The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-29
QrIrK wARsRIP nUILDING.
An An Japanese CFusssF Launched sON
sBaauths After the Meet was laid.


An An Japanese CPuSssr Hsunched ssx
.NH0uth Arer the Meet was LAID
The Japanese Naval ONCE IL cOngratu-
lating itself. and the v~ernncular press OF
the empire Ia hlled with praise. over the
feat recently accomplished OF launching
the first class armOrsd cruiser Ibuki from
the Government shipbuilding yards at kure
within six months after the laying down
Of the keel. Not only do the Japanese
believe that they have beaten all previous
records for speed in the construction Of
war vessels OF this class, but the 1buki
also IL unique because Of thu fact that from
keel TO fAghtinG top she WINS built entirely
Of materials forged and put t0gethOr In
japanese Government yards.
Tho cruiser Ibuki. which was launched
by Prince Higashi FSIshimi on November
"a, In a sister ship to the Kurama, recently
launched at tho Yokosuka yards. Her
length 7 - fest. beam 7S.0 feet. and dis
placem Int l4,dO0 tons. Fitted with the
Miyabara boiler. the invention Of a Japanese
naval officer, and the Curtis turbine, the
Ibuki is expected to develop 52,SOO horse
power.
Both the Ibuki and her sister ship, the
Kurama. were designed by Japanese naval
engineers, as all OF the battleships recently
built in Japan have been. The keel was
laid at Kuro in May, 1907, and immediately
a double force Of men was put at work,
The Naval ONCE denies that any special
effort was made to rush the cruiser through
10 completion. but the Japanese papers
say that the bureau was not averse to q
demonstration Of just how quickly a fight
ing machine could be turned out by its
artisans. .
Every ounce OF steel used In the con-
struction Of tho new cruiser came from
either the Kure steel foundry. which Ia q
part OF the great naval plant at that port,
or the Wekamatsu Iron Works. an indie
pendent concern subsidized by the Gov
eminent. Heretofore japan he'd been
dependent in a greater or less measure
upon England and America for armoI
plate. and until very recent years for the
heavy guns and tuTret parts. but in the case
OF the Ibuki even the Rrmor plate ingOts
were stamped into shape and the turret
plates forged at the Kure and Wakamatsu
fOundries. Nobody but Japanese was ad.
mitted to the yard where the Ibuki was bull
during the course OF her construction.
The speed In building tho Ibuki waF
-AAAt4 1AASAhNo al hA' O1ND W VIC hANDt DAhN
battleship Aki. which was launched from
the yards Of the Kure plant some months
z just eigbL months after her keel was laid
The Ak is OF 19.OOO ton displace ment. In
her case night and dew forces of men were
employed and the Naval Onioe strained
every nerve to get the big boat into the
water as soon al possible.
The ability Of the Japanese shipbuilders
is remarkable when the fact il taken into
consideration that prior to the summer
OF 1904 nothing bigger than a gunbOat haC
been built at any Of the Government yards
n the spur OF war the Naval Ofics
began to build its own ships and 20 equiE
its plants as rapidly as possible for perfect
ind speDdRnoe Of American and English
manufactures.
Kure on the Inland Sea and YOkOsuka IL
Toxic Bay are both in inaccessible pockets
because OF the narrow OF the %entranCei
to the Inland Sea and the channel eadinG
into Toxic Bay and the tremendous forti
ficetion works that have been put a
each avenue We're the existing Japanes.
feet to be- swept from the sea enothe'
could be built 1T these two plants secur'
from the guns Of an enemy unlees the islam
itself vas successfully invaded.