Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-26
DREADyAUCHTS OF GERMANY
The Westfalen, First of the New
Type, Now at Sea.
KAIsER's GREAT FIGHTING CRAFT
One of Four Bis BsttIeshiPs Heavily
Armed-Three other vessels jim
der Construction with .
Heavier Guns.

ANaANAaaANH ~ 49, ~ 49,
DreadnOught battleship. the westfslen, is
now completed and has left the shipyards
Of the weser Akiengcsellsohaft for the
open sen. II was laid down in 1907 and
was launched on July /, 1908. According
to the German naval program II was to
nave been completed in November next, so
thai it's construction has been accelerated
by fully two months.
Like it's sister ships, the Rheinland,
Posen and Nassau, the Westfalen has q
displacement Of about 1880 tons, with a
length Of 42 feet and a beam OF 81 feet.
II draws &c feet Of water and has an in
diested horsepower OF 1900, giving a speed
OF 10 knots.
II has a complete belt Of Krupp steel
us inches thick amidshlps and tapering
to s inches forward and I inches aft. Its
cost Is approximately 50, 10000. The West
fallen and It's sister ships are destined for
the North sea, their draught making 1t
lmpos sible for them to enter the Baltic
through the Klel canal.
A WllhelmEhaven correspondent dealing
with Germany's extensive naval program
says that the Ersatz Oldenburg, which was
laid down In the first week Of October
last, will be launched at wilhelmshaven
In the preshnce Of the kaiser on September
IS or e. Ths completed displacement OF the
ship win be 1900 tons-that is, slightly
less than that Of the British St. Vincent.
II will, however, be more powerful
For it's armament and that Of It's two
sister ships, the Ersatz Siegfried and the
Ersatz Bowulf, which are to be launched
In November the German admiralty has
for the first time since 1850 adopted the
li-inch gun. Not only will twelve guns
OF this caliber be mounted as compared
" it'll the ten Of the st. Vincent. but the
guns are far more powerful than those OF
tho British ship.
The shell Of the 81. vincent's Pinch gun
weighs $50 pounds, That Of the German
sun will weigh $50 pounds. While the ten
guns Of the 81. Vincent Will give it's a fire
Of $50 pounds the Ersatz Oldenburg will
have a fire OF liza pounds. In addition
the German ship will carry twelve 6.7-inch
guns QS2-pOund SHIELD and twenty-five Al
Inch SS-pounders. The total gunfire OF the
ErsRtz Oldenburg will amount to 14,24
pounds, compared with the 81. Vlncsnt's
J,12O pounds. The Ersatz Oldenburg is 10
b; pushed forN ard in order that 1t may be
complied by January, 1911. This " six
months before the date originally set.
All the ships mentioned will be equipped
With reclprocating engines, the battleships
OF this years program being the first 20
rtc.Ive turbines. The ships in the various
classes dealt with are:
Nassau Class-Naslau, completing at Will
helmshsven; Westfalen, completed at Bre-
men; RI, inland, completing al stettln;
Posen, completing at Krupp's, Kiel.
Ersatz Oldenburg ~Class-ErsatE Olden-
burg, building at Wilhelmshaven. Ersatz
Siesfried, building at HowR.d dts Kiel;
Ersstz Beogulf. building at Brem.n.
The Nassau Ia now nearing completion
and will be well on with Its trials before
the end OF the year. The four ships of
the Nassau class will be armed with twelve
11-inch, twelve 69-lnch and sixteen 3.4-lnch
guns. The weight of the shells fired from
these guns are 100 pounds, la pounds and
20 pounds, respectively, so that the to.al
weight OF metal discharged in one rouad
from all guns would be ~ 7S4 pounds. rhe
fire Of the Dre~adnougnt, with ten le-incn
and twenty-fOur S-inch guns is S,7SS pounds,
and OF the 81. Vincent class, now cymplet-
Ing, with ten l2-inch and twenty 4-inch
guns, 9,S2O pounds.
The displacement OF the Nassau. is a
couple Of hundred tons less than that OF
the DTeadnought and 1900 tons less than
the st. Vincent. The Nassau's tw,lve Ii
inch weapons are paired in turrets, two
being placed on the center line, one for.
ward and ONE aft and one at each corner
OF the superstructure, All the big guns are
placed on the same level.
The Nassau can bring eight guns to
bear on the broadside and six ahead or
astern. In addition it has six 5,S-inch
guns our on each side on the main
deck behind thick armor.
According TO official information, the
rpuanyal NJ Fhn frat ga,oArn, - A. o.
man high seas fleet from kiel to Wilhelms.
haven will take place on April / Of mex.
year. As the result OF this disposition the
defense Of the latter port will be strength
ened by eight large batteships, two arm
ored cruisers and three smaller cruisers.
The garrison is also to be increased "
5000 men. Wihelmshaven will thus be ron
dfred one OF the strongest bases OF the
German fleet.
1t is now nearly two years since the
German government decided to remove
the naval base from XIII to W.lheuls-
haven, which possesses three dry docks
capable of accommodating the largest ba.-
tleShlps. The work shops Of the imperial
dock are perhaps the finest of their klnd
In the world. being fitted with The beat
machinery that engineering skill has been
able 10 devise.
WlhelmshaVen has long been the head
quarters OF the German torpedo destroyer
flotilla. For years extensive alterations
and improvements have been carried Out
there. A sum Of N.50O.OO0 has been ex.
pended upon the docks, while almost as
much is to be devoted 70 the cutting of a
channel through the island OF Schleussen,
which lies at the mouth Of the harbor.
The enclosed hRIbor has an area OF 10
acres. II Is the governments intention to
concentrate the creates strength OF the
navy at Wilhelmshaven, leaving the
weaker units in the Baltic.
The British government has just issued
a statement giving q return of the naval
expenditure Of the principal naval powers,
showing their total expenditure In each OF
the last ten years, their expenditure on
new construction, including armament,
and the amount Of their new con-
struction in each OF these years
expressed In tonnage. Making a con
rrast between 1900 and the present year
the figures OF the total naval expenditure
OF the several powers are very remarkable
as an indication Of the progress OF naval
competition.
Great Britain. ,........R ~ ,sSo.5g e8,ii2,7 700
Germany ""-."r !StSla 1888 Us
ANaNEE VI ~ W IA "a ~