The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-15

manding officers:
THH BATTLE FLEET.
Rear Admiral RObley ID. Evans, Commanding.
First Dipision, Ftrst Squadron.
Connecticut. ............ .,....,Capt Hugo osterhaub
uflagship Of Rear Admiral Evansl
Kansas ................ Capt. Charles y. VTeeland
Vermont .................".Capt. William p Potter
Louisiana. .........,.. Capt. Richard WsinWright
Second Division, First Squadron.
Georgia ...,,...,...... Capt. Henry McCreA
Flagship Of Rear Admiral william "A. Emory
New Jersey. ....... Capt. william n. II. Switzerland
Rhode island ..............C Capt. Joseph u. Murdoch
Virginia .............. Capt. SeAton Schroeder
Third DIGESTION, second Squadron.
Minnesota .........,.,.. Capt. John Hubbard
Flagship Of Rear Admiral Charles N. TbOmasJ
Ohio .......,........... Capt. Charles W. BA~tIett
Missouri. Capt. Greenlief A. Merriam
Maine .............. Capt. Giles y. HARDER
Fourth DipiSSon. SsCOpd Squadron.
Alabama ........ ,.... Capt. Ten EyGs DE W. Nsedsr
Flagship Of Rear Admiral Charles q. SperryJ
Illinois .....,.,......, CAPT. John M. BOwyer
kearssrge"..-........... Capt. Hamilton hutchins
Kentucky .......,...... Capt. Waiter {. COwles
Ths AUrtid NJ DipNiOR.
Glacier, supply ship e. Commander W. y. Hogg
CulgOa, supply ship. Lieut., Commander }. y. Patton
Panther. repair snip -, V. =. Nelson
Hankton, tender ......... Lieut.. W.. II. Sherardl.
five CLASSES or BATrLEsHIPs.
Five distinct classes of battleships are
represented in the feet. popularity known
Al the Kentucky, the Alabama. the Maine.
the Georgia and the Connecticut class.
The newer types come first in the line.
The Connecticut type, Of which the Con-
neOtiOut. Louisiana. Kansas and Vermont
will be in the first division. are Of 5000
tons displacement. with a speed Of eightssn
knots. each carrying 300 tons Of coal. and
having an armOr belt Of from II to 4 inches.
eha aHuanr nn thu main fterrafa hainu ~
inches thick. For their armament they
carry fOur ~ inch, eight . inch. twelve :
inch. twelve 3 inch and twenty smaller
guns. The complement Of men is 500.
The Georgia CLASH is Of rs. 900 tons dis
placement. with a speed OF nineteen knots.
The coal capacity 10 1 100 tons and the arma-
mont nearly h same a. that of the Con-
n~eCticut class. except that = inch guns are
used in place Of the : inch on the Connecti-
cut and that instead Of ; inch guns there
are numerous q Founders and 1 Founders.
The Maine class is Of ~. 500 tons. with a
speed OF eighteen knots and a coal capacity
OF 1000 IONS. The armament differs from
the Georgia class in only small matters.
Tn Alabama class is Of ~ 500 tom with a
speed Of seventeen knots and a coal capacity
of 800 tons. The armament is along the
same lines as that of the Maine class.
Bringing up the rear Of the battleships
will bs the Kentucky and kesrsage. These
will carry the only ~ inch gun in the feet.
o type which was discarded several years
ago, but which will probably be renewed
in the Delaware type. which is now being
built and which is expected TO suTpass the
great DreadnOught Of the British navy.
The Kentucky class is OF II 500 tons. with
a speed Of about 1915 knots and a coal capac-
ity OF 1900 IONS. These two ships have
supeTpOsed turrets, the 3 inch guns being
on the turrets above the rs inch
weapons. This type Of armament has
been discarded because Of the danger Of
having four gum put out of business at
once by an enemy and also because of the
danger in the turrets in loading and firing
GREAT ADVANCE IN TEN YEARS.
All Of the ships Of the feet are of dis
tinctly modern type. not one Of them being
in existence az the time of the Spanish war.
The feet therefore will display more than
any other exhibit could show the great
advance that has been made in American
naval affairs in ten years.
When the Spanish war came the United
States had only four battIeships. the In
Adhd NIVkobs NhJhbnShAhCNAh nho AOWds
The eyes of the nation were centred on the
performance Of tho Oregon in her celebrated
trip from San Francisco to the Atlantic
coast. practically a (reverSedD duplicate OF
the journey OF the battle feet except that she
did not stop in Magdalena Bay for target
shooting.
She was sixty-twO days in making the
trip. Her arrival was timely. for she took
- - - y
squadron.
The Oregon carried thiTty-siK guns.
Ten years later the Georgia was brought
out. also carrying thirty-six guns. The
Oregon has four IS inch guns in her main
battery. The Georgia has four ~ inch
guns in her main battery.
Each has sight s inch gun The Georgia
has tw elvs 0 inch guns to four OF that calibre
on the Oregon. The Georgia mas twelve
3 incl gums to twenty o Founders on the
Oregon.
The experts have figured out that the
muzzle energy in FIVE minutes of firing from
all the guns on the Oregon would amount
TO $40. $50 foot tons. In the same period OF
firing on the Georgia the muzzle energy
of that vessel would he ,. 927. I72 tons. practi-
cally Ave times as great al that of the
Oregon.
In other words the advance in gunnery.
the great test of battleship utility. has been
fivsfold in ten years. This advance is
to the increased rapidity Of fire.
owing 10 improved mechanism in handling
the guns and to the improved methods OF
training the gunners. There has been an
advance in gun making to some Xtent. but
the rapidity OF fire improvement is really
what makes a battleship Of to-day five
times the value Of the battleship Of ten
years ago.
u or GRANDEUR.
AlthOu gh the cruise will probably not
take on anything of he spectacu lar. because
OF the need OF making every pound Of coal
count for pulling power. it will have what
q writer on naval matters has lately called
certain elements Of grandeur" The de-
power Of such a feet can hardly
be put down in figures. and analogy can
scarcely indicate its extent.
Every one ~ these ships represents in a
peculiar degree the idea OF sovereignty. and
with IL there goes an impressive vista Of the
OF the United States az a nation.