The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-07-07
BATTLESH|P DEVELOPMENTS
New Vessels viii Be Constructed
Along New Lines.
SUGGESTED BY The NAVAL OFFICERS
WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH GUNS
LARGER THAN THOSE ON
OLD SHIPS.
SUGGESTED BY The NAVAL OFFICERS

WASHINGTON, D. c., July 1.-THE
design for the new type of battleship
embodies what are known to be many
! of the ideas entertained by officers
who have studied the construction of
| battleships, and who have come to the
conclusion that there ought to be big
gunship with only two types of guns
on board, one being the 12-inch for the
offensive the other being the small
guns for torpedo defense. This marks
a departure in the composition of the
armament of a battleship and does
violence to a treasured and highly re-
spected tradition of naval ordnance.
But the most modern battleship will
have no intermediate guns of eight and
six inch between the big guns and the
torpedo defense battery. 1t becomes at
once, of course. an interesting question
what shall constitute the torpedo de-
Tense part of the ships armament. 1t
appears that naval expert review on
the subject is practically unanimous
in expressing the opinion that the tor
pedO defense guns should not be less
than three inches in caliber, mainly for
the reason that it has been demon
a firSt-nl1SS
destroyer cannot be stopped by six
Founders, three FOUNDERS and other
guns of that class Recent expert
ments which have been made indicate
that the three-inch projectile is too
small to be certain of stopping the
first-class destroyer, and as a result
Of this investigation probably the
British government has decided, it is
reported, upon 1S-pounders as the cali
Der for all torpedo defense guns.
The Importance of the size of these
guns may be appreciated from the
fact that even a four-inch gun will not
stop a destroyer attacking head-on,
equipped with armor of one inch of
steel. 1t would seem to be entirely
within the bounds of possibility if the
torpedo defense guns of the future
We're at least four inches in caliber
a notable feature of the next bat
ueship is the great increase in the
height of the gun POSITIONS It is now
generally recognized that a large ship
of 10000 tons displacement could not
use her guns in a seaway unless they
are we'll out of water. While the de-
tails of the construction of the Eng
fish Dreadnaught are not yet known
it seems to be reasonably certain that
she carries her 12-inch guns in five
double turrets, disposed as follows:
The forward gun is on an elevated
forecastle like the cruisers forecastle,
and the muzzles of the guns are about
80 feet from the water This forecas-
tie does not extend the full width of
the vessel, but is cut away at the sides,
so as to permit the end-on fire of two
forward waist turrets that are on the
deck below and that are still suf-
tciently elevated to be we'll free of the
water. They are long way from the
bow, about abreast of the forward
smoke pipes. The other two turrets
are at the same height above the wa
ter and are placed tandem on the
quarter deck so that they will fire on
! the broadside, but only one of them
can fire astern. This battery NAV be
modified so as to allow one of these
turrets to fire over the other.
AS it is now generally appreciated
that the fire of naval guns can be suf-
hciently controlled only by observa-
TONS from an elevated position. the
lower masts of these new vessels are
designed on the skeleton principle. as
We'll as the upper waists and wards.
The idea which will probably be ,in-
corporated for the plans of the next
battleships built for this government is
TO nave a structure which cannot he
brought down by any reasonable num-
Der of projectiles. since a number of
supports can be shot away and the
masts will remain standing. 1t will
also De observed that the new vessel
has low smokestacks, following the
French system.