Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-05-27
Launched Tussdayats South
Camden, !. New Jersey.
Monster BatuesAIp ChlIslsnsd
BY Miss Carol niuIbsIy
Our Nearest Warshlp 10 ihs Bhtitk
Drsadaasght Class. u

Camden. N. j.. May 26.-In the WA
ters OF the Delaware river on whose
shores SO many Of the ships OF the
new navy" have been built. the great
steel null Of what will DO the for.
midable battleship Michigan, was
launched Tuesday. Built by the NSNr
York ShipbuildingSCo. at South Cam.
den, the Michigan. a sister ship to the
south Carolina, under construction at
the Cramps shipyard on the Philadel-
phia side Of the Delaware. Is mora than
% per cent. completed and will be turn
ed over to the government in about q
year. ~,
The launching of the Michigan was
entirely successful and was witnessed
by number of invited guests. including
Assistant Secretary Of the Navy New
berry. Secretary of the Interior Gar
field. Gof. Warner Of Michigan, the
United States senators from MichisaIi
and the Wolverine state. The sponsor
was Miss Carol Barnes Newberry nf
Detroit. daughter of Assistant SecrAs.
tary Newberry.
Fair weather favored the event ana
great crowd saw the big ship take
the water.
Following the launching the invited
guests We're entertained at luncheon
by the officials of the company.
The Michigan comes closer to the
Dreadnaught class of warstips In the
English navy than any other big fight
ing vessel in the American navy. The
new vessel is known as an "all big
gun" battleship, as 1t will carry eight
Pinch breech-loading rifles. t-
The general dimensions OF the Michi-
gan are as follows: r.
Length of load water line, $50 feet;
extreme breadth 80 feet; draught, -
feet inches; total coal bunker ca.
pacity. 220O tons. The hull Is of steel
throughout. Although a heavy vessel,
the contract calls for u sustained speed
of 1SA knots an, hour for four consecu-
tive hours. 80 "a
Besides the eight 12-inch guns. the
main battery will include two SUBJ
merged torpedo tubes. and the SECOND.
airy battery will consist Of % three
inch, Q4a pounder). rapid-fre guns:
two three-pounder semi-automatic
guns; eight one-inch emi-automatic
guns; two three-inch field pieces; four
machine guns of 0.3 calibre The 12-inch
guns will be mounted In pairs, In four
turrets on the center line. two forward
and tNo aft.
The huh will be protected on /. the
water line by a complete belt of armor
eight feet wide. having thickness Of
IL inches throughout the machinery
spaces and 10 inches at the magazine
spaces. For height Of eight feet above
the main belt there will be the case
mate arrnor. eight inches thick at the
top to 10 inches thick at the bottom.
There will be complete protective deck
from stem to stern. The magazines ana
shell rooms will be 80 arranged that
about one-half Of the total supply OF
ammunition will be carried at each
end Of the ship. t4
The propelling engines will be of the
vertical twin screw. four cylinder,
triple expansion type, OF combined
indicated horsepower Of i6, 300. e Each
engine will be located In 4 separate wa
ter-tight compartment. Each Of the
two tunnels of the vessel win be 100
feet high above the base rlne. a,A dt
The crew Of the Michigan win mum.
Der 81 officers and b78 men. tr'