The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-11-27
TRYING OUT NAVAL
DESIGN THEORIES
Wonderful BasiiI, Where
Uncle Sam Experiments
onSuperD readnoughts !.
! 3 3 3 % q z

WASHINGTON Nov. 2I.--Some
idea OF the size and power OF the SUI
per battlecruisers proposed as part of
the new naval program may be gained
from the fact that each one would
be 800 feet Slong-more than twice as
long as any battleshipj which partici-
pated In the Spanish: American war,
more than 200 feet longer than any
battleship now atioats and ten feet
longer than:wass the 3Lusitania.
Tests OF hull models for the giant
cruisers are proceeding at the model
basin; In the Washington navy yard
to determine Just how much horse:
power will be required to drive them
So knots an hour, the speed fixed by
the navy general board. It will take
sixSseparate sets OF steam turbines. It
is understood, operating six propel-
lerss to attain that pace and the hull
designs of the models show a huge,
square cross section amidships In or.
der to accommodate the mass of ma.
chinery. Z.
There Is no longer any doubt about
the amount Of horsepower required
to drive a ship OF known design at
any desired speed. The model basin
has done away with speculation on
that point. 1t is a huge tank several
hundred feet long and thirty feet
wide, above which runs a travelling
bridge arrangement carrying the com
plicated mechanism tomeasure there.
sistance offered by a model hull ltowed
through the water. The average bat
tleship model Is twenty feet long and
Is In exact proportion to the ship it
Is planned to construct. 1t has been
established as a law OF physics that
the power required to pull a model
through the water at six knots, for in
stance, will show exactly the force
necessary to drive the ship herself
at a predetermined rate. The effect
Of any minor change In hull construc-
ton is instantly shown by the re
cordlng instruments. An eighteen
knot speed can be reached in the
tank.
Indefinite Information has reached
navy officers that England is building
a swift vessel as an experiment; which
may reach IS knots an hour. and which
will carry heavy guns and no armor
whatever. She will be a new type
of scout cruiser rather than a battle
craft, It is understood, and have less
endurance than battlecruisers. Y.
= The navy model basin is now
equipped with a wave.making devicce
with which the rolling qualities of a
ship design can be tested and also her
ability to sustain high speed in rough
water. 1t consists Of a motor driven
fan under water which stirs the con.
tents Of the tank into wave motions
OF any desired frequency or size. At
the opposite end OF the tank is a
bach over which the waves run to
be trapped in the space behind, pre-.
venting their return up the tank to
interfere with experiments More &C.
curate data on ship construction has
been given out from the navy plant
than from all other similar tanks In
the world combined. ItEhas a capac.
ity OF testing l50 or more models an
nually as compared to so in the
British Admiralty tank.
4 Nearly 1000 models have been test
cd at the navy yard and the results
carefully tabulated. In slack periods
regular series of test models Is pro:
duced and the results noted in order
that the swhole scientific field may be
covered. The officer in charge pre-.
Isentssthe new data gathered before a
scientific society each year and pri.
yate designers can now work out the
hull Ola merchant ship on the for.
mulas gathered by the government.
About Al fifth Of the work now done
in the basin is forfprivate shipbuild.
ers who send plans OF proposed ships
to the navy yard where models are
constructed and tested. The plant
soon will have'a capacity Of producing
and testing one model every twenty.
four hours. .!
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