Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-23
Battleship Oklahoma, Largest
in American Navy, Launch
ed at Camden, N. J.
DAUGHTER OF GOV. CRUCE
ACTS AS SHIPS SPONSOR
Christening Party Includes Secre-
tary Daniels, Assistant Secretary
Roosevelt and Others.

PHILADELPHIA, March 23.-The su-
perdreadnought Oklahoma, one of the
largest and most powerful American bat
tieships atioat, was launched today from
the yard of the New York Shipbuilding
Company, at Camden, n. j., in the pres
ence of large number of invited guests.
The giant sea fighter was given her
name by Miss Lorena Jane Cruce. daugh-
ter of the Governor of Oklahoma, who
crashed a bottle of champagne against
the great prov of the ship as the hull be
gan to glide into the Delaware river. Miss
Cruce. carrying a large bunch of Amer
lean beauty roses, was surrounded by
a dozen girl friends from Oklahoma and
there was much enthusiasm as the ship
took the water.
Surrounding the christening party were
Secretary Daniels of the Navy and Mrs.
Daniels, Assistant Secretary Roosevelt,
members of the congressional naval conf
mttee, United States Senators owen and
Gore of Oklahoma, members from that
state i'll the national House of Repre-
sentatives, state officials and other Ok
lahomans Naval officers and invited
guests from a number of eastern cities
made up the remainder of the party.
Gov. Cruce Not Present.
Gov Gruce of Oklahoma was expected
but ne was detained at home on account
of political conditions in his state.
Tugs warped the great hull into dock
near the Argentine battleship Morone
and the Chinese cruiser Ffe Hung. The
trip.
Officers of the Argentine and Chinese
navies We're interested spectators at the
launching Of the Oklahoma.
In honor of the event the flag of Okla
homa waved today over historic 1nde
pendence hall. The emblem was present
ed to the city of Philadelphia some years
ago by an Oklahoma delegation then on
a tour of the east studying municipal
conditions.
Largest Now Ahoat.
Only the Pennsylvania, building at
Newport News, and the still nameless
battleshp no. 80 the keel of which was
laid last week at the New York navy
yard, will outstrip the Oklahoma in ton
mage, displacement, length or the power
of her great guns. The length of the
new giant seahghter is 5S3 feet, and her
displacement will be. 1880 tons, or 500
tons greater than the largest American
fighting ship now afoat
In both armament and armor the Okla
hoIna will be far ahead of present Ameri-
can ships. Her principal weapons will
be ten fourteen-inch guns. capable of
firing shells weighing loo pounds A
feature of the armament will be the plac-
ing of three of the great guns in one tur-
ret. One of the three-gun turrets will be
on the lorecastle deck. along with a turret
of two big guns. Another two-sun tur
ret will be on the quarter deck and
asteru of this will be another turret with
the remaining three fourteen-inch guns.
Other Guns Distributed.
About the big warship will also be dis
tributed twenty -one five-inch guns and
some minor armament consisting of
three Founders, one-pounders, three-inch
d-pieces and machine guns.
The armor belt is especially heavy. 1t
is 1872 inches thick and will extend 400
feet along each side of the hull from So
feet below the water line to 3 feet above
the water. There are two protective
decks to guard against plunging fire, one
. inches and the other 11a inches
The Oklahoma will burn oil, and her en-
gines will have 4,SO0 indicated horse
power. sufficient to develop speed of
twenty and half knots an hour. The
supply of oil fuel will be carried in the
double bottom of the ship, which elimi-
mates the necessity of coal bunkers. The
gift of the state of Oklahoma to her
| fighting namesake is d splendid silver
service.