Arizona republican., 1904-11-18
PHOENIX, ARIZONA. NOV. IS 1904
Uncle sam's New BattIeshIps.

The government officials whose bus mess it is to design the fighting craft of the navy still pin their faith to battIeships. The submarine torpedo boat is yet to prove it's efficiency in actual warfare, it is true, but the world in general has already made up it's mind that the battleship will be a clumsy and helpless hulk in contend ing with the best type of submarine. And the standard style of torpedo boat-the slender. light-draft vessels which have made themselves a terror to both Russian and Japanese in this war-do not have to await tests Of the future as to their deadly efficiency against the battleship.
 But naval boards are slow to depart from precedent, and the battIeship will be their trump card fer long time to come, without doubt. They welcome every new idea that pertains to battle ships, and the rivalry of inventors is fast making the modern battleship one of the most wonderful contrivances in all the world of mechanics. It is onlS six years since our war with Spain and already the floating Actresses which Dewey and Sampson and Schley and Clark and Evans and Phillips made forever famous are back num- bers. Our crack little fleet Of that day would make sorry showing in comparison with the montrous new vessels lately completed or now under construction.
 And according tc the Washington dispatches. the battleship of the i'm mediate future will be a remarkable improvement over those just launched. We are told that the experts of the board of construction are united in their views and have completed their suggestions to Secretary Morton. It is no surprise to be informed that the three new battIeships which congress this winter will be asked to authorize will be a departure from those nither- to authorized. The new ships will have a different arrangement of the armor, for one thing, so as to lessen the weight without diminishing the amount of protection. There will Le a heavy waterline belt, affording full protection of the boilers, engines and magazines. The gun supports will be specially armored m q way which will distribute the heavy material where it is most needed. Another feature fav- ored is that of placing the guns at greater height above the waterline- One of the criticisms of the present arrangement of the main batteries is that the guns are tco near the sur face of the water, interfering with fir iEg in rough weather. It is pointed out that the latest designs of British and French ships take into consider alton this element of inefficiency. The most important change is the abandon ment of the medium caIibre guns--of five and six inch calibre usually placed on the superstructure. This can be accomplished to the manifest advantage of the gun power of the vessel. since it will enable the ship to carry the weight thus saved .n the form of guns of ten and twelve inch calibre. There is some talk Of adopt ing an eleven inch gun in place of the ten and twelve inch weapons. This may require a greater displacement a question which is of some moment, as it bears on the capacities of existing docks and the quality of speed. In short, the experts say that the next battleship will have sufficient new features to make the design a revolu- ton in battleship types.
 A fact of incidental interest is that in all probability Arizona will be hon ored by having her name given to one of these new battleships.