Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-01
ARMY AND NAVY NEWS.
Large Increase of Navy.

The first-class battleship Michigan will
probably be turned over to the govern
| ment early in August by her builders
the New York Shipbuildng Company.
The recent speed trials of the new battle
ship met the requirements of the con-
tract which stipulated an average speed
of eighteen and a half knots during
twenty-four hours. Naval officers VINO
witnessed the trial are of the opinion that
! the battleship is capable of an average.
speed of twenty knots an hour They speak
Very highly of the ease with which the
vessel was Unanswered and of the manner
! in which her machinery worked. She Is
regarded as one of the best of the new
battleshps
This splendid new ship which thus Tar
is the speediest war vessel OF her class.
having surpassed the record of the battle
ship Georgia, the present speed record
holder of the fleet, will make the twenty
eighth rirst-class battleship Of the navy.
Five other battleships. sister ship of
the Michigan and four others more power
full and speedier. at present are unuef
construction. and two 26.UU-ton battle
ships have been authorized by Congress.
! These when completed. will increase the
battleshp feet to thirty-tive in number
The Micligan's first commander VIII De
Capt Nathan r. Usher. at present as
sistant chief OF the bureau of navigation.
Lieut. Commander David F. Sellers. also
of the bureau of navigation. will be her
navigating officer
Naval Aggregation at New York.
F'ifty-three vessels OF the United States
Navy will be present at the Hudson-Fulton
| celebration at New York city in Septem-
Der next according to a statement made
! by the Secretary of the Navy. The vast
aggregation will include sixteen f1rst-class
battleships three armored cruisers, three
scout cruisers. twelve torpedo boats. four
submarines. the parent ships Dixie and
Castine, the tender Yankton. the supply
ships Culgoa and Celtic. the repair ship
Panther. the cruiser Montgomery. the
tug Potomac and the Golfers Brutus.
Hannibal. -Abarenda Lebanon, Leonidas
Sterling and Marcellus. The number of
auxiliarfes has not been hxed owing to
the probable crowded condition of the
harbor at the time of the celebration.
Small but representative fleets of Great
Britain. Germany. Italy. France and other
countries will also participate in the cele-
hation. The presence is assured of at
least eighty-five modern warships. the
largest assemblage of such vessels in one
place since the recent rendezvous of the
British fleets in the English channel.
Naval Ram as a Target
The Navy Department has finally found
a use for the naval ram tahdin. which
has been lying idle for many years. She
will be lowed from the Philadelphia navy
yard where she has been out of COM
mission, TO the Potomac river off the
naval proving ground at Indian Head.
Md, where she will be used floating
mount for armor plate used as targets
in ordnance experiments.
The katahdin was built as an expert
ment on the suggestion of Rear Admiral
Daniel Ammen who had great faith In
the prowess of specially built vessel for
use as a naval ram. She was placed in
commission in 1885, Her displacement
was 2.1j5 tons and she made about six
teen knots. She sits very low in the
water, her freeboard measuring about six
feet The ram is of cast steel. weighing
about fourteen tons. The vessel is so
constructed that the impact of the blow
will be delivered over the whole struc-
ture. The deck projects over the hull in
a knifelike edge that would Gut deep
cash into an opposing vessel
At the outbreak of the Spanish war
Capt. George F. F. Wilde was placed III
command Of the Katahdfh, which was
assigned to the flying squadron of the
North Atlantic fleet. But she was too
small and unseaworthy to maintain the
pace set by the other vessels of the
squadron and size was detached from the
squadron April 16, 1893, and placed on
the coast defense patrol. She served for
several months In and around Cuba and
never has had an opportunity of demon
strating her supposed ability.