to move more
quickly from point to point, and with their
excess of speed over the battle ship they
| are able to give battle or run away from
| the enemys battle ship as they please and
with their powerful offensive and defensive
| qualities they are able, in case Of necessity,
| to put up stiff fight with the finest battle
ship afoat with fair chance Of winning
| out.
Increased Protection.
AS compared with the Maryland class Of
| armored cruisers now building, there is in
| creased protection to the gun positions by
| the installation Of splinter bul1heads,
| greater isolation of the 6-inch gun posi-
| lions being thus secured. OF the twenty
| two 3-inch guns which are carried only six
| are without this protection, and even these
| are placed in classmates forward and aft on
| the gun deck and protected by two inches
of nickel steel.
The battery power has also been greatly
| increased by the substitution of four 10
| inch guns on the new vessels in place of
| four S-inch guns on the, Maryland class, the
| relative perforating power of the 10 and 8
| inch guns through Krupp armor by cap
| projectiles at 5000 yards being In the ratio
| of Is to 1913. The number Of 6-inch guns
| has also been increased from fourteen on
| the Maryland class to sixteen on the Ten
| nessee class
The general features and dimensions of
| these vessels are as follows: Length, 502
! feet; breadth, Y feet 1Ol5 inches; maximum
| displacement, full load condition, 1880
| tons; mean draft at maximum load q feet ;
! total coal bunker caDacitv. 2O0s tons.
| steaming radius at ten knots per hour,
| about $500 knots; maximum speed, not less
than % knots: maximum I, II P: ESTIMATED
for this speed. $4,000; appropriated for hull
and machinery, 81 6596o0,
The hulls are to be, OF Steel, with the
usual cellular subdivisioning of the double
| bottoms and the huff spaces The inner
| bottom has been continued from the keel
to the protective deck, at each side, and ex
! tends forward and aft to about the knuckle
| of the keel so that the vessels are thor
oughly protected from injury in case of
| grounding throughout any point in their
| length. This extent of double bottom is
greater than the other recent designs. Els
| pecial care has been given to the structure
| of all parts so as to render the compart-
| ments perfectly watertight.
| The freeboard of these vessels at the line
/! of the main deck is about IS feet amid
! ships. "a feet forward and p feet inches
| aft and increased in wake of the super
structure, which extends to the upper deck.
| The high freeboard insures good seagoing
| such as to render them sufficiently stable
| In all conditions of weather. By reason Of
! the high freeboard. commodious quarters
are provided for all officers and men above
| the water line. The coming tower, To-
| Gated on the lower bridge, is of 9-inch
| armor and the top of inches Of nickel
| steel. This coming tower is deck
| higher than in earlier designs.
Armor and Ammunition HOSTS.
| The hull is protected by 5-inch belt of
armor extending from feet below the
| normal water line to the upper deck in
wake of e-inch guns; this armor extending
completely to the bow and stern near the
| water line to form a water line belt being
| reduced In thickness at the ends to inches.
| Extending from the gun deck to the pro-
| tective deck are bulkheadS of 5-1nch armor
which form the forward and aft limits Of
| the belt armor. Between the gun and
| berth decks are similar bulkheads located
| In wake of the 10-inch barbettes, which are
| fitted on the gun deck and form the for
| ward and after limits of the side armor
! between the main and gun decks. Above
the gun deck in wake of the 3-inch battery
| pinch nickel steel is fitted.
| For handling ammunition along the CEN
| trail passage there will be ammunition con-
| veyors which are nothing more than trav-
| cling platforms. onto which ammunition
| can be loaded at one end and delivered
| abreast the various ammunition hoists at
| different points in it's travel. In addition to
the power supply. there has been provided
| sufficient means for a supplementary sup
| ply of ammunition by hand, to interfere as
| little as possible with the power handling
| so that with the combined means of sup
| ply. 1t will be possible to supply ammuni-
| ton to all Of the guns at rate equal to
| that at which they can be fired.
| Wood work has been reduced to mini
| mum. and all such above the protective
deck. except deck planking, armor backing,
| furniture and a few minor items, will be
| freproofed.
The masts will be fitted for the installa-
ton of wireless telegraphy:
| The ships will be lighted throughout by
| electricity the electric plant of each to con-
sist of six 100 K. w. generatlng SETS all to
be Of 125 volts pressure at the terminals
The full complement ofiEthe vessels, as
fiagships will consist Of: -
One flag officer one commanding officer
chief of staff, 10 wardroom officers II
Junior officers. 10 warrant officers, s14 men
Natural Beauty In Cities.
From the Architectural Record