The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1903-01-07
New Maine is Ready.
She Will be Under Captain Lentze and
Will Join DeWey's Fleet.


new battlesbip Maine has been plac-
cd in com mission at the League Is
land Navy Yard. She was turned
over to Captain Lentze, who will
command her. .
The Maine was built to take the
place of the battleship of the same
name blown up in Havana hsrbor
before the Spanish-American war.
It is thought the new fighter will
be manned, coaled aud provisioned
as quickle as possible and sent to the
West Indies to take part in the
msneuvers under Admiral Dewey.
Sixty marines arrived from Washing
ton for the big fighting machine.
The full complement of men for
the Maine will be $50.
Far Ahead Of Old Ship.
On her official trial trip, August
q last, the new Maine showed her
self the fastest Of her class in the
United States Navy. She averaged
Is 8 knots foryfour hours run with
out allowance for tide and currents.
Between the new Maine and the
old are but few points of resemblance,
The first was rated as a second
class bsttleship, with a displacement
of only 66s2 tons. Her namesake
is nearly twice as large, displacing
I2,30O tons at normal draft.
The principal dimensions OF the
new battleship are: Length between
psrpendiculars, 3Ss feet; length over
all, 393 feet 1O1 inches; extreme
breadth, Y feet; mean draft, % feet
8 inches; displacement at normal
Graft, 12,3O0 tons; estimated dis
placement at full load draft, 1880
tons.
As to type, the new vessel is an
improved Alabama, equipped with 8
more powerful armament and hedged
about with a greater area of armor
protection.
The armament designed for the
vessel consists Of four 12-inch breech-
loading rifles mounted in pairs in
two eliptical balanced turrents, one
forward and one aft. In addition
there are 16 inch rapid fire guns
mounted in broadside, 6 l4pounds,
1-pounders, 2 Colt automatic and
2 3-inch rapid FIRE field guns. On
the Maine the 14-pounder type OF
rapid.fre gun is installed for the
first time on an American battleship.
There are two submerged torpedo
tubes on the ship, the Maine class
being the first in which these tubes
have been placed below the water
line.
Krupp armor-the kind which has
.ecently given such striking proofs
OF it's resisting qualities-is used
throughout. The armor belt, which
i is II inches thick at the top. taper
ing to y inches at the bottom, ex
tends to within so feet of the stern,
shielding the sides 81 feet above the
water line and 4 feet below it. The
easement armor is 6 inches thick
the bsrbette srmor II inches in
front, tapering into s inches in the
rear. The protective deck is 12!
inches thick. The forward coming
tower has 10-inch armor and The
signal tower 6 inch armor.
The engines are of the twin-screw
triple-expansion type.
The destruction of the old battle
ship Maine in Havana harbor occurr
ed at $40 p. M, February Is, 1898
OF the 354 men on board 266 were
killed by the explosion which wreck
ed the vessel. The naval court o
inquiry failed to assign a positiv
cause for the explosion, but as is vel
known, millions of Americans pu
the blame on the Spaniards, and tn
war with Spain followed soon.
uu As9s AP..-.. 49,