Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-04-08
THE MINNESOTA LAUNCHED.
FROM YARDS OF NEWPORT
NEWS COMPANY.
The tremendous Ship Successfully
Glides Over Her Stays Amid
The Cheers Of The
Ce0y;d
Special Dispatch to Evening Capital

-pENAaA DAapatSH 10 Evening C@bAiaA
Newport News. Va. April Sin
the presence Of 10, 600 people the new
battleship Minnesota was successfully
launched today from the yards of the
Newport News Ship Building and Dry
Dock Company. There was not a
hitch in the programme from its start
until the tremendous hulk of graceful
ly assembled steel had glided over her
stays amid the cheers of the crowd
There was something curiously in
spiring in the scene-the mountain of
nodded metal rushing riverward, head
long down the ways, the futtering Of
thousands Of handkerchiefs and the
cheers from thousands of throats, the
music. the ceremony. The available
space about the ways was packed with
enthusiastic humanity. Work was sus-
pended in the yard, and thousands of
hrawny workmen mingled with the
great crowd. From the city came
everyone who could spare the time.
and Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton
and Old Point sent liberal contingents.
On the stand erected at the bow of
the big vessel was a distinguished
party of government officials and ma
val officers, together with the christen-
ing party from Minnesota, which was
headed by Frank A. Day, private sec
retary of Governor johnson. Prompt
~ at the time set the block was sawn
a part at the big ships bow, and she
started on her journey down the
ways. 1t was all instant after the
ship began to move that Miss Rose
Marie Schaller, daughter of State
Senator Albert Scbsller, of Minnesota,
flung the christening bottle against
the ships graceful PROV. In less time
than il takes TO tell it, the ship was
riding gracefully on the bosom Of the
James.
Then the great crowd gave three
cheers tor Miss Schalier, three for the
army and navy, and then three more
for the shipyard which had added
so many units to Uncle Sans navy.
Following the conclusion of the cere-
monies the Minnesota party and other
invited guests were entertained at
luncheon at the Warwick Hotel by the
officials of the shIpbuilding company
The battleship-~ Minnesota has the
distinction of having the greatest
gross tonnage of any vessel ever built
at an American shipyard. When COM
pleted the battleship will have a gross
tonnage of l6, 600 tons. Her principal
dimensions are as follows Length
of load waterline, 450 feet; extreme
breadth at load waterline, 76 feet;
trial displacement, IS. 600 tons; mean
draft, 2415 feet; gross draft, full load.
26sl feet; total bunker capacity, 1000
TONS
The hull is protected at the water
line hy a complete belt of armor, 3
feet inches wide, having a maximum
thickness of III inches for about 200
feet amidships. Forward and aft of
this. the maximum thickness is 9 in
ches within the limits of magazines,
from which points the thickness is
gradually decreased to inches at the
stem and stern. The lower casemate
armor extends to the limits of the
magazine spaces and reaches from the
ton of the wateTline belt to the lower
edge of the 1-inch gun ports on the
main deck, and is 8 inches in thickness.
the athwartsbip bulkheads at the ends
of this casemate also being 8 inches
thick. There is complete protective
deck extending from stem to stern,
the deck being fiat amidships, but
sloped at the sides throughout and
sloped at each end 1t is built up to
the 20 pound plating throughout. with
nickel-steel of 40 pounds on the fiat
and 100 pounds on the slopes. The
Minnesota is designed for a flagship
and the Arrangement of quarters pro-
vides ample accommodations for 500
officers and men, including 60 marines.