New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-02
BATTLESHIP DESIGN.

From the particulars which Engineering"
supplies in regard to two new war vessels for
which England has just let contracts it is
evident that the battleship is not going out of
fashion at present. The first naval power of
the world sees reason to abandon it. although
it looks as if she had discovered a way to I'M
prove It, The evolution Of that type Of craft
is apparently still in progress.
The next preceding group of British battle-
ships, to which the King Edward VII belongs
has a displacement Of 1890 tons and engines
developing $4,000 horsepower. The latter are
expected 10 develop a speed Of eighteen and
half knots 1t is probable that the ships Of the
new class, named after Lord Nelson will be
a little slower, because their engines will be
required to generate only 1880 horsepower,
and their hulls will be shorter and broader.
Several feet taken from the length and
eighteen inches have been added to the beam
The net result Of this and other changes is to
make the new battleships Il trlhe lighter than
the King Edward VII, their displacement being
1880 tons, but there is said to be a marked
saving in cost and a distinct gain in fighting
capacity.
It is in their armament that the two classes
differ most. IN each there are four 12-inch
breechoaders in barbettes, two being mount
ed forward and two aft. A few years ago
the next smaller pieces were 6lnch rifles The
SuDSLllulIOu Oh larger guns Dy GFedI
was begun under the administration Of Sir WILL
lam White. He put into the King Edward VII
four having caibre of 90 inches, and supple
mented them with ten 6-inch rifles. His sue
cessor, Philip Watts, goes a step further. In
the battleships of the Lord Nelson class the
6-inch guns are discarded altogether, and those
vessels Will each mount ten of the larger size
The muzzIe energy of one of the latter guns is
about 1900 foot tons, whereas that OF the
6Inch rife is only 6,240 foot tons. The pro-
jectiles which they discharge weigh respectively
$50 and 100 pounds. However there is less
metal in the new secondary battery than in the
old, yet an increase Of at least 80 per cent has
been secured in power. Indeed, the improve
ment is probably much more, because, owing
to the greater hardness of the armor plate now
in service, it is coming to be believed that the
6-inch rifle is practically useless!
The United States was one of the first ma
lions to act on that theory. In both Of the
Quintets Of which the Connecticut and the Vir-
ginia are types there will be no less than eight
S-inCh guns, and in the former class a dozen
! finch rifles will form part Of the secondary
battery. The Virginia and her sisters viii re-
tain the old SKIES The new batteships of this
country will unquestlonably prove formidable
fighters, but when an American compares them
with those of the Lord Nelson class he will
see that England has worked out the principle
a little more fully. What the effect Of this
example will be on the men who design the
next warships Of the United States it is In
possible to say but 1t is probable that they will
not ignore 1t. The precedent will certainly HEN
the movement for vessels carrying no less than
ten Pinch guns, with a secondary battery
composed Of threes-a proposition which re-
ceives commendation from - retired chief en-
gineer" in the latest "Cassier's Magazine"
Some innovations have also been made bv
Mr. Watts in the armor Of the ships which
he has designed. Their more vital parts will
be protected with plate twelve inches thick
This weight is without precedent since the
latest process Of carburizing came into vogue
However, In order to avoid abnormally burden
ing these vessels he thins out the armor else
where Whether this new distribution will
prove more effective than the old is question
which experts will consider carefully. 1t can
not be determined until further details are re-
ceived. These changes, however, like the orig
inality displayed by Sir Edward Reed in the
Argentine battleships bought by Great Britain
few months ago, suggest the possibility that
perfection may not yet have been attained on
either side of the Atlantic.