The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-03-19
THE NEW NAvIEs.

fatigaple, now building. proves to be
the success that the government looks
for. are not the navies OF the world
face to facc with another revolution
In warship design so radical as to
send them all TO the scrap heap in
double-quick time? asks the Spring
field Republican. The Indefatigable is
10 be propelled by internal-combus-
ton gas engines, instead OF steam
engines. and while this means, OF
course, the continued use OF coal for
the production of the gas required as
motive power, the change permits a
modification Of deck architecture that
must affect seriously the lighting
power OF ship.
tunnels or smokestacks are elimi-
mated, and so are the boiler uptakes.
With such obstructions swept away
turrets for heavy guns on a vessel OF
$4,000 tons could be made five in num-
Der, two guns In turret, and so ar
ranged as 10 admit OF an all-around
fire. The whole ten guns could be
fred In broadside. and. besides, bow
and stern fire could be much In-
creased. Comparing the armament OF
a standard steam.driycn battleship OF
about 10000 tons with that of a ship
or the same size driven by gas en-
gines, the Scientific American recent
ly showed that while the former was
armed with four twelve-inch, four ten
inch and twelve six.inch guns, the lat
ter could carry ten twelye-inch guns
and eighteen rapid-fire four-inch guns.
In long-distance fighting the superior
ity of the ship with the ten heavy
guns capable OF being fired at Will on
either broadslde is manifest.
Lewis Nixon Is quoted as saying. In
the New York Evening Post, concern
ing the English Admirnlty's expert
ment with the new Indefatigable:
There Is absolutely no question
that the internal-combustion engine is
the ideal engine for battleshIp pro-
pulelon. 1t Is more economical in first
cost and maintenance than steam,
burns less fuel. reduces the physical
strain on the engine force, and is
smokeless and sparkless. / am kept
fully informed as to progress abroad,
and know that we are far ahead OF
European countries In the art OF gas
engine construction; but we leaye
England and other foreign countries
to apply our engines. which 1 think
Is hardly credtable to us. American
gas engines are now found in the tor
pedo boats Of two European countries,
but they are not in American boats.
:. There is now no question that
a battleshiD can be built either here
or in England, propelled by gas en-
gines, with not as much risk as with
steam turbines. The attendant ad-
vantagcs are so overwhelming as to
be startling. While tunnels will, OF
course, go, it Is perfectly possible to
do away with military masts and all
distractions above deck except guns
and gun protection"
The Introduction of the Dread
naught type of baetleship has COM
PEELED the rebuilding Of modern fleets
In order that a maximum OF heavy
gun fire at long ranges might be Sc
cured, and the additional cost OF these
leviathans has increased seriously the
gravity Of the financial problem con-
nected with navel construction and
maintenance. The significance OF the
Dreadnought type is that 1t has SEN
fenced the smaller types of battle
ships to early extinction. Now the
effect upon the steam-driven Dread
noughts. already built or under con-
struction. OF the gas-driven type OF
battleship seems likely to be the same.
A successful Indefatigable will like
wise make obsolete in a short time
the Dreadnoughts, and evory modern
navy will have to be rebuilt imme-
dlately,
The total cast of all vessels OF the
United States navy, built or building,
at the present time, cannot be less
than $30O,000.O00. II the Indefatiga-
BILE means another naval revolution.
these figures Indicate in degree what
the cost of reconstruction would be.