Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-11-22
THE NORTH DAKOTA,

Z.
The recent launching of the battle
ship North Dakota has renewed to
some extent the criticisms made some
months ago as to certain defects in
construction, which, it is claimed
would make the big battleship far
! less effective in actual warfare than
might be expected. The North Dako-
ia marks new type in naval con-
struction, and it is expected that
there will be varying opinions as to
her fighting effectiveness. The MAX
ing of criticisms is good deal sim
pier than the making of battleships,
and there are more critics than con-
structors. A recent issue of the
Washington Post comments upon the
effectiveness of the North Dakota in
such a manner as to assure us as
to her seryiceability and the wisdom
OF her construction, and says:
Larger, speedier, equipped with
deadlier batteries than the Titan of
the British navy, the North Dakota
is by, all odds the most formidable
piece of fighting machinery the world
has ever known. Between her and
the other ships of the American navy
that were regarded as monsters of
!. the deep at the close of the Spanish
american war there is almost as
great difference as that between
the Oregon and the old wooden tubs
which covered themselves and Fara-
gut with honor at Mobile bay.
In all respects the North Dakoua
gives promise of proving the finest
Y product of the shipbuilding craft.
y She is 1,000 tons larger than the
British Dreadnaught, and 1000 tons
larger than Admiral Sperry's flag
ship, the Connecticut. The pride
n OF the Japanese navy, the Satsuma
{ has a displacement of 1890 tons.
but she is neither so speedy nor so
we'll armed as the newest of Uncle
Sam s ships will be when she is ready
Z for service. The length of the North
Dakota is nearly equal to the height
( OF the Washington monument, her
beam is IS feet. and when fully man
ned she will accommodate nearly
1000 fighting men.
Her size, however is not so great
an advance over that of all her rivals
as, is her equipment. The craze for
big ships has taken hold of all ma
tions, and they will go on building
them larger and larger until some
sort of limit is reached If battle
ships supremacy depended mostly
upon her size, that nation whose
builders were the most daring and
whose yards yere the most capaeious
would easily excel the others. For
tunately armament and a thousand
ideas of construction yet in the ex-
perimental stages are possible and
have wide margin for the develop
ment of individual superiority in
7battleships. The North Dakota has
but an Insignificant second battery
But she has ten great guns capable
of hurting 12-inch shell dis
tance OF 10000 yards effectively.
They are so mounted that the whole
ten can be trained at once upon the
same target and be discharged stimuli
taneously. They may be swept to|
all four points of the compass with
out the ship altering her position,
and being at different elevations may
be fired one over the other and still
be trained upon the water line
Nearly or possibly all the features
SO harshIy criticised in the other
batt1eships Of our navy have been
altered so as to defy criticism in the
North Dakota. She has the new
spider masts which may be riddled
with shell and yet remain intact.
Her, 21-foot belt of armor extends
six feet below the water line. and is
from to II inches thick. Her am
munitfon hoists, magazines, turrets
are constructed In such a manner
as to almost wholly eliminate the
chance of accidents to them She
would be able to float If three Of
her compartments were flooded with
water Equipped with the best type
of turbine engines. she will be able