Middletown transcript., 1907-07-06
CONTRACTS FOR MONSTER SHIPS
Secretary Accepts Proposals for the
Delaware and Sister Graft

WASHINGTON, June 30th.-Secretary o
the Navy Metcalf Yesterday awarded the
contracts for the construction Of the two
10000 ton battleships authorized by Con.
gress at its recent session and bids for
which were opened ten days ago at the
Navy Department. One OF the ships will
be built by the Newport News Shipbuild-
ing and Dry Dock Company Of Newport
News, Va, and the other by the Fore
River Shipbuilding Company of Quincy,
Mass. One Of the vessels is to be named
Delaware.
| The bid Of the Newport News Company
was the lowest submitted, being more
than 81 1000 lower than the proposal
OF the Cramps company and approx
mately three-quarters of million dollars
lower than the estimates made by the
naval constructors tor building a vessel
in the Brooklyn or Mare Island Navy
Yard Accordingly it was out of the
question under the construction placed on
the law to have one of the ships built in
a government yard.
The Newport News Company is author
lied to construct one battleship under the
Navy Departments plans and specifica-
tions for the hull and according to the
contractors arrangement for machinery,
provided suitable notifications can be
made in the plans of turbine machinery
submitted by the shipbuilding company
with its original proposal. Under these
conditions the contract price will be 81,
O9O, 600.
If the modified plans of contractors
machinery arrangement are not satisfac-
tory to the department then the contract
will be made with the Newport News
Company for 20, 600 ton ship under the
departments plans and specifications of
both hull and machinery. In that event
the price will be $3,987,0 This last
bid was the lowest of any submitted.
The contract for the other ship will go
to the Fore River Company, whose pro-
posal was next lowest 1t provides for
vessel the bull of which is in accordance
with the departments plans and specifi- |
cations and the machinery of the Curtis
turbine type, The contract price is $4,-
$4,000.
The guaranteed time for the completion
of the ships is thirty-six months from the
date of the contract with the Newport
News Company, and thirty-four and one
half months with the Fore River Com
pany. The ships are to be identical, ex-
cept for the fact that the Fore River
Company will use the Curtis turbines,
while the Newport News Company will
employ the Parsons type of turbines.
1t is understood that an effort has been
made by the Newport News Company to
get permission from the Fore River Com
pany, which has exclusive patents upon
the Curtis turbines, to use them. In that
event the boats would be identical, and it
is probable that the Newport News Com
pany would seek to have the price in
creased. This company realized as soon
as the bids were opened that it might
have been $500, 900 higher and still have
been able to capture one of the prizes.
The department was greatly surprised at
the low figure named in the proposals and
would not have regarded the terms as ex.
orbitant had they been 10 per cent.
higher
Each boat will be 5l0 feet in length and
eighty-fve-feet beam. The displacement
at the time of trials must be 10000 tons.
The main armament will consist of ten
12-inch guns, so arranged that each gun
will have large arc Of train on each
broadside.
The new ships will be known as battle
ships No. % and No. 20, respectively.
The department has decided to name one
of them the Delaware. The name of the
other has not been agreed upon, as there
is desire to have it called the New
York. As there is an armored cruiser
named for that state it is not improb-
able that the name of the cruiser may
be changed to that of some city of New
York and the big battleship bear the
name of the Empire State.
Secretary Metcalf also decided to-day
on the award of contracts for the armor
for the two battleships, and in doing SO
followed the plans adopted last year by /
Secretary Bonaparte, of dividing the
contracts among the three armor COM
panies. Accordingly the Bethlehem COM
pany will furnish 1902 tons, the Car
negie Steel Company, 2,545 tons, and the
Midvale company, 2,230 tons The price
at which the arrnor will be supplied will
be $420 a ton for armor of class A,
which forms the principal part of the
contract, and $4O0 ton for the other
classes. These were the prices named by
the Bethlehem and Carnegie companies
and we're considered the lowest.
The bid of the Midyale company was
based upon an arbitrary grouping of the
required armor, according to difficulties
and cest of manufacture, and was re-
jected by the department on the ground
that the conditions were not equal with
those under which the other companies
bid. The MidyaIe company, however,
has agreed to furnish armor on the
same terms as the other companies and
under the same conditions, and hence
will have part of the contract.
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