The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-05-23
FASTENING DESIGNS .
FOR BATTLESH|PS
Vessels Are To Be the Largest
AfIoat-Greater Than Two
Under Construction

Designs for the various types Of ma
val vessels that Congress may authorize
this year are being pushed toward com
Pletion in the Navy Department, SO
that there may be no unnecessary de
lay in starting construction after the
appropriation bill becomes a law. The
designs in preparation include those for
battleships, battle cruisers, torpedoboat
destroyers, submarines, gunboats, a
hospital ship and a fuel ship.
The battleship plans contemplate the
largest vessels Of this class ever laid
down for this government, and there is
a prospect that they will have a dis
placement of $4,000 tons, or 1000 tons
more than the California and Tennes-
see authorized last year. This displace-
ment will be necessary If the Navy Dc
partment adopts the recommendation of
the general board in favor of the in
stallation of sixteen-inch guns on them.
Experts Disagree
There is difference of expert view
in regard to the wisdom and effective
ness of adoption of 16-inch guns instead
of those of 14inch caliber. Ordinarily
twelve l4-inch guns would correspond
in weight to eight 16inch guns, so that
an increase in the number of 16-inch
guns from eight to ten, as contem-
plated by the general board, would re-
quire the additional displacement over
~
l4-inch guns. In case the 16-inch gun
is adopted, there probably will be a re
turn to the two-gun turret, in view of
the fact that it hardly will be found
practicable to install three such guns
in a turret.
The designs for the battle cruisers, Of
course, are entirely new, and the de-
tailed plans have not been finished. 1t
has been decided, however, that there
shall be a speed of at least 35 knots
with other chief characteristics in the
way of armor protection, armament and
steaming radius that will make those
vessels the most formidable of the typo
afoat.
Faster Destroyers
The characteristics of the new de-
,troyers included in this years pro-
gram will be similar to those of the de-
stroyers designed last year, with some
minor improvements and perhaps a
slight increase in speed. Last year s
destroyers are due for completion in
the fall of 1917, they will have a dis
placement of about ,134 tons and they
are designed to be driven by Parsons
turbines at a speed of 80 knots.
1t remains to be determined, prob
to this years building program, wheth-
err the submarines shall be of the feet
or coastal type. The Indications are,
however, that Congress will be disposed
toward the smaller type Of submarine,
on the theory that it is advisable to
await results of the trials of the 900
ton feet submarine Schley, which is
due for authorizing more submarines of
that displacement.
New Hospital Ship
The tentative designs for gunboats
contemplate an improved SACRAMENTO,
which has given such satisfaction and
which seems in its ! ,425 tons displaee-
ment and speed of 1917 knots to serve
the purpose of the navy better than
any of the other vessels of that class.
The hospital ship, of course, will be
entirely new, and it will be, in it's ae'
comm odations and facilities for the
care of sick and wounded, in accord
ance with designs that have been pre-
pared upon recommends of the bu-
reau of medicine and surgery.
Abandon Oil AS Fuel
TIE new fuelship probably will be
practically duplicate of the Kanawha,
with some minor changes suggested by
recent developments in that type, espe-
cially in the way of apparatus. The
Kanawha has displacement of l4,5OO
tons.
An important question that will have
TO be considered soon in connection
with the machinery design of naval
vessels, if not as to this year 5 program
then in connection with the next, is
abandonment of dependence upon oil
fuel, upon which the latest battleships
apd destroyers now entirely subsist.
such abandonment will be necessary,
according to the naval authorities, un-
less the Navy Department is successful
in blocking pending legislation that
threatens to prevent governmental con-
troll of petroleum supplies for the navy
in this country. and there would result
= return to coal.