Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1908-07-12
THE LAUNCHING
Of WARSHIP
s. CAROLINA
Big BattIeship of the New Navy
Gets Its First Dip Into the
Delaware Yesterday at
Philadelphia.

PHILADELPHIA Pa, July lin
to the waters of the Delaware river,
on whose shores so many of the new
navy" have been built, there was
launched today the great steel hull of
what will be the formidable battle
ship South Carolina. Built by the
Cramp Shipbuilding company, the
South Carolina, sister ship of the
Michigan, launched a few weeks ago
at Camden. is about so per cent com
pleted and will be turned over to the
government before the end of next
year The contract tor her construc-
ton was signed two years ago this
month and her keel was laid Deem
Der IS, 1906.
The launching of the South Carolina
was entirely successful and was wit
messed by number of invited guests,
including an official party from the
Palmetto state and a number of dis
tinguished naval officers form Wash
ington, New York and other points.
The navy department also was vel
represented.
1t was a fete day at Kensington, as
all such occasions are, and when the
gates of the great Cramp yards were
thrown open TO the public shortly be-
fore noon an immense crowd surged
in to witness the baptism of the latest
addition to the nations fleet. Grouped
about the wharyes and dotting the
river for miles around were craft of
every description, from local excur-
sion boats to foreign steamers.
Governor Ansel of South Carolina
was one of the conspicuous figures on
the christening stand. The ceremony
of naming the big battleship was per-
formed by the governors daughter,
Miss Frederick Ansel.
II was a few minutes past noon
when the last shores were knocked
from the ways and the colossal vessel
began her brief journey. Swinging
aloft the wine bottle, which was
| clothed with the stars and stripes,
Miss AnseI crashed it against the stee'
bow and uttered the christening
words. As the mammoth hulk glided
| gracefully down the creased cradle,
the enthusiasm of the crowd found
vent. To the shouts and cheers of
the people was added the din of count
| less boat whistles and it was not until
the South Carolina was swung grace
! fully into mid-stream that the pande-
monium subsidized
After the ceremonies the invited
guests were entertained at luncheon
! by the officials of the shipbuilding
company. Informal addresses were de,
livered by Governor Ansel and other
notables present.
The South Carolina and her sister
ship, the Michigan, are regarded by
naval experts as maryels in the art
| of marine architecture. They come
4 a1I 20 h. i, -
warships in the English navy than any
other big fighting vessels in the Amer.
| lean navy.
! The principal dimensions of the
| South Carolina are: Length between
load waterline, so feet; mean draft,
"a feet inches; normal displacement,
10000 tons; full load displacement
1850 tons; designed speed on trial at
normal displacement, 1914 knots
horsepower, 1900; bunker capacity
2100 tons.
In addition to a main battery of
eight Inch breech-loading rifles, the
| South Carolina viii be equipped with
two submerged torpedo tubes and will
carry a secondary battery of twenty.
two 3-inch rapid-fire guns, two 8.
| FOUNDER semi-automatic guns; eight
| 1-inch semi-automatic guns, two Z
inch field pieces and four machine
J guns OF 0.30 calibre.
! The hull will be protected on the
waterline by a complete belt of armoI
eight feet wide, having a thickness
of eleven inches throughout the ma
chinery spaces and twelve inches al
the magazine spaces. For height oil
eight feet above the main belt there
will be the casemate armor, eight
inches thick at the top and ten inches
thick at the bottom There viii be g
complete protective deck from stem
to stern. The magazines and shell
rooms will be so arranged that about
one-half of the total supply of ammu
milton will be carried at each end Of
the ship.
The propelling engines will be o.
the vertical twin-screw, four-cylinder
triple-expansion type, Of combined
Indicated horsepower of 1880. Eact
engine will be located in a separate
watertight compartment. Each of the
two tunnels of the vessel will be one
hundred feet high above the baseline
The crew of the South Carolina will
number fifty-one officers and 1853 men