Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-12-15
FIVE DISTINCT TYPES
OF SHIPS IN FLEET
Progress 10 Americas New
Navy Represented by The Six.
Teen Fighting Machines.
OLDEST LAUNCHED TEN YEARS AGO
Even Now the Kearaarsc and Ken
lucky, Which Were the FRS. of
the Real Modern Battleshipa. Arc
Able to Make Showing Beside
the Latest and Most improved. ..

tlcshlps in the Atlantic fleet, cach
type being representative of differ
ent epoch In tho history OF Ameri-
ships Ilearsargo and Kentucky are
the oldest ships In this great armada,
they being the first battleships de-
signed for Americas new navy"
They werc launched month prior to
the Spanish American War and were
commissioned In 1909.
Tho Illinois and Alabama sister
ships. were the next vessels designed,
being commissioned one year after
tho Kearsarge and kentucky. These
vessels differ from any other In the
navy In that their two smoke tunnels
arc set starboard and port instead of
fore and aft.
Following tho Illinois Alabama
class came tho sstershps Missouri,
Maine and Ohio. They were complot-
cd I'm 1901 and are considerably larg-
er than their forerunncrs. Like tho
Illinois ana Alabama. they carry no
S-inch guns They were the first bat
tleships on which the new typo of 12-
inch rifle was Installed
The slstcrships Virginia, Georgia
Rhode Island and New Jersey were
the next battleshps TO be designed
They were completed In 1905 and are
a distinct Improvement over tho
previous classes IN size, speed and
armament
Five Largest and Newest.
ltf TEG nnwQgt In np.l ,,,,,t H.,
proved ships OF tho fleet arc tho sis
tcrships Connecticut, Louisiana, Min
ncsota Vcrmount and Kansas, which
We're completed this year. These ilvo
battleships nre among the largest and
most powerful warships in the world.
They have three large smoke tunnels
and Two military masts set fore and
MT and carry six big turrets, two
mounting two 12-inch guns each and
four mounting two s-lnch rifles each.
The l2-nch turrets are located on
tho center line just fore and Mt of
tho superstructure and the S-inch
turrets arc located two on the port
s side and two on the starboard side.
Those vessels have broadsidc flre
OF four 12-inch guns. -four S-inch guns,
SIX 7-inch guns and ten 3-inch guns.
In stem chase they could bring two
12-lnch guns. four S-mch guns and two
f-lnch guns to bear on an.enemy They
carry total Of "A guns, including
6-pounders and field guns.
They are well protected against
the ire of an enemy, the
null. turrcts and superstructure
being heavily armored. The
waterline belt Of hull armor Is eleven
inches thick amidships, affording am
pie protection 70 the boilers and on
glnes. Above this belt the huh (,
protected by two other armor belts
one six inches thick and tho other
seven inches thick. These belts,
however. do not extend from stem to
stern as does the waterinc belt. The
l2-inch turrets are protected by ar
NOR twelve inches in thickness and
the S-inch turrets arc protected by
seven inch armor.
The vessels have speed OF Is
k'ots an hour ana are OF about 1880
tons full load displacement.
Ships With superposed Turrcts.
Like the Connecticut class. the four
battleships of the Virginia class have
three smoke tunnels and two military
4 masts and carry two 12-inch gun tur-
rets and four S-inch gun trrrets. They
arc easily distinguishable from the
Connecticut type, however, by their
s,lperposed tuirets, two of the S-inch
gun turrets being mounted on top OF
s me two 12-inch gun turrets, which
z are located on the center line lust
{ forward and aft of the superstruc-
ture The other two S-lncl turrots
are located just forward of amidsbips.
q che on the pert side and the other
on the starboard side.
Tho Virginia class ships have a
greater broadside and forward fire
Than those of the Connoc.:cu. class.
me broadside fire includes four 12-
inch guns. six s-inch guns. Six 6-incl
guns and six 3-inch guns. Firing dead
ahead they can bring two 12-inch
guns, six S-inch guns and two 6-inch
guns into play.
Ihese vessels also have greater
speed than the Connecticut class. all
snitf Of them having exceeded IL
Knots an hour on their official trials
ihey are Of about 16.5O0 tons full
g load displacement.
they have about the same armol
protection as the vessels of the Con.
necticut class.
No Eight-Inch Guns.
although considerably smaller thai
nne ships Of The Virginia class, TIN
q