The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-22
TO EQUAL THE DREADNOUGHH.
AMERICAN NAVY TO HAVE TWO
10000 TON BATTLESHIPS.
Plans and Specifications Drawn n Bids
WIN Soon he Invited-WM Garry Eight
II Inoh Guns, and All Can he Brought
to Bear ON the Rroadside OF an Enemy.

II Inoh Guns, and All Can he Brought
to Bear on the Roadside or an Enemy.
WASHINGTON, March 2l,-The American
Navy Is to have two new battleships OF the
first class, the Michigan and the South
Carolina, either OF which will be, It Is
positively asserted by naval experts here,
as powerful, or maybe more powerful
than the famous new British battleship,
the Dreadnought, which was recently
launched and which Britishers claim Is the
most powerful fighting craft aloat. The
plans and specifications for the Michigan
and South Carolina, which will be sister
ships, have been drawn and bids for their
construction will soon be invited. Tit
bids will DO opened on June 2.
Following the policy Of the British Ad-
miralty, the Navy Department has placed
a seal Of secrecy upon the specifications
ofthetwo new b~attleehips, and II is intended
that when the vessels shall have been COM
pleted the details Of their construction
shall be as great a mystery as those OF the
Dreadnought, accurate information OF
which has been exceedingly difficult to
obtain.
Heretofore a policy Of openness and liber-
atty has always been displayed regard
ing American naval vessels. Even the
specifications have been freely made pub
lie. BY the aid Of the specifications an ex-
pert on naval const ruction with any great
degree of efficiency could draw an accurate
plan Of the battleship from the data sent out
to contra ctors with the invitation for bids.
Henceforth the department will keep its
secret and foreign military and naval at
taohes, as we'll as the others In this country
who are on the wat Oh for American military
information, will encounter difficulties In
securing details Of American ships.
Officers of the Navy Department for years
have been cognizant Of the fact that other
countries know a whole lot more about our
navy thar the American Government knows
about any other navy in the world. The
English have been most successful in keep
ing the secrets Of the Dreadnought, but
there are q great many details ofthe con-
ion of that ship in the NAVY Depart
ment, although by no means a complete
description, but enough to make one naval
| officer say to-day that there Is no question
in my mind that the Michigan or the South
Carolina will be as powerful a fighting
craft as the D~readnought."
On the face Of the figures as to speed,
batteries and misplacements 1t would
seem that the ~Dreadnought ls superior
to either the Michigan or South Carolina
as the last named tw o are planned. The
~Dreadnought has a d isplacement OF 1850
tons, carries ten IL inch guns 10 her ma in
battery and has a speed OF 20 knots. Inc
new American ships will be Of l8, 900 tons
guns and the contract trial speed will be
IS knots, but there Is little doubt that the
new ships will make 10 knots easily.
Among the navies OF the world there Is
just now a speed craze The American
navy has been afflicted with it and the
speed Of the big ships has been pushed up
ward. From many Of the worlds most
famous authorities this desire for greater
speed has been deprecated, and the battle
OF the Sea OF Japan, the decisive engage
that high speed Is not a great advantage
in big ships. In that fight, which brought
out more facts about naval necessities,
besides exploding a good many theories,
neither side used more thar 10 knots, and
seldom as much as that.
The Dreadnought Is OF greater tonnage
than will be the Michigan or the South
Carolina, but in the case Of the new English
battleship tonnage and projection nave
been sac riflced for the sake OF speed. The
Dreadno ught has much more TO protect
than will either Of Americas new vessels,
and 10 likewise more vulnerable. To get her
speed the D~readnought had to, be built
longer, giving her more broadside to take
care OF IN Datte.
The Michigan or the South Carolina will
not be of the great weight Of the Dread
nought and will not have quite 30 much
| speed, but In an actual engagement the
difference Of q knot in q peed, especially
when neither vessel could make Use OF the
power to 60 ahead at 20 knots an hour,
will not make much difference. It would
be there that the new American ships would
have the greatest advantage.
The new feature Of the Michigan and the
| South Carolina will be thelarrangement of
the main battery, consisting of the eight
IL inch guns. There will be four guns, in
two turrets, both fore and aft, set straight
| ahead, against the ten IL inch guns OF the
Dreadnought. But the American vessels
are to be SO constructed that ell eight guns
can be brought to bear on the broadside OF
another vessel at the same time. This can
not be done by the Dreadnought, and it
is known positively at the Navy Depart
ment that the effective fire OF the Dread
| nought's main battery OF IL inch guns does
not exceed the use OF eight guns, and two
reports say that only seven can be brought
to bear on a ship to one side Of the Dread
nought. Thus either Of the new American
battleships will have equal effective fire
by Use Of the new arrang cement Of the IL inch
guns, and the possibility, if the report Is
true that the D~readnought can produce
effective fire from only seven guns, OF an
American advantage.
mum rnT,TprDc nDnEDEn unITE