Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-03-13
big WAR ship ].
ENTERS SERVICE
the Isx,,s, Nest I Powerful
Fighting Graft aai been
Delivered
IDS been Taken 10 tie Navy
Yard at New York by .
Capt. Grant

III r. .+t-IEHsF. 4t.H4zsf #a. 20 hFEfI 80 H. f'
Newport News, Va, March IL
Ready to take her place. with the At
lantio fleet, the super.dreadnought,
Texas, the largest and most power
full battleship in the world, has been
delivered to the navy department at
the Norfolk navy yard by her build
ers, the Newport news Shipping and
Dry Dock company.
Captain A. w. Grant is the COM
handing officer and Commander
Stanford S. Moses is her executive
officer. These Officers have been
weeks experimenting the completing
Of tho vessel. Captain Grant an
nounces that the Texas is ready now
to join the navy and he has sent Or
ders to the Norfolk navy yard to have
stores and supplies ready to place on
board as soon as She arrives. SO that
no time will be lost in getting her
commissioned,
AS soon as the vessel goes into com.
mission she will go to her "home'',
yard, at New York, to have some
minor changes made, including the
cutting down Of the engine room
matches level with the main deck and
the clearing of other matches that
now project above that deck.
When this work is completed the
Texas will be assigned to- duty with
the Atlantic fleet and probably will be
made the flagship Of Rear Admiral
Charles Badger, as she will be the
largest and most powerful fighter in
that powerful array Of fighting craft.
While at the Brooklyn navy yard the
Texas will be locked near her sis
ter ship, the New York which is near
ing completion there.
Protection From T%orpedoes. /
The Texas marks many departures
in warship construction in the Unit
ed States. a new system being used
In hull design, which makes her prac.
|tically unsuitable, there being three
hulls, placed one within the other,
and all below the protective deck.
These hulls are designed to save the
vessel, from destruction by t%orpedoes.
and naval officers believe that they
will serve their purpose.
This b~attleship also is the first to
carry 14-inch rifles, ten of those. i'm
mense guns being mounted in five
electrically controlled turrets, mount
ed 'on the main deck on the center
line. Two of the turrets are located
forward. the second being SO elevated
that the guns fire over the first, and
three are located aft, with the cen
ter one so elevated that it can shoot
over the top Of the extreme after
turret. That will give the Texas a
fire of four big guns dead ahead and
four dead astern. All ten be
fired on either broadside.
BESIDES these guns, there are Is
5-inch rapid fire rifles to protect the
vessel from attacks by torpedo boats.
These guns are mounted principally
along the gun deck, though two are
located on the bridge. They are pro
tected by armor.
The Texas carries the heaviest ar
NOR of any battleship on the active
list in the navy, her hull being pro-
tected by -waterline belt - inches
thick amidships and tapering to six
inches fore and aft. Above that,
amidships, is a belt of armor 10 inch
es thick, while a belt eight inches in
thickness mounts that, extending. to
the main deck.
Two Armor B%ulkheads.
From the main deck to the protect
i've deck, fore .aad aft and running
entirely across the vessel and enclos'
ing all the vital parts, are two armor
bulkheads IA inches in thickness.
These bulkheads join the heavy ar
NOR on the outside of the hull above
the protective deck and are designed
to prevent shells from sweeping
through into the dynamo and boiler
and engine spaces.
Propelled by twin screws, driven
by two r~eciprocating engines of 81
900 horse power, the Texas developed
a speed Of nor than 81 knots on her
official speed trials. Her high speed
was in excess of 20 knots and that
could he maintained for several hours
il such a thing should he necessary.
Thus the Texas is not only the larg-
est and most powerful %battlcship in
theh United States navy. hut also is
the fastest. Z.
With a length of 573 feet over all.
the Texas looks more like a cruiser
than a battleship, SO far as general
outline OF hull is concerned. She has
a breadth Of 90 feet and a draught of
90 feet. Her coal bunkers have "a
capacity of 5000 tons, giving her a
cruising radius OF 5000 miles with.
out replenishing her bunkers. Her
boilers are combination coal and oil
burners and oil is carried in tanks
in the double bottom.
There are two big skeleton masts
arranged on the center line forward
Of amidships with two big smoke fun
nels. The only house, on the main
deck is forward OF amidships around
tho smoke tunnels. There is one
main bridge and one flying bridge.
with coming tower above the second
%turret. u
Launched in 1912.
The contract for the Texas was
awarded the Newport News Ship.
building and Dry Dock company on
December II, 1910. The keel of TIE
ship was laid on April Il, 1911, and
10 months later she was launched
on May IS, 1912. being christened by
little Miss May Lyon, daughter OF
National Republican Committeeman