Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-18

NEWPORT NEWS. Va, May 1S.-The
battleship Texas, greatest Of the super
dreadnoughts yet constructed for the
United States Navy, was successfully
launched here today In the presence of q
notable company. AS the big hull, gay
with bunting, started down the ways, Ht-
tie Miss Claudia Lyon. daughter OF Col
Cecil A. Lyon, republican national COM
mitteeman for Texas, crashed a bottle Of
champagne against the bow. There was
cheering and the scream of steam whistles
and sirens as the vessel gained momen-
tum and finally plunged into the green
waters of. the James river.
Secretary of the Navy Meyer was pres
ent, representing the President Of the
United States, and among his guests was
Miss Helen Taft. =.
The Texas with all Of her stores aboard
will dispiace 2S.367 tons. or 1000 tons
more than the great dreadnought Arkan-
sas, now about ready for commission.
She is 573 feet long, 95 feet. 214 inches
beam, so that she will have almost 10
feet to spare in passing through the Pan
anna canal locks. Her draft will be Is
which would have been high speed for a
| cruiser a few years ago. ts 5,
To Have old-Type Engines.
1t is remarkable fact that the '27,OOO
horsepower required to maintain this
| speed will be developed in the case OF
the Texas by twin screw vertical, triple
expansion engines of the old type. instead
of by turbines, which have been almost
| universally adopted abroad in all naval
constructions. This machinery is in
stalled because Of the conviction Of Amer
lean naval engineers that the recipro-
| eating engine Is the most economical and
reliable for battleship practice.
| The Texas presents some features OF
| interest entirely apart from her great
| size. In the first place. her launching
| came just about thirteen months from the
| date her keel was laid; a remarkable per-
i formance for American shipwrights and
u practical demonstration of their ability
| to turn our warships as rapidly as any
nation in the world under proper incen-
| tive.
In the second place. the Texas will be
the first ship in the world to carry four
| teen-inch guns. She will have ten OF
them distributed in five turrets arranged
on a central line from stem to stern. The
| biggest guns now afioat in the American
| navy are the thirteen-.nch rifles Of the
famous old Oregon type. while the best
| that the British navy can do Is to point
to their thirteen five-inch guns on their
latest battleshipS. In addition to these
monster guns the new American ship Will
carry no less than sixteen five-inch rifles
| in place Of the little three and four-inch
guns that were formerly regarded as suf-
ficient for the secondary battery. The
/ increasing size and power OF the torpedo
4 boat destroyers and the enormous speed
| of the chain-lightning cruiser has brought
about this doubling of the power of the
/ secondary battery. which must be relied
/ upon for very quick work in meeting
| these attacks.
To Be Heavily Armored.
/ The Texas will be clothed with armor
in plenty: not only over her vitals. but
even the ordinarily exposed ends Of the
| ship, but in conformity with the new rule
adopted by the Navy Department the de-
tails of its thickness and general dispo-
sition are withheld from publication lest
the Information might be OF pront to
possible future enemy.
| The Texas after she is in the water viii
| be far from complete, and she will not bt
ready TO 60 into commission until De.
cember IL next year. As she emerge:
from the builders hands her total cos
will be about $40. 100000.
The launching of the great ship drew Il
the yards of the Newport News Ship
building Company q notable gathering o.
distinguished persons. Though Presiden
middle west from attending. he was rep
resented by Secretary Meyer. who came
down from Washington with his famil,
and his naval aid. Lieut.. Commander Pal
mer. on the presidential yacht Mayfiowei'
There was iliberal sprinkling of sen
ators and representatives in Congress
most or the heads of the great naval bu
reaus. Gov. Colquitt of Texas. with
numerous delegation from that state
Gov. Mann of Virginia. with his staff
and last, but not least. little Miss Clau
dia Lyon, daughter of Col Cecil Lyon
republican national committeeman from
Texas sponsor Of the Texas.