The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-14
OUR 10000 TON BATrrEsHIP.
IL VIII ne the Most Powerful Fighting snip
n the World.

IN nc WDEhus
WASHINGTON, Dec. i3.-The Secretary Of
the Navy to-day sent to Congress the plans
and specifications for a new 10000 ton
battleship, which Ii 10 be the most power
full fighting ship in the world. The plans
are sent to Congress in accorda noe with
an act Of last year authorizing the pom
struction OF such a ship.
One of the provisions In the appropriation,
however, was that before a contract was let
for the building OF the vessel the plans
should be submitted to Congress. Seven
plans were placed before the Secretary OF
the Navy. Two Of these came from the
Bureau Of Construction Of the Navy De-
partment, and the others rom outside firms
of shipbuilders and contractors. A board
appointed by the head Of the Navy Depart
ment selected one Of the designs made by
the Bureau OF Construction.
The new ship L. to have q displacement
OF 20, 900 tons, more han 1000 tons larger
than the famous English Dreadnought.
Although very large, the vessel will have q
speed Of 2i knots an hour. Her main battery
will consist OF ten IL inch breechloading
rifles. The secondary battery will have
fourteen s inch rapid fire guns, four 8
FOUNDER saluting guns, fouri FOUNDER SEMI
automatic, two 3 inch field pieces. and two
machine guns, calibre 80. There will also
be two submerged torpedo tubes.
Her length on load water line will BE-
$40 feet, and extreme breadth about IS feet
Q inches. The mean draught to the bottom
~ feet. The total bunker capacity will be
1880 tons, and she will carry 1000 tons OF
coal on her trial trip, on which the vessel
must make p knots.
In his letter transmitting the plans Seo-
rotary Bonaparte says:
with particular reference to the offen-
sive qualities Of the proposed design. It
may be noted that the arrangements for
the main battery guns is such as to permit q
broadside fire rs per cent. greater than that
Of the broadside fire Of any battleship now
built, or, 50 far as is known, under oon-
struction, and the average elevation OF the
axes OF these guns above the water Line IL
believed to be greater than that OF any
known battleship, thus affording a distinct
advantage in long range firing under all
conditions of weather.
with respect to the defensive qualities
other than those dependent upon armor
protection, the arrangement Of the interior
structure Of the vessel Is such as TO give
the maximum degree OF protection to all
vital portions by means OF. unusually
effective compaTtmental subdivision, 80
TINT in conjunction with the nrmor protec-
ton already noted, the defensive qualities
Of this vessel are believed to be distinctly
superior to those of any battleship hitherto
designed.
sIn this connection IL may be noted that
the percentage of weight allotted to hull
n armor is markedly greater than the
percentage Of such weights allotted to
similar purposes to the largest battleshlps
now in existence, and the actual total oil
such weights is. in the proposed design,
approximately 5000 tons greater than in
the largest battleship so far built.
THE design herewith forwarded provides
for a trial speed Of 81 knots, and can
be arranged for the installation Of either
re~ciprooating or turbine machinery, out
line specifications for both types OF ma
chlnery having been prepared. Provision
is also made FOR the stowage OF a large
amount Of oil fuel without in any degree
reducing the capacity Of the coal bunkers.