Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-08
MINNESOTA LAUNCHED
New Battle Ship Christened
at Newport News Today.
A SUCCESSFUL AFFAIR
GOVERNOR OF STATE REPRE-
sENTED BY PRIVATE SECRETARY.
Distinguished Visitors in Attendance
Description of the Ship-Inci-
dents of the Launching.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va, April S.-The
battle ship Minnesota was successfully
launched at the plant of the Newport News
Ship Building and Dry. Dock Company To-
day. The vessel was christened by Miss
Rose Marie Schaller.. daughter of State
Senator Schaller of Hastings. MINI. Her
maids of honor were Miss Constance Day
of st. Paul and Miss Lillian Macmillan of
Minneapolis.
Governor Johnson was unable to attend
and was represented officially by his pri-
vate secretary, F. A. Day. The governor 8
wife was in the christening party.
Among the distinguished visitors in at
tendance were Assistant Secretary of
the Navy Darling Rear Admiral p F. Har-
rington, con.mandant of the navy yard at
Portsmouth,; Governor A. j. Montague of
Virginia, Senator Thomas s. Martin, Lieu
tenant Governor Joseph E. Willard, and a
number of naval and army officers sta
toned at Fort Monroe and Norfolk.
A luncheon followed the launching at
which informal toasts were responded to
by Governor Montague, Assistant Secre-
tary Daring, Senator Scha1ler and others.
Description of the Ship.
The battleship Minnesotaycombines all the
best type. She is of the same: class as. the
which We're authorized by Congress a few
years ago. The general dimensions of the
Minnesota are: Length. 4JO feet; breadth,
az feet 10 inches. and gross draft, 26 feet 8
inches. She has a displacement of about
5000 tons and is designed for a speed of
eighteen knots an hour. With a total
bunker capacity of 2,23O tons of coal, she
has good steaming radius.
Her armament consists of four twelve
inch, eight eight-inch and twelve seven-inch
breech-loading rifles in her main battery,
with secondary battery of twenty three
inch rapid-fire guns twelve three FOUNDER
semi-automatic guns, six one-pounders, two
three-nch field pieces, two machine guns
and six automatic guns. The twelve-inch
and eight-inch guns are mounted in pairs
in eliiptical turretS, and the seven Inch guns
in broadside on pedestal mounts on the gun
deck.
The hull is protected at the water lire by
a complete Lelt of armor nine feet t..ree
inches wide, having uniform thickness of
nine inches for about 2S5 feet amidshfps,
forward and aft of which points the thick
ness is gradually decreased to four inches
at the stem and stern. A complete pro-
tected deck extends from stem to stern, fiat
amidships. but sloped at the sides and at
each end
The propelling machinery consists of ver-
tlcal, twin screw, triple expansion engines
of a combined l. III. p. of 1850. There are
twelve boilers of the Babcock and Wilcox
type in six water-tight compartments.
There are three tunnels. each 100 feet
above the base line.
All the main compartments of the ship
below the gun deck except the coal bunk
ers, are provided with forced ventilation,
there being no less than thirty-three blow
ers, with combined capacity of not less
than 100000 cubic feet per minute. Special
attention has been given to spaces subject
to habitually high temperatures, such as
engine rooms fire rooms and dynamic
rooms. There are steel masts forward and
aft, with a crows nest on the foremast.
Masts are also arranged for wireless teleg-
raphy.
The Minnesota is designed as a flagship
and has ample accommodations for forty
two officers and S13 enlisted men. including
sixty marines. The vessel is provided with
all modern facilities for handling guns am
muntion and other equipment and for
lighting, heating and ventilating.
Miss Rose Marie Schaller of Minnesota is
sponsor for the new battleship, and her
maids of honor are Miss Constance Day of
Fairmont and Miss Lillian Mcmillan of
Minneapolis