New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-19
NAW'S BIGGEST SHIP
GOES DOWN THE WAYS
Tho Great Superdreadnought
Texas Launched Before
Prominent Spectators.
TEXAS GIRL HER SPONSOR
FIRST Battleship in the World
to Carry 14-Inch Guns, of
Which She Will
Have Ten.

.ownor1 News. Va, May lS-The battle
.,,r Texas, greatest Vet constructed for
.ho United States navy. was successfully
,.,nched here to-day in the presence Of
o,obIe company. As the big hull. gay with
x,,rting. started down the ways little Miss
r,ordia LYON. daughter of Colonel Cecil a.
,yon Republican national committeeman
1o- Taxas crashed a bottle OF champagne
ags,nst the bow and named the great sea
sgb,er There was cheering and steam
ub,stles and sirens screamed as the vessel
Gained momentum and finally plunged into
the green waters OF the James River and
then settled calmly at rest
Secretary of the Navy Meyer was pres
-, representing the President of the
,-njted States. and among his guests was
Miss Helen Taft. Others included Rear
Admiral William b. Fletcher. OF the Naval
War College. Rear Admiral Richard NJ.
Watts. chief constructor of the navy. and
tho secTetary's personal aid, Lieutenant
commander Leigh .. Palmer. There was
large number OF Senators aud Repre-
,antatives I'm Congress- most OF the heads
Of the great naval bureaus, Governor Col
ouitt of Texas, with numerous delega-
OF Virginia, with his stan.
With the launching here OF the Texas IN"
American navy counts as its proud posses
non the biggest and the most powerful
bat,Ieship the world has ever seen. Other
nations are trying eagerly for the honor OF
owning the greatest warship. but II Will he
months after the Texas and her sister
ship. the New York. which will be launched
Al the New York Navy Yard in July, have
taken the water before the monster ships
Manned to OUTSIDE them and now under
construction in European shipyards Will De
water borne
II was deemed fitting that these two eX-
.nlplars OF the highest skill Of the snip
wright should bear the names Of TWO wal
ships which covered themselves with glory
during the Spansh-AmeriCan War
The Texas. with all OF her stores aboard.
will displace oS.367 tons. OF 1903 tons more
than the great dreadnOught Arkansas now
about ready for commission. She is 90
feet long and IS feet ~ inches beam, ="
that she will nave nearly fifteen feet TO
spare in passing through the Panama
Canal locks. Her draft viii be = feet .
inches and her speed twenty-one knots
which would have been high speed toT
cruiser q few years ago.
II is a remarkable fact that the 200
horsepower required to maintain this speed
will be developed in the case OF the TeAds
BY twin screw, vertical. trlple-cXpansion
engines OF the old type, instead of by tug
hines which nave been almost universally
adopted abroad in all naval constructions.
This machinery Is installed because OF the
conviction Of American naval engineers
that the reciTrocating engine is the most
economical and reliable for battle5hip prac-
tee
The Texas presents some features or IN
-srest entirely apart from her great size.
Her launching came just about thirteen
months from the date her keel was laid
= remarkable performance for American
sblpwrlghts and a practical demonstration
Of .hei- ability To- turn ont warShipS as
rar,GIv as any nation in the world under
proper incentive
The Texas viii be the first snip III the
world TO carry l4-irch guns. She VIII have
ten OF these monsters. distributed III h'e
tarrets. arranged or centra! me rom
stem TO stern. TIE biggest guns now anoa'
IN tho American navy are the B-lnch r"Ie'
Of tho famous old CreGOn type. while the
best the British navy can DO S to point 70
I.:-irch guns on it's latest battlcships.
In addition 10 these monster guns me
new American ship viii carry sixteen -
inch rifles in place Of the little ana
inch gum. thai were not many years ago
regarded - sufficient for the secondary
battery. The increasing size AID power OK
the torpedo boat 1estroycrs and The eh'f-
nous speed Of the chain lightning cruiser
have brought about this doubling OF tho
power of the secondary battery. "hicn
must BE- relied upon for very quick WORK IN
meeting these attacks.
The Texas VIII be clothed with drTor IN
plenty, not only over her vitals. but even
the ordinarily exposed ends OF the ship. In
conformity with the new rule adopted by
the Navy Department, the details of thlcK-
loss and general disposition Of the arinor
arc withheld from pub.icat. lest the IN
formation nigh; De of proAt to Il POSSIBLE
future enemy.
Although ROW in the water. The Texas
10 far from complete. She will nor be Ieaoy
ta 60 into commission until December Il
next year. rs she leaves III" builders
hands mr. total cost VIII be about sIv',"'V'.