The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1908-11-13
ANOTHER new
BATTLESH|P
FIGHTING MONSTER, NORTH
DAKOTA, CIlRlSTF,NED BY
MISS MARY BENTON.
FIRST SENlI-DREADNOU TO
BE BUILT FOR THE AMER
lCAN NAVY.

Fore River, Mass, Nov. 1O.-Un-
North Dakota, a 20,000-ton fighting
monster of the seas, was launched
today at the yards of the Fore River
Shipbuilding Company. Miss Mary
Benton, of Fargo, N. D., who was
appointed for that purpose by Gov
ernor John Burke. of North Dakota
broke the bottle of wine against the
battleship and formally chrstened
it. Thousands of people from Bost-
on and other cities witnessed the
launching, and many distinguished
officials Of the navy were present.
The launching of the North Dako-
ia, the first semiDreadnought type
of vessel to be built for the Ameri-
can navy marks new step toward
the supremacy of Uncle Sam on the
high seas. All records for speed
were broken in her construction, and
while much remains to be done in
fitting the leviathan for active SER
vice, all indications point to its COM
pletion many months before the ex-
pration of the three-year limit al
lowed by the government The keel
Of the big vessel was laid on Dec
ember 16 last, and by October
last the ship was "a per cent COM
pleted. 1t is expected that the North
Dakota will be in commission within
two years from the date of the laying
Of her keel, which will break all rec
ords of American ship building,
'When commissioned, she will by
commanded by Captain Charles j.
Badger, superintendent of the An
napolis Naval Academy.
The North Dakota is a sister sh
to the Delaware, in process of build
ing at the yards of the Newport
News ShipbVilding and Dry Dock
Company at Newport News, Va. On
October ] the Delaware was Al per
cent completed according to the
official reports to the Navy depart
ment. A fierce rivalry has marked
the construction of the sister ships.
The North Dakota and the Della
ware are almost precisely alike, each
having long forecastle deck extend
ing from the bow almost to the cen
ter of the vessel. The ten twelve
inch guns are arranged in five tur-
rets, two to turret, the forward
turret being so located that the axes
of its guns are twenty-four feet
above the water line. Just abaft
this turret is another, the barbette
of which is of sufficient height fol
its guns to clear the roof of the for.
ward turret. Abaft the break ol
the forecastle deck, and also sit,l-
ated on the axle of the ship, are
two more twelve inch gun turretss
and abaft and near the stern is the
fifth and last of the big turrets.
The wonderful speed of these biz
ships, twenty-one knots, makes ev.
cry other battleship not turbine driv.
en- tOrtoise-like affair In an ac
ton fleet Of Dreadnoughts NIGH
accept or decline battle, as suited
its convenience. 1t could also choose
its own range and control the rate
of change of range
Although the tremendous power
of concentration secured by the ter
tWelve-inch guns of Dreadnough
is the principal reason for the adop
ton of this new type by all the nav
les Of the world, its cost is much les4
than four small battleships aggre
eating the same power AS to tn,
question of maintenance, it costs n,
more to keep the big ship in com
mission than the small one A mil
lion a year is about the expense O
it. Strange as it may seem, it doe
not require so many officers to MAJ
1t. Fewer men are necessary tt
serve the ten guns Of one OF ou
new Dreadnoughts than are require,
for all the guns of the Missouri.
In combat such ships would con
quer without wasting a single shot
Secure in the possession of impreg
nable armor, one of them could de
scend on her adversaries and wit
the concentrated fire of her ten har
hitting guns hammer the little ship
to the point of surrender or speed
annihilation. Her perfect fire con
troll would never permit miss
Sweeping noiselessly across the sea
her pointers, following the enemy i
the crosswires of their sights, he
ten enormous guns high above tn
waves spray, would seek out the WI
nerable point of the enemy and i
continuous pounding would silenc
his heaviest guns.
Naval experts are now general
agreed that the Dreadnought tyr
is the battleship of the future ar
that the nation with the largest ar
most efficient fleet of these monste
will control the world. Although la
in getting into the game, Uncle Sa
will find his two new ships a val
able addition to the navy, althoue
many more will be necessary to col
with the great nations of Europe.
Germany is now building sev,
:, Dreadnoughts, each with an arm
ment of twelve ebeven-inch gun
which are to be ready by 1911. tt
! last stupendous effort to retain Il
e supremacy will cost the Germa
: O,000,O 900. AS yet the empi
l'has no docks big enough to accom-