Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-14

out being acknowledged. Some one
brought 1t to the attention of President
Roosevelt, who deemed its contents OF
sufficient Importance to merit thorough
consideration. and upon his order 1t was
referred to the conference at the Naval
War College. at Newport, which he ere
ated for the particular purpose of re-
porting upon said letter and its state
ments.' z
Battleship Design Criticised.
: The letter of Commander Key is dated
June Q. 1903. 1t was written in compli-
ance with general order No. ~, dated
June 20, 1907. and embodies comments
and suggestions relative to certain main
features of the design Of the battleship
North Dakota. building at the works OF
the Fore River company
The commander wrote:
1T is presumed that this vessel is built
primarily to fight vessels of correspond
ing type built or building in foreign
nayies. If We assume that a modern
Finch gun will maintain in action a
rate of fire of one shot per minute the
North Dakota in the course of thirty
minutes In broadside engagement with
an adversary of her same general type
will have fired at her at a distance of
about 5000 yards. 300 f2-inoal shells.
the thirty minutes by fully 100 12-inch
shells filled with high explosive.
After Thirty Minutes Fire.
IF We consider what will be her con-
dition after the thirty minutes firing it
will be generally conceded that all that
portion Of her protected by 5-inc,h armor
Will be pierced a great number of times;
that her J-tnch battery will be an utter
wreck; her uptakes between the main
and upper decks shot away; her main
deck. probably many of her compart-
(artificially ventilated) will be uninhabit-
able on account of smoke and coal gases
her unarmOred ends will be shot away
and If she should be so fortunate as not
to have her belt or S-inch armor pierced
her reserve buoyancy will be reduced to
that norton of the ship above her new
water line that is covered by her S-inch
and belt armor.
A Precarious Position.
I'm this condition. should the enemy haul
of and attack fleet of North Dakotas
ported by armored cruisers the Dakotas
would be placed in a very precarious po-
sftton. 1t is clearly and absolutely GER
tain that placing the five-inch guns and
uptakes behind 4 citadel of five-inch ar
NOR and exposing them to the fire of ten
twelve-inch guns for ten minutes is mere
ly assisting the enemy to quickly and
completely wreck them, as the five-inch
armor will not stop the twelve-inch shell.
but practically insures their explosion,
feet from their fragments.
IF it is not feasible to use case shot or
shrapnel from twelve-inch guns for tor
pedo defense it must be admitted that
battleships of the North Dakota type
after short day action with foreign
battleships OF corresponding type will be
practically defenseless against the enc
my's destroyers at night. 1t should be
remembered that the British. Germans
French and japanese are we'll provided
with destroyers."
Changes Suggested.
Commander Key was of the opinion. he
said, that the North Dakota type would
be greatly improved if the five-inch cita-
del armor was entirely abrogated and the
weight so saved was devoted to turrets
for the torpedo defense battery and to
protection as far as possible Of the up
takes and bases of the tunnels. He then
takes up the location Of No. 3 turret. as
sorting that its position between the en-
CINE and boiler rooms renders 1t impossi-
BILE to keep the temperature Of the maya
zine down.
at appears" he says. that our pres
ent twelve-inch gun is about equal in
less powerful than the English. French
and Japanese twelve-inch guns
Location of Armor Belt.
Regarding the location of the armor
belt he said:
According to the testimony Of the
president of the board of construction
and the chief constructor before the
senate naval committee it is their opinion.
that the lower edge of the armor belt
should be five feet below the water i'll
order to reasonab bly, protect the under
water body Of the battieship. So far
as sam awars nothing has occurred to
cause the slightest change in expert
opinion on this important subject. I"
The recommendations of the Walker
board require that the battlesllip's normal
draught should be her draught when fully
equipped for service. with not less than
two-thirds of her full allowance Of coal
stores and ammunition on board. .
To the best Of my knowledge this recon-
mendation. approved by the Secretary Of
the navy. is consistently and deliberately
ignored. with the result that the vessels
Of the Atlantic fleet are overdraught. :"
cJot Sufficient Protection.
IF the figures shown by my investi-
CATION of the subject are correct, and
thoroughly believe them to be. =
our battieships are very deficiently and in
adequately protected above the water line;
are protected under the water line out Of
all proportion to their protection above
the water. have very little reserve buoy
ancy at lighting draught on account of
their overdraught. and the little reserve
buoyancy they have is very inadeqeately
protected. The English give much
more attention to this important qSest1on
of overdraught than has been the case in
our navy
I'm my opinion" Commander Key con-
tinued. the value of the belts In our
battleships now In the Atlantic fleet had
greatly deprecated the day they We're
placed in commission because they We're
greatly overdraught under normal con-
ditions equipped for service. and no doubt
their thick narrow belts are steadily and
further decreasing in value each year due
to further increases OF their excessive
original draught.'
He recommended in conclusion tire inn
portance of determining the overdra ught
and also recommended that the officers
OF our ships be supplied with such data
as are furnished in the British naval sta
bility statements.
Philadelphians' Present to Pope.
ROME, October H.-Mgr. Kennedy, rec
tor OF ,the American College, presented to