Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-11-18
BIDS BY PRIVATE FIRMS
ABOVE Maximum LIMIT
Those Submitted by Navy-Yartis for
building Two uper-Dreadnoughts
Fall Below $7,OOO,OOO.
ALL TO BE CAREFULLY STUDIED
attention Called to Rising Prices for
Material, Due to European War.
Battleships VIII Represent Last
Word in Navy architecture.

Material, Due to European War.
Battleships VIII Represent Last
Word in Navy Architecture.
WASHINGTON, November I7.-None
OF tho bids by private ship-yards for
construction Of the two super Dread
thoughts authorized by the last Con-
Srcss, submitted to the navy to-day.
Tell within the limit Of s7.sO0.000 fixed
as the maximum cost for hull and ma
chincry of each ship.
BIDS submitted by the New York.
Philadelphia and Mare Island Navy
Yards, however. all fell within the limit.
most OF them being below 100000.
Three private companies offered bids
Tor one ship each.
Tho nayy-yard estimates were based
on fun specifications for the ships with
out modification. The New York yard
figures were: for turbine engines.
SI.069.a23: for steam aud electric drive
tsimilar to the plant designed for the
l.. $. :. California;, s6.3sG.G57. Phila-
delphia. turbine drive. sG.9l6.I27: cleo
trio. ss.774.l44; Mare Island. turbine.
s7.1l3.l56. An additional expense for
equipment OF the Philadelphia and Mare
Island yards to build battlcshps was
ing Hxed at $4,000, included in the bid.
nIDS SUBMITTED HY
THREE: PRIVATE FIRMS
Private bids were as follows. each
being accompanied by letters modifying
tho specifications and eliminating ma
terial and machinery To be supplied by'
tho contractor:
New York Shipbulding Company:
turbine drive, s7,70o.Oo0: time. thirty
four months.
Newport News Shipbulding Com
rany: turbine (as spcciilcdy. s7715. 900:
time. forty months; 20, turbine Caltcr-
native type), s7,7G5. 900 time. forty
months.
Fore River Shipbuilding Company:
turbine. s7.G3s.000: time. thrty-four
months; alternative bids. with incrcas-
Ing csIninations IN equipment. grade OF
steel. etc: % s7,6si. 900: O. s7.75Q. 900 :;
80 s7,.2s, 500; time. thirty-four months
in each case.
The navy-yards' estimates all were
based on thirtysiN month construction
period.
The Mar" Island estimate said the
keel OF the snip proposed could not he
laid before September -, 1916, and
added that 1t was believed that would
DO the earliest date upon which ucces-
sary steel could be secured.
CALL ATTENTION TO HIGHER
PRICES FOR MATERIAL
Private bids All called attention TO
rising prices for warship material. due
10 the European war, ana also predicted
d.iaN beyond the hirty-four-month
construction period spyci,ied lay the de-
rartmcut
Il, looks on it. face said Secretary
Daniels. when reading Of the bids had
been concluded, as none Of the private
bids was within III. limit Of cost au-
thoriz.d by Congress. but they viii all
J." carefully examined"
Eids also were opened for ;hc arrnor
for the two DreadnouGhts. -Four COM
pauics submitted proposals Bids on
armor OF the hrs; class ranged from
$40 a ton by III" Midvalc steel Com
pany. TO si27 hy the Carnegie Steel
COMPANY. The Bethichem steel Com
pany's bid was si35. ON The second
grade the Carn"si" company also was
low bidder At siss per ton. while on III.
third grade the Midvalc bid was low
ut 500. The Pittsburgh Screw and Bolt
Company was tho only bidder for the
lowest grade, which comprises the steel
bolts and fittings with which armor
Is attached 10 hattlcshipS. its proposal
being .s<6i per ton
REPRESENT LAST WORD
~ NAVAL ARCHITECTURE
Tho two new Observation-Disclosures
VIII represent the last word in naval
architecture.
since the war has brought, no vcs-
sells OF this class into conflict. no radi-
cal dcpartur" IN construction is
planned AS no definite lessons have
been learned. The greatest difference
between the two new ships Nos 80
and st-unti names for them are
choscn-and their Immediate predcccs-
sors now building. will lie in additional
hull protection against torpedo attack
The natur. of those safeguards has not
been revealed except to bidders, but
they arc generally understood TO con-
sst or greater subdivision and
strengthened bulkheads 10 keep tho
ships ahoat even with holes torn in
their bottoms.
In size the new ships will equal the
California. now under construction at
the New York Navy Yard. They will
displace $1,000 tons. measure go feet
in length overall ~ fee: 4 inches beam
and draw 20 feet Of water. They will
have "A speed of twenty and one-lalf
knots nm hour. and will be driven by
turbine engines since the Navy Depart
ment probably will not build more
ships OF combined steam ana electric
drive, as in the California. until that
vessel has proved her worth. They will
carry 4 dozen tourteen-inch rifles.
each in their main battery, mounted
three to n turrct and with thirty de-
gree elevation; twenty-five five-fnch
rifles for defense against destroyers
four submerged torpedo tubes and
three antiaircraft guns to repcll aero
planes and dirigiblcs.
The steady increase in size OF battle
ships is shown by a comparison of the
new vessels with the Nevada. the lat
est addition TO the navy. They will
displace 1900 tons more than tho Ne
vada. show an increased length OF
nearly fifty feet and few feet addi-
tional breadth, and will mount twelve
big guns against the Nevada's ten
In appearance the new ships will
show u marked departure from vessels
of their type now in commission. as
they VIII be constructed with long
overhanging bows, known as clipper