Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-23
FOR TWO BAT TLESH|PS
Bids Opened at the Navy De-
partment Today
FOR THEIR CONSTRUCTION
Two Glasses Of Plans for Their
Machinery.
WIN. CRAMP 4 co. THE LOWEST
One Firm Allowed to Build Only One
-Bidders of Glass 2-Descrip-
ton Of Ships.
FOR THEIR CONSTRUCTION
Two Glasses Of Plans for Their
VIM. CRA1GP 4 co. THE LOWEST

ton battleships Michigan and South Caro-
lima. authorized by the act OF Congress- ap-
proved March 3, 1905. VIM. Cramp & Co.
OF Phiiadelphia submitted the lowest bid for
one OF the ships, according to the plans OF
the Navy Department, for machinery at
$3.540O00. These plans for machinery will
probably be accepted by the Navy Depart
ment In preference to plans OF bidders as
submitted in other proposals. The bids for
the prescribed machinery were known. as
class 1 bids The New York Shipbulding
Company offered the next lowest bid in
that class, 50. 900. AS one firm is al
lowed to build only one of the ships, this
second bid will doubtless be accepted in
case the department finally decides to
adopt class plans The bid OF the New
port News Shipbuilding and Drydock Com
pany on this class was 50. 673. 0oo and the
Union Iron Works-of San Francisco bid
81. $4,000
In Glass Two.
In class 2 there was great variety Of
bids and the prices vary according to
the plans Of the various ship yards for ma
chinery. Under that class the machinery
may be OF the turbine type and many of
the bids specified turbine engines. The
lowest bid In class was that OF the Fore
River Shipbuilding Company. $3.8S9, 600
That bid is on ship equipped with two
12O-inch Curtis steam turbines.
The complete list Of bids in class 2 fol-
lows:
New York Shpbuilding Company, 50 &c.,
600 and s., $4,000.
Newport News shipbuilding and Dry
Dock Company. s3'S13.0Oo. ss.9es. 600. s.. 1885,
Fore River Shipbuilding Company, $3,945.-
900. 49, 600. $3719.0 COO 49, $50, 600 So 6S9.-
900. The last three bids are for Curtis
turbines.
William Cramp & Co. Ship and Engine
Company. 81, 100. 900.
The great variety In these bids Is due to
the difference in plans. Most of them are
on turbine construction. but as the size of
turbine engines was not specified proposals
contained prices on many different sizes.
The New Battleships.
The new battleships are to be $50 feet
long and will have an extreme breadth at
low water line OF 50 feet 5-S inches The
mean draft at trial displacement Is not to
exceed "a feet Inches. The coal bunker
capacity of the ships will be 200 tons
EACH
Each ship will have main battery of
eight Pinch breech-loading rifles and two
submerged torpedo tubes. The secondary
battery of each Of the battleships will con-
sist OF twenty-five 3-fnch Q4-pounder) rap
Id fire guns: two 3-pounder sent-automatic
guns; eight 1-pounder semi-automatic guns;
Of caliber 30.
The twelve-inch guns will be installed in
pairs. in four electrically controlled, bal
anced slliptical turrets on the center line
two forward and two aft. each with an arc
of fire Of about 27O degrees. A secondary
battery OF 3-inch, 5-pounder and minor cali
Der guns will be installed in commanding
positions, with large unobstructed arcs OF
fire. The two torpedo tubes and accessories
will be installed In submerged torpedo
room forward
The hulis Of the new battleships are to
be protected by a water line belt eight feet
wide. varying In thickness from eight to
twelve inches. This armor will be tapered
In sections. being thicker above the water
line. Casemate armor will extend from
thickness and breadth will extend from
the top of the side armor belt to level
eight feet above. The barbettes will carry
ten inches of armor In front and the con-
ming tower will be twelve inches thick
which is also the thickness of the turret
armOr. Complete belts of cellulose will
encircle the ship to automatically close up
holes made by shot below the water level.
The Engines.
The vessels will be driven by engines Of
1s. 900 horse power, four cylinder, triple
expansion In type supplied with steam by
twelve water-tube boilers and superheat-
ers. The smokepipes of the ships will be
100 feet high, and steel masts forward and
aft will be equipped with wireless telee-
raphy outfits. Every precaution is taken
to insure against fire. and all the living
spaces are to be sheathed with metal
backed with an inch and one-half OF cork
and asbestos and felt
The maximum time to be allowed for
completion OF the battleships will be forty-
two months in each case. and heavy pen
atty Is provided for delay. Not more than
one OF the vessels can be built by one con-
tractor under the law.