The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-05-17
SISTER SHIP NOW BUILDING
Batteries on These Craft the Most
Powerful in the World
EACH COST OVER $6,OOO,OOO
Turret Design, the Work Of U. S. De-
sisners, Copied by Great
Britain.

Washington, ID. c.. May 1.-THE
hattleship Texas, the first of Uncle
Sans big lighting machines to carry
the new 14-inch guns will be launched
tomorrow at the yards of the New
port News Shipbulding and Dry Dock
Co. The day will be an historic one
In the navy. for when the Texas takes
10 the water IL will mean that so far
as future construction Is concerned all
the battlcshps of the American navy
viii he Of the powerful type. now pop
ulary known as the super dread
nOught class. The Texas is sister
ship of the New York. now building
AT the New York navy yard. These
two ships will represent the last word
IN American naval construction They
will embody. TO a greater degree than
any of their predecessors. the united
experience and thought of the various
branches of the naval service, and the
officers of both line and staff unite In
the belief that these two ships are
the most powerful vessels under COM
struction today. The Oklahoma and
been drawn but which are not yet un-
der construction. will carry the same
batteries as the Texas and the New
York and win be identical In all es-
sential features. Practically the only
difference will be i'm tonnage, the dis
placement of the Oklahoma and Ne
vada being 500 tons greater than that
of the ship to be launched at New
port News tomorrow
Most Formidable Warshirs.
Not only in size but i'm the calibre
of the guns at their main batteries
will the New York and Texas be the
most formidable battleships exer built
up to the present time. Heretofore
the 13-inch gun has been the limit i'm
calibre of naval guns. The New York
and Texas, however. will each carry
ten 14-inch guns. mounted two in
turret, and so arranged that all OF
them can be fired i'm a broadside, or
forward. or aft. at the same time.
The weight of the projectiles fired In
broadside from these two ships
would be $4,000 pounds.
The arrangement of three turrets
aft and two forward of the bridge is
the work Of the Naval Construction
Corps Of the United States Navy.
Great Britain has followed this de-
sign i'm her new dreadnoughts, and
this is considered one of the highest
compliments ever paid American de-
ssnePs md constructors.
The armor belt Of tNN Texas and
the New York will be hirteeu and
one-half inches thick. al the casing
Of the barbettes thirteen inches In
the turrets the armor will vary from
nine 10 eighteen inches in thickness,
and the armor of the coming tower
and tube will be sixteen inches The
covering of the gun deck is to be
three inches thick, and that OF the
protective deck two inches.
An interesting Comparison.
An idea of the steadily increased
size and gun efficiency of American
rattleships IL given by table that
begins with the old battleship Texas
which was re-chrstened the san
Marcos and sunk In Chesapeake BAY
as result of being used as a target
Tor the tig guns of the battleship New
Hampshire. The table Is as follows:
Texas (old)--Keel laid 1899; main
tattery, i2-inch guns; tonnage, o.
3l5
Oregon--Keel laid. 1891; main bat
terry, . l3-inch guns; tonnage. io,2SS.
lowa-Keel laid. 1898: main battery
l2-inch guns; tonnage. li,34G'
Kearsarge--Keel laid. 1885, main
battery, 4 is-inch guns; tonnage H.
520
wlsconsin-Ke laid. 1897: main
battery. 4 is-inch guns; tonnage, H.
5ss.
OhIo--Keel laid. 1899; main battery
l2-inch guns: tonnage 1850.
Georgia-Kee laid. 1901; main bat
terry l2-inch guns; tonnage. 14.e4s.
Connecticut--Kee laid. 1908; main
battery, 12-inch guns; tonnage. 49,
900.
ldaho--Keel laid, 1904: main bat
terry, 12-inch guns: tonnage, $4,000.
South Carolina---Keel laid. 1906
main battery. i2-inch guns: tonnage
10000.
Delaware--kecl laid, 1907: main
battery, 10 I2-inch guns: tonnage. 2O,-
GOO.
Florida--Keel laid. 1909; main bat
,ery 10 f2-inch guns; tonnage. 2i,-
Arka,c.. -. 80, .ooo. ...oi,,