New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1916-08-18
new BA1TLESHIP
IS EQUAL TO TWO
Pennsylvania Could Demolish
Vera Cruz From 16 Miles
Out at Sea.
HAS PICKED CREW OF 900
Navy Men Say She Could Do More
Damage Than Any Other Two
~Ships-Burns Oil and Has
F~ourteen-inch Guns.

Norfolk, Va. While The United
States is making active preparations to
get the navy ready for possible service
In Mexico there is unusual activity on
board the battlcship Pennsylvania, the
latest and what naval men say is the
most powerful ship in the American
navy.
This big ship, hut recently commits
stoned, has never seen any service. Her
big guns have never been fired, and her
huh has only once venturcd outside tn"
Virginia capcS, and that when she was
on her speed trial runs.
But she is ready for service, and
navy men say she could do more dam
age than any other two ships in the
navy with her big 14-Inch guns. Her
crew, too, is made up almost entirely
Of men from other ships in the navy.
Unlike most Of Uncle Sans ships, the
Pennsylvania has practically no crook
les" or recruits, among her crew of
W0 men. They are all trained SeaInen,
%.ngincrrs. electricians. machinists and
5arioue other mechanics. Her gun
rev is composed of gunner of long
experience, most Of them coming from
thc New Hampshire. the Louisiana and
the Vermont. The latter ship sent II
trained men 10 the Pennsylvania.
Vermont, New Hampshire and Lon
teiann have been added to the reserve
Sect. and their crews sent To the Penn
~sylvania and vprious other ships whose
COMPLIMENTS were not complete.
Burns Oil Exclusively.
The Pennsylvania burns oil exclu-
ively. and IN Il single day she took on
GARD 10000 gallons, just one-third of
Il" quantity she will need when she
,oes on "a cruise. She can FIJI her tanks
in three hours, and only TWO lei are
required in the task. On coaling days
ii required nearly half of the crew
10 store the fuel in the bunkers. 1t
also meant a dirty ship after the task
was completed. With the use Of oil
there is no dirt to clean up after the
vessel completes taking on a fuel sup
ply sufficient to last from ten days to
six weeks.
Navy men say the Pennsylvania
would prove of ineStiInable service in
case of war with any nation. They say
that American ships of deep draft can.
not lay very close to Vera Cruz or
other Mexican ports during a storm.
The Mexican eUnEl, u.ey say, II Tu5tiG /
with what marine men term "northers'
"A storm with 81 wind velocity often
reaching 100 miles an hour. When
these storms break warshipS are forced
to 60 out to sea to escape danger of
when ono of these "nOrthcrs' hits the
coast, all warships go ont to sea for
II miles. Sometimes they are required
to remain there for three or four days.
Her Long-Range Guns.
The Pennsylvania, with her big guns,
would hc able to lombard Vera Cruz,
If il became necessary. from IS miles
at sea. She could remain that far out
and drop shells from her 14-inch guns
right in the heart Of Vera Cruz as cas-
lily as she could at "A 1,000-yard range.
The hHttleShip Nevada. of the same
type as the Pennsylvania. has been
ont her big guns off Tangiers
sound, in Chesapeake bay, exploding
big shells against the sunkpn hulk of
the old hattleship San Marcos, former
ly the Texas, and the ram Katahdin,
both Of which were sunk by shell FIRE
from ships Of the Atlantic feet.