Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-02-06

X four years ago cio Ffy-firet
- congress ~ thc United states
authorized ihc construction 81 d trl'
OF haiuegilps the famous oregon
and her almost equally famous sister
hips. enc Massachusetts ana ne ln-
diana
ncn ~
caused q sensation throughout The
world for 10 their construction thc
powers recognized The bid ~ tho Unit
.ed states for sea power of The first or
DER Congress in AUTHORIZING these
ships made Il mandatory that they
should 'be designed to carry the
heaviest armament and most powerful
ordnance I'm ether words that thg
should b. fighting ships the equai
certainly and if possible the superior
of any other ships Of their type ever
built up % that time
or this trio Of ships the best known
is The Oregon the ship that dashed
around the Horn in 1888 and arrived
on Santiago ~ time % piay brilliant
part in the destruction OF Ccrvera's
fleet in that year amy nayal officer
Would hnyc told you thut the oregon
could moro thun have held hcr own
ln amy fight anywhere They would
have cited her splendid run around
inc toe Of South America ana Der
readiness for the scrap thc moment
The Journey had ended 81 Santiago as
proof of what they aald, and che argl-
mcnt would hive been unanswerable.
Rut that was before the doy Of th"
oreaduauRht and tho supcrdread-
nought and the battle cruiser Tho
Oregon is ship Of lo,2ss toms, ana
ahe Carries main bnttery of four llilr-
lccn-meh guns, ana there was time
when She could speed at q maximum
speed of knots an hour
Today me oregon "a obsolete and
never again VIII she Doe listed amons
tho fighting units Of any Of the great
fleets III tho United states navy. Since
nor day Inc navy haa been augmented
by thc ships OF the Missouri the Geor-
ela. the Connecticut. the Kansas. tho
Michigan tho Delaware, the Florida,
the Wyoming, the oklahoma ana the
Sew York classes, each representing
stride forw ud in battle effieicnc
over the ships Of the class Immediately
preccdlng
Ana now comes NO. &c.," the very
last word In naval construction, @
shin The tonnage Of which Is greater
than The combined tonnage of all the
ships of the oregon clues Of 1850, q
shin whose main battery OF twelve
fourteen mch gums would send % tho
bottom OF the sea am entire squadron
Of Oreeans. Tile construction of this
aa yet unnamed monster of 3l4oo
tons 10 shout 10 begin at the Ncw York
navy Sard in Brooklyn.
~ you visit ihe navy yard aud your
iourneying about the grent govern
mont plant take SOU near tho old cob
dock. you wlll See the empty cradle
that les to house the hull of BE &c.,
Sou win see Che great travelling crane
that is q play So important "a patt u
her construction ana on the ground
in hoaps you viii see the huge shec.f
OF steel chat viii ho rlYcted into hes
Ectl
Within few days the naval eon-
Mruotors who are co. direct The build-
np of the worlds greatest hauleahp
wu announce the date Of nn inter-
ostng ceremony shortly TO take pncc
10 win be- % ceremony attended by onIy
only few outsiders. for most 81 those
who viii DC present win De naval of
Nccrs an Z navy yard workmcu. the men
whose teamwork is to make possible
tha queen of american ships There
viii bc no music and mo- speeches. IN
win all last about minute ana when
10 iHall over the first plate of the keel
win have been placed IN position.
$50. 30 viii take her place three
sears houcc ls unit of the f,ral d.
vision of tho limited States fleet O
llr0t the Nrt three divisions of which
Rlll chem he made up entirely Of bat-
ueHhps OF the ml-bis-Fun type. and
uf which $50. 80. soon Go bo named
gIlhtr tHe Nuuh Carolina. the Arizona,