Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1904-08-27
MD. SATURDAY. AUGUST 81. 1904.
THE BATTLESHIP LOUISIANA.
A Description of The Big Fighter
Launched AT Newport
News Today.

The Louisiana aud her sister ship.
the Connecticut. which is 10 be
launched at the New York navy yard
a few weeks hence, are counted upon
TO be the most p werful fighting ma
chimes of the new American navy.
They will usher in one important in
novatiOl. inasmuch as their bat
teries viii contain finch guns in
place Of the 6 inch rapid firers which
have prevailed since the vessels of the
Kearsarge. Kentucky type were plaH-
ned. Ii is doubtful whether any ship
afioat wall match the Louisiana in aT-
mament. In addition TO four l2-inch
guns, in fore aud aft turrets, she will
have eight inch rifles In the main
battery these will be supplemented
by twelve inch rifles, each THROWN
a projectile wei9hing l65 pounds.
The ~ inch guns carry shell
weighing $40 pounds at a velocity If
,. 500 feet second--a speed one-fourih
greater than that attained by the ~
inch guns on the ships of the Indiana
class. The finch shells have burst
ing charge of thirteen pounds of black
powder. The explosive shell may be
replaced by an armor piercing pro-
iectile, which attains a velocity of
3, 900 feet second driven by charge
of l01 pounds of smokeless powder.
Hitherto the secondary batteries of
the battleships have been composed
mostly of 3-pounder and 6-pounder
rapid fire guns. On the Louisiana
these will be superseded by twenty
3-inch rapid fire rifles. throwing IA
FOUNDER explosive shell. There also
will be twelve 3-pounder semi auto
matte guns. eight 1-pounder automatic
guns and two 3-inch field guns and
eight machine guns for the fighting
tops. The armor for the Louisiana
will cost about 81, 500, 900. While the
greatest of her steel protection will be
concentrated at the water line amid
ships, she also will be protected the
full lentgh of her hull, and above the
main best of armor plate there will
be three thinner belts OF plates-the
lower casemate, the upper casemate
and the superstructure armOr.
Electricity will be employed to as
large an extent ON board the Louisiana
as on any ship in the navy. There
will be electric ammunition hoists
and eonveyers, aud it is more than
probable that electrical devices for
both aiming and discharging the guns
will be installed. There also will be
an automatically controlled motor for
the purpose of keeping the big guns
ON a horizontal line while firing in
heavy sea. The Louisiana has length
of $50 feet on the load waterline, an
extreme breadth of rs feet 10 inches
and total displacement of 10000
tons. She will be fitted with twin
screw vertical expansion enignes of an
indicated horse power OF l6, 800 and
capable of developing a speed of is
knots or better. The mean draught
of the vessel will be "a feet inches
and the coal supply 900 tons. Twenty
six feet nine inches is the maximum
draught, and if shot should pierce
the hull beneath the water line, a
layer of cornpith, placed between the
outer and inner shells, will swell and
effectually stop the leak. The ships
complement will include AZ officers
and 76l men. The total cost of the
Louisiana will be in the neighborhood
of 81, 600, 900. The progress of her
construction is being watched intently
by naval officers, constructors and ship
builders generally owing to the com.
petition between the private company
that is building her and the New
York navy yard, which is construct
ing the Connecticut. The construc-
ton of these two battleships, which
are practically identically and the
keeIs of which were laid at the same
time. is intended to show whether
the Government can successfully COM
pete with the private shipbuilders in
constructing our warships. The New
port News company won the race so
far in regards to time and naval ex-
perts seem TO be of the opinion that
the private concern will also succeed
in turning out the battleship at a
lower cost than the Government navy
ward