Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1905-08-17
THE BATTLE SHIP KANSAS
Launched at New York ship Yard


of Woodbury., more than patriotic inter-
est centres in every launch that takes
place there, hence when the great battle
ship Kansas passed safely from the ways
where her keel was laid eighteen months
ago, to her natural element, Gloucester
county people breathed an earnest salts
faction from that fact.
Most Of our readers have no doubt wit
messed launching; they have seen the
gseat bulk of iron moulded with SYM
metrical lines poised on the narrow keel: /:
they have seen the trigger drawn and
spellbound have witnessed the great mass
Of iron move with steady deliheration down
the ways and make her initial plunge.
oHRIsrENED WITH WATER (?)
State Of Kansas was given the honor
Of listening this new candidate for the
ANGLICAN navy, and the Governor Of that
State E. w. Hook, his wife, daughter, and
his official family were on the christening
stand. The christening act was performed
By the Goyernor's daughter, and opinions
and reports do not agree as to the contents
of the christening bottle. The Governors $
Prohibition friends assert that il was filled
with pure Kansas water, while old salts
declare it was the usual article-eham
pagne. This point, however, is un-
important in this article.
THE KANSAS.
The keel plates Of the Kansas were laid
February 10, 1904, She is a sister ship Of
the Vermont, now being built at the Fall
River Ship and Engine Building Company,
Quincy, Massachuse ii, and has the same
armament as the Minnesota, launched
several months ago at Newport News. She
IS as present about sixty per cent. com
pseEssa and weighs about 600 tons.
The general dimentions Of the vessel are
as follows: Length on load water line, 450.
feet; extreme breadth at load water line, 76
feet, 10 inches; draft at trial displacement,
"A feet inches; displacement on trial 16,
900 tons; total coal bunker capacity 9, 200
tons; coal carried on trial, 900 tons; feed
water carried on trial, 66 tons, trial speed
at sea for four hours. is knots.
The hull is Of steel throughout and Isl
fitted with bilge and docking keels.
THE ARMAMENT
The armament consists of the following:
Main battery-Four 12-inch breech load
ing rifles, eight 8-inch breech loading rifles
and twelve 7-iDch breech loading rifles.
Secondary battery-Twenty 3 inch Ia
pounder) rapid fire guns, 50-calbre; twelve
3 pounder semi-automatic guns six
FOUNDER automatic guns, two FOUNDER
semi-automatic guns, two 3-inch field
pieces, two machine guns of $50 calibre,
six automatic guns Of $50 calibre.
The twelve-inch guns are in pairs, in two
turrets on the centre line, one forward and
one aft. The eight-inch guns are in pairs
in four turrets on the quarters. The seven
inch guns are mounted on the gun deck
each gun separated by splinter bulkhead Of
two-inch nickel steel. Six of the three
inch guns are mounted on the gun deck,
two forward and one aft Six are mounted
on the main deck, in the superstructure,
and six on the upper deck and two on the
bridges.
HER PROTECTION.
The hull is protected on the water line
by a complete belt Of armoF feet, 3
inches wide, having uniform thickness Of
inches throughout the machinery and
magazine spaces. and tapering to inches
at the ends. Between the main and belt
the deck, the ship is protected by casemate
armor inches thick, extending to the
limits Of the magazines at both ends.
The 12-inch barbettes extend from the
protective deck to about four more feet
above the main deck and consist OF To-
inch armor in front and 72-inch armor at
the rear, above the gun deck, between the
gun and protective deck, it is Of uniform
thickness of 6 inches. The S-inch barbet-
tes will be inches thick in front and 4
inches in the rear.
There is complete protective deck, ex-
tending from stem to stern, the deck being
fat amidships, but sloped at the sides and
ii each end. II is built up Of 2o-pound
lower plating throughout, with nickel steel,
40 ponds on the fiat and 100 pounds on
the slope.
THE MAGAzINEs.