The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-15
BIGGEST SUBMARINE
LAUNCHED BY US.
MI Is 1875 Feet Long and Has
Cruising Radius Of
$500 Miles.
BUILDERS TRIALS SOON

QUINCY, Mass. Sept. 1i-America's
largest and most powerful submarine.
the Mi, was launched this afternoon at
the Fore River shipyard and was
chrlstened by Miss Sarah Dean Roberts.
daughter of Congressman and Mrs.
Ernest w. Roberts of Chelsea.
The ceremony took place at 2 o'clock
and the launching party included a num-
Der of friends of the sponsor, the Con-
gresham and his wife. After the
launching n luncheon was rendered TO
Miss Roberts by the Fore River Cor
poration.
The MI is 1S5 feet long, has four
torpedo tubes and n 3 inch gun mounted
on the forward deck. The speed is six
teen knots on the surface and the cruis-
ing radius Is $500 miles.
h boat is practically completed and
In a few days will leave the yard for
Provincetown for the builders trials.
h is not only the largest submarine
vet launched, but is the first example Of
a new type quilt in this country from
which much is expected. She Ia much
larger than any boat that has been
launched, although not so large az the
submarine Schley. nov building in the
Fore River yards. The Schley Is in
fact an enlarged MI, so that the trial
are awaited with great interest as fore
s~hadowing the results to be obtained in
the Schley. The X class boats are Just
under $50 feet In length. The l. class
displaoe 7i0 tons and the NJ class will
approximately ave about 1000 tons
displacement.
The MI Is n Holland type boat and
was designed by the Electric Boat Com
pany. The hull was built at the Fore
River yard and the engines and other
parts at New London All previous boats
built by the Electric Boat Company for
the United States navy up to and in
cluding the l. class-that is to say, ell
the boats now in service except tho
q class, which were made by other
tuilders-were developed from the prigi
nal ollan under the direction
OF l.. Y. Spear. formerly a naval CON-
structor for the United States navy bu;
now head of the technical stan OF tho
Electric Boat Company. Owing to the
many improvements Incorporated into
these bcats-the great increase in size,
speed. radius. &c.-those built in recent
years bear little resemblance to the
old Holland nevertheless. os they were
developed step by step from the Hol-
land they are generally and properly
known as the Hollan tyre.
In the last year there has arisen a
demand for very large submarines with
high surface speed to- enable them 10
operate in conjunction with the battle
feet. Naval experts look toward the
development of this type to replace the
torpedo boat destroyer, just as the small
type of submarine has displaced the
torpedo boat proper.
This emand was the real reaso foI
the appearance of the type represented
by Nj ard 1t is a radical departure
in design and construction from the
perfected Holland. This Spear type Is
constructed under new patents taken
out by l.. Y. Spear with, naturally. all the
good features of the Holland retained
The NIL rot only represents a new de.
llrture In hull construction and ar
iangemcnt, but also is the first vesse
20 receive a new and improved type
e submarine engine entirely developed
, this country. All the United State,
gGbmariEes built by the Electric Boa
Company since the ID class have bee
'tted with Diesel engines, but hitherto
;hese have been notifications OF en-.
zines of European type. Most OF these
toats are equipped with what are sub.
startially duplicates of the engines in
stalled in German submarines. The
Nil engines nave been designed TO over.
come such difficulties as have been en-
courtered with the engines OF Euro
peln design.