New-York tribune., 1907-12-17

naval establishment. Designed at the Navy De-
partment in Washington, and built at the Brooklyn
Navy Yard, the Connecticut represents the highest
type of fighting machine the navy has ever known.
Her size measured by the water the great hull dis
places and not by carrying capacity. is registered
at 10000 tons The energy OF her twin reciprocal
ing engines is rated $500 horsepower and
her estimated speed OF eighteen knots was easily
exceeded on her trial trip In armor the Connecti-
cut is belted with IL inches OF wellnigh nvulner-
able steel anlidsh!ps TO protect her vitals This
belt tapers away gradually 10 4 inches at stem and
stern. Her casemates protected by 7 inches OF
hardened Steel her main turrets eIlIpticaI in FORM
constructed of 12-inch steel her secondary tur-
rets protected by inches OF the metal and her
protected deck. bending engine and amm,n,-
tion rooms. has 3-inch covering.
MOST POWERFUL BATTERY.
The battery OF the Connecticut stands as a great
increase I'm power over anything heretofore at
tempted on an American battleshir. The Iate-,
pattern OF .S-caibre Finch guns was mounted IN
her main turrets for the first time the history OF
the navy. In addition TO four OF these carried twin
shape In barbette and aft there arc
eight 4Scaiibre s-inc guns on the broad
side and an exceedingly powerful secondary battery
mounted in classmates on the gun deck consisting
of twelve 7-inch guns of -5o-caiibre Tho cahre Of
a naval gun is the measure of its length Tn. In
crease or calibre has grown from S5 to 80 I'm the
last few years The 7-inch guns on the Connecticut
and other vessels of her type are new 10 the navy
and believed 10 be the best pieces OF ordnance
planned in decade. or 6o-caIibre length. they
are capable OF penetrating six inches OF Krupp
armor two miles away. The fire in any direction
from the Connecticut class of ships is tremendous
Ahead or astern two Pinch. four s-inch and two
7-inch be brought into action. A broad
side hail of lead and steel he poured four
l2s. four s's and six rs. to say nothing Of the
twelve 3-inch rapid fire guns and the twenty-six
smaller pieces which complete the armament Fol
lowing in the wake of the Connecticut and saiuing
in their turn. with bands playing. drums rufng
and guns booming, the Kansas. the Vermont and
the Louisiana steamed by the MayHower These
four ships nearly alike the naval archi-
tects and builders could make them. their only
differences being in minor details which lost TO
the unframed eye They constituted the first di-
vision. first squadron. of the feet.
Four hundred yards sstern of the Louisiana
came the Georgia, flying the flag OF Rear Admiral
William H Emory and leading the four ships of
the second division, first squadron. Admiral Emory
was on the after bridge. The details of salute
with the passing of the second division were the
same those set by the Connecticut and followed
by all the other ships they The Georgia
class Of battieshps at distance appear very
similar to the Connecticut type. except that they
have double decked turrets for I2-inch and s-nch
guns forward and aft Their three tunnels and
superstructure much the and their dis |
placement is only about 900 tons under the 160D
mark of the Connecticut. The Georgia class excel |
all OF the American batteShlpS in speed
power. Their rate. which has been exceeded in |
every instance. is nineteen knots with 1loo horse
power for each and every knot After the Georgia |
came the New Jersey, the Rhode Island and the |
Virginia. Again IN this division all four ships are |
Of design. and next latest TO the Con- |
necticut type.
MINNESOTA LEADS HER SQUADRON. |
The passing of the Virginia completed the first |
squadron under command of Admiral Evans Next |
came the eight ships of the second squadron di- |
vided into the third and fourth divisions of the |
fleet, OF four ships each. The second squadron |
presented the first break in the homogeneous COM
position OF the various units of the fleet. The big
Minnesota with Rear Admiral Thomas on the
bridge led the squadron. The Minnesota belongs |
10 the Connecticut class. making the fifth and last
ship of that pattern Following her came the
Ohio. the Missouri and the Maine. the three latter
being all of type and representing the third
retrospective state of American naval architecture
Their tonnage is 1850 and their speed eighteen
knots. In the main class the high calibre
12-inch guns first found their place in the navy.
The fourth class of battleshps looking backward
in American naval history. found to-day In
the Alabama and the Illinois. the two leading ships
in the fourth division, second squadron. Rear-Ad-
miral Sperrys flag flew at the main truck of the
Alabama. and he stood in his assigned place on the
after bridge The Alabama and the Illinois are quite
distinctive from the other ships Of the feet. Their
two tunnels placed athwart ship in Mississippi
River steamship fashion, experimental with on |
these ships and Immediately abandoned The Ala |
ba ma and Illinois displace only II 552 tons but
they have speed of more than seventeen knots
and are ranked first class battleshps in every
thing except date of construction. They have H.
inch guns in their main battery. this is con-
sidered a decided advantage by many ordnance ex-
perts, who are advocating return 10 the larger
bore rifles
The fifth and last class of ships reported in the
parade of the Pacific bound fleet the Kearsarse
and the Kentucky, the latter bringing up the rear
ocl,ty,S
q bout the time of the Spanish American War Like
the Alabama and the Illinois they mount l3-inch
guns in their main turrets and have armor belts
reaching a maximum of 1s-inches In thickness or