The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-05-15
THO NEW MONSTER WARsH|Ps
Greatest Marine Engines of War
Ever Built in This Country
Over a thousand Tons Heavier Than
Our Next Largest Vessels. Almost
Ready to Go n Commission-Fea-
lures That Make Them Equal TO the
Most Effective War Engines Afoat.

~ A
mission. The Louisiana. which for
the time being will be Queen Of the
american Navy, will before long share
honors with the Connecticut. whose
trial trip takes place within the next
month.
IN tonnage, battery power, speed and
safety the Louisiana and Connecticut
will rank with the most effective war
ships afoat under any flag. They will
embody all the --latest improvements
in warsihp construction, and are owe
in warship construction, and are over
largest ships. Four more battleships
of the same class are building-the
Kansas, Minnesota, New Hampshire
and Vermont.
A description Of either the Louisiana
or Connecticut would do for both, for
they are sister ships. Poised on her
rudder alongside the highest skyscrap-
er in New York, the L~ouisiana's bow
would tower $50 feet in the air. seven
~ feet above the Park Row building.
In beam the ships are 76 feet 10 inches,
the width of three ordinary building
lots. This huge mass is driven through
the water at a speed Of more than is
knots an hour by engines of 1850
horse power.
CAN STEAM 5000 MILES WITHOUT
COALING.
Fol these powerful engines there is
a norma coal supply of 900 tons, but
II of the factors that Will make these
new battleships especially effectiv- eH-
gines of war is that if necessary they
can carry enough coal to steam con-
t%inuously at half speed for a distance
of 5000 miles. No battleship in any
navy has ever eQualled this record.
Officially, the Connecticut and Louis
lana are known as sea-going battle
ships with two 12-inch and four s.
inch turrets. For their protection and
safety the armouring of those vessels
is unusually heavy n extensive, While
their Oulkhead arrangements are such
as to insure them against sinking I'M
der almost any imaginable conditions.
There is a waterline armor belt ex-
teding from stem to stern. For a third
Of the length OF this belt amidships
the armor is II inches thick at the top
and line inches thick at the bottom,
tapering to four inches at bow and
stern. Above the main belt, between
the main barbettes there is a contin-
uous wall of side armor seven inches
thick, reaching from the main belt to
the main deck. At the ends of this
armor bulkheads of seven-inch steel
extend "atnWartSnlD connecting WIFI
the main ~barDettes.
TO Make THE SHIP UNSUITABLE
The GAL bunker and the main pas
sage bulkhead doors on the Connec-
ticut n Louisiana, as Well as the ar
mored matches of the protective deck,
are operated by electricity. Each of
these doors and matches has an cleo
trio motor which is started from a
central emergency station on the
bridge.
During an engagement or on the
approach of danger Of any kind the
officer of the deck can turn a whee
and know that every compartment
door vital to the ships safety has been
closed by it's electric motor. This is
the Long Arm system that the navy
has adopted for nearly all he new
cruisers and warships. It makes our
warships practically unsuitable by as
surfing that their watertight door Will
be closed in time to keep the ship
ahoat in spite of punctures below the
waterline.
United States naval constructors
have been first to learn and apply the
lesson of scores of disasters, due to the
fact that bulkhead doors could not be
closed by hand in time to save the ship.
The naval authorities are taking no
chances with vessels that cost millions
and which may some day stand pc
tween the victory or defeat Of Ameri-
car sea forces.
A continuous protective deck from
one to three inches thick, ten-inch ar
NOR for the main barbettes, 12-inch
armor'fo the main turrets and eight
inch armor for the four S-inch gun
turrets completes the protective fea-
lures of these ships.
HAVE GREAT GUN POWER.
Extensively as we'll as d~efensively,
the Connecticut and Louisiana will be
splendidly equipped ever for this day
of ever heavier guns. They Will carry
four 12-inch guns in two turrets fore
and aft and eight S-inch guns in tur-
rets, two or each ~brOadside. The en-
placement of these guns is such that
the two forward turrets have an arc
Of fire from dead ahead to a point well
aft of the beam, while from the aft
pair of turrets gun fire may be direct
ed forward of beam to dead astern.
Firing through on the gun
deck is a powerful battery or WE'VE
finch gun The finch pieces are
something new in ordnance, having ex-
c~eptionally high velocity and penetra-
ton.
To this formidable array of heavy
guns is added twelve 3-inch rapid
frers, the same number Of three
FOUNDERS, and fourteen machine guns
uiStIlOQtSo oI AN
bridges and fighting tops. 1t was not
intended originally that h Connecti-
cut and Louisiana should carry any
torpedo tubes, but afterwards 1t was
decided to add four such tubes to their
equipment.
PROTECTION FOR OFFICERS.
Among the many other lessons OF
the Russo-Japanese sea fights, it was
shown that better protection was
needed for officers directing a warship
in action. The Connecticut and Louis
lana will be a. safe in this respect as
a man-of-war can be made. The for
ward coming tower IS protected by
nine inches of Krupp steel. and the aft
coming signal tower. located below
the aft bridge has five-inch armor.
Keen interest las from the first
surrounded the Louisiana and Connec-
ticut on cou of the unusual condi-
tons under which they were built.
What developed into a shipbuilding
race began when the government de-
eided to construct the Connecticut at
the Brooklyn Navy yard. giving the