The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-11-17
NINETY-NINE VESSELS THUNDER SALUTE

lbl lAN NllNNA llltlllNNN Nl > III Nht oOuNlls
Greatest American Fleet.
While the fleet reviewed by the
President today was the most power
full ever gathered in one American
command, it was not such a homogen-
eous fighting force as that composed
of sixteen battleships that sailed
around the world three years ago. 1t
reflected rather the transtory stake of
the American Navy-the passing from
the old line of battleships to the mod
ern superdreadnought, or "all big
gun" type. The review may be said
to have officially established the "all
big gun" ship as the future fighting
unit of the American Navy, for among
the twenty-four battleships in the i'm
posing column six belonged to the new
class of floating fortress Even among
the dreadnoughts in the line today
there was evidence of the mad pace
the naval architects of the world are
setting Although the first Of these
Ntlt NblllDitItN ltbb llllll WV gNelA .
ago, there had been a jump from the
10000 tons of the Michigan and the
South Carolina, the first of the Amer
lean big gun ships, to the 21,S25 tons
of the Utah and Florida fresh from
the hands of the builders. In between
the Michigan type and the Utah-Flori-
da type there were represented today
the Delaware and the North Dakota,
of 10000 tons each.
President Deeply Interested.
President Taft was much interested
in the details of the various ships and
kept Secretary Meyer answering a
rapid fire of questions. He learned
that the dreadnoughts South Carolina
and Michigan, with their batteries of
eight twelve-inch rifles, had quickly
been surpassed by the Delaware and
North Dakota class, with ten twelve
inch guns in five turrets. The twenty
two three-inch guns on the Michigan
type had been replaced by fourteen
five-inch guns on the North Dakota
and the Delaware. The Utah and the
Florida, representing the third step in
American dreadnought building, re-
main at@a standstill so far as the
main battery of ten twelve-inch rifles
in the secondary or torpedo repulsing
battery.
The fourth step, represented by the
Arkansas and Wyoming, now on the
ways, finds the tonnage increased to
26,40O and the main battery to twelve
twelve-inch guns in six turrets. The
secondary battery takes a jump from
sixteen tive-inch guns to twenty-five of
the same bore. The fifth step, repre-
scented by the New York and Texas,
just begun, finds the most radical
change ever introduced in the navies
of the world in that fourteeninch rifles
are installed in the main battery-ten
of them in five turrets. Finally comes
the improved Texas type" author
lied but not yet laid down, with a ton
mage estimated at between $4,000 and
10000 and a main battery of twelve
fourteen-inch rifles. These twelve
guns will be accommodated in five tur-
rets, three rifles each being placed in
the farthest forward and farthest aft
of these.
There were only seven battleships of
the navy missing from today's SPLEEN
did pageant. Six of these were among
the sixteen in the world girdling fleet.
The seventh was the Oregon, of imper-
ishable fame.
Three of the ships in the line today
had taken the shot and shell of Ger
veras fleet at Santiago-the Indiana,
the Massachusetts and the Iowa But
in their rebuilt form, their basket
masts and generally rejuvenated con-
dition, they could hardly be recognized
as the same. Their new turrets and
new twelve-inch guns undoubtedly
have twice the efficiency of the arma-
ments carried during the Spanish war,
and although far outclassed by the
modern fighting machines, they could
still lend helping hand in the thick
of a fight.
Next in point of age to these three
Oldest ships in the line of 10000 and
II, GOO tons, came the Ohio, Maine and
Missouri the first to be designed after
the war with Spain. They were giants
in their day, with a tonnage of 12,5OO.
Following these came the Virginia,
Nebraska, New Jersey and Georgia,
laid down in 1904, and displacing A.
94S tons apiece.
In the Connecticut Class.
The next class to be designed
brought the American navy up to the
| Connecticut class, with her 10000 tons
and a battery of four twelves and eight
, Fights. The louisiana, the Kansas, the
Vermont, Minnesota and New Hamp-
shire all are sister ships. Between
the Connecticut, Louisiana and the
rest of the class, however, there was