Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-25
NAVY OPENS BIDS
FOR BIGGEST SEA
FIGHTERS AFLOAT
Newport News Company
Lowest on Proposals for
Four Dreadnoughts
OTHERS NAME CONDITIONS

WARRINGTON, oct 2B.--The hnal pre-
iimInary steps were taken today towaru
completion for the United states OF one Of
the worlds most comprehensive nsVsl,oS,u ~ sn,r
ing programs. Bids were opened TOT Iour
new dreadnought battleships ana twenty
torpedoboat destroyera.
The Newport News shipbuilding and Dry
dock Company was the lowest OF Tour
bidders on four ships. Its bid on one
eiectric-driven battleship was si0,4Io,ooo
and on two eiectric-driven battleships
t10,s7B.000 each. 80,
on steam-driven battleships pid
s1O.ss0,0o0 for one and s1o,sso,OeO each on
two. The one battieship Is 20 be completed
IN thirty-nino months. and where two are
bid for the second is to be completed IN
forty-fivo months.
Conditional figures OF the Fore River
Company were lower. but they depenoea
on a provision that the bids be Increased
or decreased as the price OF labor and ma.
terial rose or fell. The company propohed
that the Federal Trade Commission ad-
Indicate claims which would arise under
this proposal Under the fiat bid such as
the others made, the Fore River Company
bid siOS750O0 for electric-driven and VII
l76.00o for steam-driven battleships
The Cramp Company, Philadelphia, In
letter said In view OF the abnormal lapor
and material conditions they were unable 20
bid for ships TO be delivered at specined
time or price They proposed to bid for
a vessel TO be completed as soon as possible
the Government 20 pay all costs and over
head charges and ten per cent commission
The proposal is TO remain open forty-hve
days.
The New York shipbullding Company. Of
Camden. N J., bid t11,25O,000 on one steam
driven ship, In forty-six months, and $ll,-
$500 on one battleship in forty months.
All the bidders guaranteed twenty-one Knots
, speed.
for construction of four scout cruisers and
twenty submarines. IL had been planned TO
open the bids for the latter today, put an
extension of time was granted at the last
moment on appeal from contractors, VINO
said they could not nil out the necessary
bids for all CLASSES OF vessels wanted at one
time On December 6, bids for the four
proposed battle cruisers will be opened. Tne
contractors had made an inenectiVe at
tempt TO get n postponement OF todays
opening on the ground that they had not
had enough time.
Under the terms OF the naval bill ap-
proved August 20 last, all the 1917 ships
must be contracted for or work on ther
construction In government yards pegun
before February Of that year Construc-
tion OF a hospital ship. fuel ship ana a
Eunboat has already been started at the
navy yards at Philadelphia. Boston ana
Charleston respectively.
WILL CARRY MIGHTY GUNS
The four battleshlps will be the first
!, vessels of the United States navy TO carry
sixteen-inch guns in their main batteries
each will be equipped with eight guns of
this caliber, which are heavier than any
known TO have been placed aboard war
craft although II was recently reported
that Great Britain was mounting eighteen
i inch rifles on her new battleships.
These battleships will be known as the
Colorado Washington, Maryland and west
virginia, the department having selecteo
these States to be honored. In appearance
and general design they will be similar %
the Tennessee and California. now under
construction, but will be of 500 tons heavier
displacement, or $4,000 tons The addi-
tional tonnage is due 10 added torpedo pro-
lection and side armor.
According TO plans and specifications the
ships are expected 70 have a cruising radius
OF nearly 1000 nautical miles without refuei'
ing They will have the steam electric drive
which was first successfully tried out on
the naval collier Jupiter and which has
since been selected for all new battleships
and battle cruisers provided for In the
present program. They will have a max
imum speed Of at least twenty-one knots an
increase Of half a knot over recent require
ments.
In addition TO the 1e.inch rifles. the new
ships will carry eighteen b-inch torpedo de-
Tense guns four of the new high'range
s-inch anti-aircraft guns and the usual
equipment OF torpedo tubes. Their main
batteries will be mounted two guns to tur-
ret departing from the three-gun turret
construction on the Pennsylvania and later
ships.
The twenty new destroyers, numbered T6
TO "a inclusive. will be virtually the game
IN design as the latest craft OF that type
laid down, except that they VIII nave
maximum speed, under full load. OF thirty
1--WE knots an hour, an increase OF nearly
fve knots over tho present speed mark OF
the American fotilla. The boats are ex-
pected 10 be as fast as any destroyers
anoat. European figures give speed made
on trial before the boats are equipped with
their guns.
The destroyers will carry four four
inch guns each, two three-inch anti-aircraft
guns and four triple torpedo tubes giving
each boat broadside fire OF twelve twenty
one-inch torpedoes. the most deadly naval
weapons ever devised