The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-10-15
BATTLESH|P MAY
Be NAMED HAWAII
Only Two States Left Now to
Give Their Names to
Men-0'-War.
(Mail Special to the Advertiger.l

|
WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. 30
BattIeship nomenclature is looming VI
lem in the United States navy. There
is a law on the statute books, which
requires battleships and monitors TO
be named after States. The names Of
the less populous and less influential
States are now being applied to the
most powerful engines Of war that fly
the Stars and Stripes. The names of
the older and richer States are general
| ~ carried by second rate battleships.
But, above all, there is only one more
| State to name a hattleship after.
| Some new legislation will soon be
| necessary. Perhaps, before long, a
battleship may be named the Hawaii.
Utah is now the only State in the
Union for which a war vessel has not
been named. The two 10000 ton ships,
authorized at the last session of Con-
gress, will be called the Delaware and
the North Dakota. They used two of
the remaining names of States. Della
ware applied early for the distinction
of having her name given the first
of these Dreadnaughts. Secretary
Metcalf wanted to change the name OF
the cruiser New York, which was Adj
miral SIMPSONS flagship in the SAN
tiago campaign, changed to the Sara
toga, so that the name OF the other
Dreadnaught could be New York. The
President, however, did not like that
idea and it was due to him and to an
appeal from Senator McCumber that
a decision was reached to name the
ship the North Dakota.
1t is not likely that the next session
of Congress will authorize the con-
struction of more than two new bat
tleships and therefore the names will
really last for another year. For Okla
homa will be coming into the Union |
within a few days and it would make a |
splendid name for battleship.
When the law to build a new navy |
was passed there followed a rush |
Senators and members, who
had great influence with the President
and the Navy Department. Indiana,
and Iowa were among
the States recognized early and in the
order named. Maine, a State that had
Influential members on the naval COM
of both Senate and House, was
the first State 10 give her name to a
in the new navy. Texas,
also, was recognized in he authorize
tions for the two second-class battle
ships of 1856. But the first battleship
Maine was destroyed in Havana har-
Dor and new Maine of 1890 tons dis
placement was voted in the naval act
Of 1898.
The Indiana and Massachusetts,,
in 1890, and the Iowa, au-
thorized the following year, are now
said by ambitious navy officers to be
good for little else than the junk pile.
During the Cleveland administration
States that had voted the Democratic
ticket were given recognition in bat
-leship naming, including Kentucky
and Alabama. BY special provision of
aw one of the ships authorized in 1895
vas named the Kearsarge because of
he splendid record that the old frigate
If that name, which went down finally
IN Roncador reef, might be perpetu-
tied.
For a while there was something of
rivalry among the States for nam
ng monitors, which, at one time, were
expected to be great factors in the
laval warfare of the future. Several :
{ these monitors, now classed by the !.
bureau of Navigation as third-rate ;
essels, were built but only four of :
hem were named after States. These
-ere the Arkansas, the Florida, the
Tevada and the Wyoming. All four
-ere authorized in 1898 which year '
congress provided that hereafter all
rst-class battleships and monitors
wned by the United States shall be
AIMED for the States and shall not (
e named for any city, place or person =
ntiI the names of the States shall IL
ave been exhausted
The following year Congress began $
, authorize ''armored cruisers" which g
nder the rating of the Navy Depart p
tent are the same as battleships. The
the Pennsylvania and the Il
Test Virginia were started in 1899 as +
lie first of the big armored cruisers
n the same law with the battleships
eorgia, Nebraska and Virginia. The
ames of other States that have been
pplied since to armored cruisers are:
North Carolina, Maryland,
Tontana, South Dakota, Tennessee, 81
nd Washington. The most powerful D
these are the Montana, Tennessee !,
nd Washington, each of which has a
of 1880 tons. The New
ork, authorized by Congress in 1888, II
as rated as an armored cruiser, al O
lough much smaller and less formid- y
bic than the armored cruisers of more
lodern days.
While the President and the Navy t
apartment would be empowered, I'M e
er the present law, to name battle
hips, after next year, for any city,
lace or person." it is almost certain Z
lat Congress viii interpose with some
lrther legislation on the subject. The
ames of available cities for large war; ..
lips have already been preempted.
he first cruisers of the new navy were =
AIMED after cities and every munich =
atty of first rank in the land is now :,