The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-06-12
Two New Oreadnaughts Have
Already Been Planned and
viii Be Built as Rapidly as
Possible.
TO BE THE GREATEST
SHIPS IN THE WORLD
Each Will Oisplace Slightly
More Than 27,OO0 Tons,
and They viii Mount Tea
Fourteen-inch Guns. s.
tAmerican News Servicey
BY SIDNEY Espey.

S<>ReIiCdn news ServiceC - :
BY SIDNEY EsPEY.
Washington, June IA record In
getting new ships under construction.
mas been established by Secretary of
the Navy Meyer with the two new bat.
tleships about to be authorized by con.
sress. Plans for these two vessels
nave been completed and approved
even before the money has been appro-
priated for their construction This Is
In striking contrast with the proceed
ure of former administrations of the
the navy department. when It has TAX.
en- often year or more to decide on
the plans for ships appropriated for
by congress.
The new ship which will outclass any
now in the American navy and rank
among the first of any navy in the
world will be slightly more than 27,OO
tons in displacement and will carry
ten 14-inch guns. In other particulars
the ships will be built after the Wv
oming type. with her all big guns and
smaller secondary battery and with
her skeleton mast and other distinct
i've features of the giant battleships Of
the day. The design Of the new ships
was made up primarily by the bureau
OF obstruction OF the navy department.
In their work. however. the naval con-
structors took into consideration ALI
the advanced ideas which have come
from the naval conference at Newport,
where linee and stan officers alike Join
in discussing matters pertaining to the
betterment of the navy.
Having completed their tentative del
signs the bureau of construction sent
them to the general board of the navy
of which Admiral Dewey is the presi-
dent. The general board went over
them, made such changes and suggest
ions as they thought expedient and
worked in cooperation with line on
GERS of the fleet, whose ideas might be
of service. 1t is the combined effort
OF the constructors, the general board
and seagoing feet officers that Secre-
tary of the Nevy Meyer has approved
in the two new ships. A high compli-
ment to the naval constructors was
paid by Mr.. Meyers when he said that
the original plans had not been ma
terially changed.
Aside from bringing the plans to
early completion this new procedure
does away with much OF the wrangling
in naval circles which has Accompan-
led the construction of battleships and
other vessels. Formerly the bureau OF
construction and the general board
when they designed the ships COM
pleted their work and only permitted
seagoing officers to see the finished de-
signs when the construction was un-
der way. This brought about in 1907
flood of criticism against the con.
structors by some of the younger and
more progressive line ofYicers, OF
whom Commander Sims, now in COM
mand of the Minnesota, Commander
Key and Commander Frank X. Hill
were the leaders. 1t was also for the
same reason that the muck raking
magazines started a campaign against
alleged faults in the navy. This
brought about a Newport conference.
which voted down the criticism, but
showed that much might be gained in
the future il the ideas OF seagoing Of
ficers were given weight before the
ships were finally designed.
The new vessels are to be the first
sips of the United States navy to be
armed with 14inch guns. The Wy
oming will carry twelve Pinch rifles
disposed in pairs in turrets all on a
median line 80 that hey can all be
fired in one broadside. The ideal bat,
terry of the future is considered by ma
val experts to be twelve 14inch guns.
in like manner. In naval
design, however, one Characteristic
can only be increased at the sacrifice
of others. Consequently should the
armament be increased to this ideal
battery it would necessitate more ma
for propulsion consequently
greater weight and probably less
speed II is estimated that a ship car
rying twelve 14inch guns would have,
to be of about 32OoO tons displace-
ment
There has been much discussion over
the relative value of twelve 12-inch or
ten 14inch rifles. The effective range
Of these guns is about the same, that
Of about 1900 yards or six miles
which is long battle range. But at
1000 yards the 14fnch guns penetrate
LIZ inches Of Krupp armor while the
The 12-inch penetrate only II inches at
the same range. This Is one of the
Of the heavier type gun
which is other respects q more rigid
md effective gun. At least 1t was so
decided by the ordnance experts and
acting on their advice Secretary Meyer
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