The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-25
NEW NAVY BIDS
 BEING OPENED
 ATWASH|NCT0N
Scouts, Destroyers, Battle ships, Submarines, a n d Hospital Ships on the Pro- gram.

| in 1917 as part of the greater navy building program are being opened to- day at the navy department. Con- gross has authorized the beginning of 66 ships in 1917 as the first install- ment of the 155 authorized for the na- wy increase.
 Vessels for which estimates of pri- vate bidders were examined today | include four battleships, four scout cruisers. twenty destroyers. and thir- ty coast submarines. Early in De- | cember bids will be opened for four battle cruisers and at later date figures will be received on one ammu- milton ship.
 Under the terms of the naval bill all the 1917 ships must be contracted for or work on their construction in gov ernment yards begun before Febru- ary 1. Construction of a hospital ship, fuel ship and gunboat has al ready been started at the navy yards at Philadelphia, Boston and Charles ton, respectively.
 ~ The four battleships will be the first of the American navy to carry 16-inch rifles in their main batteries. Each
 
 big guns-the heaviest known to have been placed aboard warcraft although ti is currently reported that Great Britain is preparing to arm an experi- mental ship with 18-inch rifles. Until names have been selected the ships will be known as Nos. 45, 46, 47 and IS. They will be similar in ap- pearance and general design to the su- perdreadnoughts Tennessee and Cali fornia, now under construction, but will be 800 tons heavier in displace- ment, totaling 32,6O0 tons. The ad- ditional tonnage is due to more torpe- do protection and side armor. The ships are expected to have a cruising radius of nearly 1000 sea have the steam-electric drive and make at least 21 knots.
 In addition to the 16-inch rifles, the new ships will carry eighteen 5-inch torpedo defense guns, four of the new high range 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and the usual equipment of torpedo tubes. Their main batteries will be mounted two guns to turret, depart ing from the three gun turret con- struction on the Pennsylvania and la ter ships.
 The scout cruisers will be the first scouts, designed for that work alone, to be added to the navy. The old light cruisers Salem, Chester and Pir- mingham, known as scout cruisers, have not the speed necessary for a modern sea picket.
 The scouts will make a sustained speed of 35 knots an hour. They L 1,<, nearly six times as large as the great est torpedo craft, displacing 7,100 tons and having length of $50 feet. The mass of machinery necessary to drive them at express train speed will be covered by light armor and each will carry eight long range 6-inch rifles, two 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and four torpedo tubes.
 The most striking new feature of the ships will be the installation of catapult devices which will permit the launching of hydro-aeroplanes in any weather. Each scout will be fit- ted to carry four aircraft to extend her range of observation.
 The twenty new destroyers will be virtually the same in design as the latest craft of the type laid down ex- cept that they will have a maximum speed under full load of 35 knots an hour, an increase of nearly five knots over the present high speed mark of the American fotilla. The boats are expected to be as fast as any destroy CTS afloat. They will carry four A. inch guns each, two 3-inch anti-air- craft guns and four triple torpedo tubes, giving each boat a broadside fire of twelve 21-inch torpedoes, the most deadly naval weapons ever de- vised.
 Of the 30 submarines 27 will be of the coast defense type, substantially similar to the L-type boats now in commission. Improvements and re- f1nement of design have been made but in the main, the present type has been duplicated in the interest of speedy construction. They will have new features but their nature had not been disclosed beyond the fact that all will carry disappearing 3-inch rifles for surface use.
 The other three submarines will vary in size between 800 and 1,200 tons. Each will be essentially differ ent in type from the others as 1t is planned to make them experimental fleet submarines to accompany the battle fleet on the high seas. The sea going qualities of each will be appraised to determine a fixed type la ter for American fleet submarines. nine ef which, in all, are included in the threeYear program.
 The hospital ship<will be the first vessel of it's type in the American na- wy, built especially for her work. She will displace $500 tons and have ac- commodations for 500 patients. Her equipment will include the last word in appliances. The vessel will be 46O feet long and have a speed of 16 knots.
 The fuel ship will be similar to the tankers now in the navy service with a capacity of $500 tons of oil fuel and equipment for refueling battlecraft at sea, in any but the toughest weather.
 The gunboat will be similar to those recently designed for tropical service. carrying three four-inch guns, four machine rifles and two field pieces for landing operations.
 The new battleships will each re- quire an estimated complement of 1922 officers and men, the scouts 330 each and the destroyers 95.
 American Architects