The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-11-08
BATTLESHIp DESIGN.

From the particulars which Engineering" sup
land has just let contracts, it is evident that th
batteship not going out of fashion at present Th
don it. although il looks as though she had discovered
way to improve it The evolution of that type Of
craft is apparently still in progress, says the New
York Tribune saa4g
The next preceding group of British battleships
tewhichtheK King Edward VII belongs, has displace
ment of 16,50Gtons and engines developing 1S,OOC
horsepower. The latter are expected to develop a
speed of eighteen and one-haf knots 1t is probable
that the ships of the new class named after Lord
Nelson, will be little slower because their engines
Will be required to generate only $3.50 horsepower
and their hulls will be shorter and broader Several
feet are 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 battleshps a
tritle lighter than the King Edward VII their dis
placement being is $50 TONS but there is said to be
marked saving in cost and distinct gain in fighting
capacity.
1t is in their armament that the two classes differ
most In each there are four 12-inch breechloaders
IN barbettes, two being mounted forward and two
art lew years ago the next smaller pieces were
6-lnch rifles. The substitution Of larger guns by
Great Britain was begun under the administration
OF Sir William White. He put into the King Ed
ward VII four having calibre of 92 inches, and
SUnnIamnntn1 fhnpn uyifh e a.
cessor, Philip Watts goes step further In the bat
teshps of the Lord Nelson class the 6inch guns are
discarded altogether, and those vessels will each
mount ten of the larger size The muzzle energy of
one OF the latter guns is about 1880 foot tons.
whereas that of the 6inch rife is only 6240 foot TONS
The projecties which they discharge weigh respect
lively $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 Sc
cured in power because owing to the greater hard
ness of the plate in service it is coming to
be believed that the 6-inch rife is practically use
lessI
! The United States was one of the first nations TO
act on that theory In both of the quntets Of which
the Connecticut and the Virginia are types there
will be no less than eight 8inch guns, and in the for
mer class dozen 7-inch rifles will form part Of the
secondary battery The Virginia and her sisters will
retain the old skies. The new battleships of this
country will unquestionably prove formidable i:ght-
ers, utwhen an American compares them with those
Of the Lord Nelson class he will see that England
has worked out the principle little more fully.
What the effect Of this example will be on the men
who design the warships Of the United States it is
impossible to say but it is possible that they will not
ignore it. The precedent will certainly help the
movement for vessels carrying no less than trn r.
inch guns with secondary battery composed of
threes-a proposition which receives commentator
from retired chief engineer" in the latest Gas
sier's Magazine"
Some innovations have also been made by Mr..
Watts in the armor of the ships which he has design
ed Their more vital parts will be protected with
dent since the latest process of carburzDg into
vogue However, in order to avoid abEormally bur
denng these vessels he thns out the ormor elsewhere
Whether this new distribution will prove more efec
tive than the old is question which experts will cn-
slider carefully. 1t cannot be determined until fur
ther details are received The chances, however,
like the originality displayed by Sir Edward Reed
in the Argentine batteships bought by Great Britaz
few months ago, suggest the possibility that perfce-
hon may not yet have been attained on either side
of the Atlantic.