The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-08-15
THE FLORIDA
WILL NOT BE
READY IN 1871
CANNOT LEAVE THE BROOKLYN
NAVY YARD BEFORE NEXT
YEAR, BUT WILL BE PLACED IN
COMMISSION ON SEPT is.

The battieship Florida, which Will be
the most formidable fighting machine
In the world when completed, win not
leave the Brooklyn Navy Yard before
the first OF the coming year. owing to
some unforeseen delays in putting the
finishing touches on her. says the
Brooklyn Eagle. The Dreadnought Is
now about s4.6 per cent completed.
according to one Of the naval con-
structors at the local yard
When the Florida leaves the pavy
yard she will go to the Boston Navy
Yard, where she will be locked and
her hull painted. because the dry
docks here are not large enough to
accommodate the powerful sea fighter.
The shaking down of her engines will
follow that. after which win come her
trial trip of the Massachusetts, coast.
1t viii be early spring before Uncle
Sans pride Of the sea will be able to
join the Atlantic feet as flagship in
place of the battleship Connecticlt.
The navy department has ordered
the Florida placed IN commission Sep
TENDER IL. Captain Knapp has been
selected as commander, and will have
under him 1000 officers and bluejack
cts. It could not be learned why the
department has ordered the ship placed
in commission at that time, before 1t
is ready for service. 1t means that
months, and will be paid and fed at
the expense of the Government for
doing nothing when they could just
as we'll be on the ships that are in
commission and short OF men.
Simple Ceremonies Planned.
It is said that simple ceremonies will
mark the celebration Of placing the
delay in finishing her on schedule
time.
Naval Constructor Robert E. Stock
err, who has taken up the task of I'm
ishing the Florida, which was begun
by Naval Construction Baxter several
years ago, is devoting all his time and
energy to getting the ship ready for
service as soon as possible. He may
be seen any day on the Florida, which
now lies at the construction dock, di-
recting the work. His keen eye travels
over her $40 feet of length, from the
sharp line of her stem over the two
forward turrets, web masts, tunnels
and three aft turrets, and back again,
seeing that the men are not killing
time, but doing the work just as he
wants 1t done.
Constructor Stocker has an able staff
of assistant constructors. Except for
the interior work and other odd jobs
here and there on the main dock, the
constru ction work is done. A score of
chairs wiring q net platform to the
rods of the lattice work. while score
of painters are on scaffolds painting
the tunnels, coming towers and boat
cranes. The rest Of the workmen may
be seen inside the battleship's inner
skin, wiring turrets, fitting up the Ad-
rniraPs and officers quarters and
scores of other things.
1000 Men at Work.
In the shops of the Brooklyn Navy
Yard there are two thousand men
turning out material for the ship. The
octopus-like travelling crane on the
runways beside the ship picks up the
heavy machinery and lowers 1t into
place All of the eight turbines have
been installed as we'll as the heavy
dynamos.
The F7orida's ten fourteen inch
guns have been mounted and are now
painted a shining metallic black. The
Florida also has a battery Of sixteen
f1ve-inch rapid-fire guns, five more
than the North Dakota, which is the
next largest ship in the navy.
Besides her equipment for fighting,
the Florida will be a floating hotel
which will accommodate over 1000
men. A new departure is that the
admirals and officers quarters will be
forward instead of aft.
Many Delays Occur.
The construction Of the Florida was
greatly handicapped when Naval Con-
structor Baxter was in charge of the
building. He sought to make a new
record for speed in building her, but
was set back when large numbers of
workmen were taken from him to re-