The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-08-13
WATER USED IN
PLACE OF WINE
Launching of the Kansas, a Terrible
Engine of War.
GOVERNOR HoCH PRESENT
OF THE LATEST
ADDITION TO THE NAVY.

Philadelphia, Aug. 12.-The battle
ship Kansas, the largest war vessel
ever built in the east, was launched at
12:47 D. m. today at the yard of the
New. York Shipbuflding company in
Camden. N. j. The launching was wit
messed by Governor Hoch OF Kansas,
whose daughter acted as sponsor for
the ship. Along with the governor was
3 christening party OF thirty kan
sans
An unusual feature of the launch
ing was the fact that the vessel was
cf1ristened with water brought from
Kansas instead Of the customary bot
tie of champagne. This was the first
time that water instead of wine has
been used in launching vessel IN
this vicinity.
Governor Hoch of Kansas made the
suggestion and he made the announce
mcnt after the launching that the
christening bottle contained only wa
ter.
Sister Ship For the Vermont.
The Kansas is a sister ship of the
Vermont, NOW being built at the yards
OF the Fore River Ship & Engine
Building company, Quincy, Mass. She
win have the same armament as the
battleship Minnesota, launched several
months ago at Newport News.
The keel plates of the Kansas were
laid Feb. 10. 1904 She is known as
a 450-foot battleship. and her con-
tract calls for a maintenance of eigh-
teen knots speed for four consecutive
hours. The hull is of steel through
out and is fitted with bilge and docking
Reels. Her general dimensions are as
follows: Length on load water line,
40 feet; length over all, ass feet 4
inches; extreme beam to moulding, rs
feet 51z inches; to outside of plating,
76 feet s inches; extreme beam TO out
side of armor, s76 feet 10 inches. Her
trial displacement viii be $4,000 tons.
and when she goes on her speed test
she will carry 600 tons of coal al
though her bunker capacity is 1900
tons, Sixty-six tons of feed water will
also be carried on her trial trip. Her
trial draft to the bottom of keel
will be "a feet 6 inches; bottom OF
keel to moulded base line, 1ss inches
Heavy Armament.
Her armament win be: Main battery.
four 12-inch, eight S-inch, twelve Z
inch breech loading rifles; secondary
battery, twenty 3-inch Cor 14-opunder)
rapid fire guns, so calibres in length;
twelve 3-pounder semi-automatic
guns; six 1-pounder automatics; two
1-opunder seIni-automatic 3-inch field
pieces; two machine guns of s. calibre.
These guns viii be amply armor pro-
tected and well placed. Mounted in
pairs, the 12-inch guns will be placed
in the two turrets on the center line,
one forward and one aft; the S-inch
guns VIII also be mounted in pairs in
four turrets on the quarter. separated
by Pinch nickel steel splinter bulk
heads; the 7-inch guns will be mounted
on the gun deck, where six of the
3-inch guns viii also be placed, two
fore and four aft, while six will be
mounted on the main deck I'm the SUI
perstructure, six on the upper deck
and two on the bridges
Nine-inch Armor.
For her protection the Kansas will
have complete main belt armor, nickel
three inches wide on the water line,
having a uniform thickness Of nine
inches throughout the magazine and
machinery spaces, taperiug TO four
inches at the ends. Seven inch case
ment armor will protect her between
the main belt and main deck. This
arnor VIII extend to the limits OF the
magazines at both ends. The twelve
inch barbettes viii extend from the
protective deck TO about four feet
above the main deck and consist of ten
inch arTnor in front and seven and one
half inch arnor at the rear, above the
gun deck. Between the gun and pro-
tective deck IL win be uniform thick
ness of six inches. The eight inch bar
bettes will be six inches thick in front
and four inches in the rear. The pro-
tective deck will extend from stem to
stern, being fiat amidships, but sloped
at the sides and at each end.
Prcpelling Power, etc.
Her propelling power will consist of
the vertical twin screw, four cylinder
triple expansion type OF engine. OF
combined indicated horse power of H.
800. The ship IL to be provided with
an Ice plant with a cooling capacity of
three tons Of ice daily, and cvaporat-
ing plant of $500 gallons capacity and
distilling apparatus capable of con-
densing 10000 gallons OF water a day.
She will be equipped with powerful
searchlights and her n1asts arranged
for wireless telegraph.
Designed for flagship, accomrnoda-
tons have been provided for one flag
officer, commanding officer. chief OF
staff, nineteen ward room officers ten
Junior officers, ten warrant officers and
S13 men, including marines.