Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-21
ORDER MONSTER
SHIPS FOR NAVY
GIANT FIGHTING VESSELS TO
BE BUILT
River Concern Get Contracts for
Constructing Immense
5attIeshlps
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, D. c., June 20.-The
Newport News Ship Building company
with one bid at $S,sS7,O 900, and the Fore
River Ship Building company of Quin-
cy. Mass, with bid at s4,S77, 900, were
the successful bidders today for build
ing the big 20,000-ton battleships.
The two American 'Dreadnaughts,' .
or what are officially known as battle
ships Nos. 2S and 30, are each to be of
approximately 10000 tons displacement,
the cost of each not to exceed 100000
exclusively of armor and armament.
The total cost of each when completed
is estimated to be $10,000,000. Re-
sponsive to the actions of the navy de-
partment and in accordance of the in
structions to the naval board on con-
struetion there were submitted various
designs and sketches for the proposed
vessels from ship builders and naval
constructors.
These were in turn submitted to a
naval committee on design, the head
of which was Assistant Secretary New
berry, which board reported that the
510-foot design of the bureau of con-
struction with officers quarters for
ward) was the most suitable. This
board gave an opinion that vessel
CONSTRUCTED on Tie QSSlS IL sHOulu Cdli y
as heavy armor and as powerful ar
mament as any known vessel of this
class; would have a speed believed &c
be the highest practicable for vessel
of this type and class and have the
highest practicable readiness of action
with a total coal bunker capacity OF
about 2300 tons, a speed on trial of
twenty-one knots, a length on the load
water line of about $40 feet and an ex-
treme breadth of about S5 feet 29s
inches.
The armament is to be composed as
follows;
Main battery, ten twelve-inch breech
loading rifles.
Secos.I battery, fourteen five-inch
rapid fire guns, four three-pound sa-
luting guns; four one-pounder semi
automatic guns; two three-inch field
pieces; two machine guns, caliber
thirty; two submerged torpedo tubes.
Amply Protected
The hulIs of the vessels are to be
protected bv water line belt of armor
eight feet in width, whose maximum
thickness is eleven inches and whose
cross section is uniform throughout the
length of the belt. This belt armor
gives effective protection to the boil
ers, machinery and magazine spaces,
and most important of all for vessels
of this type whose centers OF gravity
are necessarily very high, affords in
connection with the casemate armor,
extensive compartmental subdivision,
a reasonable assurance of the stability
of the vessel under battle conditions.
The side above the main belt armor,
seven feet, three inches, is wide and OF
a. maximum thickness of ten inches
The armor is likewise of uniform cross
section throughout and in length is
only slightly less than that of the
main water line belt armor. Above the
main casemate armor amidships, the
side is covered by armor five inches In
thickness, which affords protection to
the smoke pipes, the major portion of
the second battery of five-inch guns
and the hull structure. Suitable
thwart-ship and diagonal bulkheads
are to be located at the extreme ends
OF the belts and casemate armor, ana
protective deck of suitable thickness is
provided throughout the length of the
vessels.
The arrangement Of the main bat
terry guns is to be such as to permit
broadside fire of 25 per cent greater
than that of the broadside fire of any
battleship built. The average eleva-
tion of the axis of these guns is ex-
pected to be greater than that of any
known battleship, thus affording dis
tinct advantage in long range firing
under all conditions of weather.
The arrangement of the interior Will
be such as TO give the maximum de-
gree of >rotection to all vital portions
Of the ship by means of unusually eff
fective eompartmental subdivisions.
The actual total weight of hull and
armor in the proposed designs for the
ships is approximately 5000 tons greater
than the largest battleship SO far built.
The design contemplates an arrange
ment for the installation of reciprocal
ing or turbine machinery.