The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-02-22
pennsylvania
NEARLY READY
Greatest Dreadnaught Prepar-
ing For builders Trials.
HAS TWELVE IA INCH GUNS

/ German Raiders NOW Held at Newport
News Express Highest Admiration
Of Most Powerful Of All American
eattleships--Must Make Twenty one
Knots.
| Ii has been announced by the New
port News Drydock and Steamship
Building company that the new su.
perdreadnaught Pennsylvania, which
| is to be the flagship of the Atlantic
feet and which is 1000 tons larger than
the largest ship of the dreadnaught
| type ever built for the United States.
will leave Newport News for her build.
! ers' trials at once. The PENNSYLVANIA
| Is now about 81 per cent completed
| and If necessary can be made ready
for active service within few weeks.
Powerful as are the new superdread-
naughts Oklahoma and Nevada. the
: future flagship of Admiral Fletcher is
superior to those vessels not only in
! size, but In armament. for she carries
q main battery of twelve fourteen inch
guns as against ten of the same caliber
in the main batteries of the Oklahoma
| and the Nevada. Those ships are of
27,500 tons displacement, whereas the
Pennsylvania displaces 81 400 tons.
Twenty-one Knots an Hour.
The Pennsylvania contract calls for
speed of 21 knots, but it Is the hope
and expectation of her builders that
she will exceed that speed by at least
knot. The Oklahoma, which under
her contract was required to make
! 20.5 knots, exceeded % knots in her
recent trials eff the Maine coast.
A little more than 200 yards from
the spot where the Pennsylvania is
receiving the finishing touches is the
ElderDempster liner Appam, captured
by n German raider and brought to
Newport News as a prize of war by
German crew from the raider. When
the Germans got into Newport News
the first vessel that they saw was the
magnificent new battleship. Lieuten-
ant Berg, the prize commander, and
his men did not hesitate to express
their admiration for the mighty fight
er, which American naval officers de-
clare is to be the equal in battle eff
cheney of any vessel of the all big gun
type aflOat.
An idea Of the power of the Pennsyi-
vania may be had by Il comparison of
her broadsides with those of other
first line battleships of the dreadnaught
type now ia the Atlantic feet or soon
to be added to 1t. The present fleet
flagship, the Wyoming, fires from her
main battery of twelve twelve-inch
weigh about 10,100 pounds. The New
York, the flagship of the First division
of the fleet, like the Oklahoma, fires
from ten fourteen-inch guns a broad
side weighing $1,000, whereas broad
side from the twelve fourteen-inch
guns of the Pennsylvania will weigh
$4,000 pounds, just nine tons.
Looks Like the Oklahoma.
In appearance the Pennsylvania is
much like the ships of the Oklahoma
class. Like them, she has a single fun
mel and has her main battery guns
mounted In four turrets. In the Okla
hOma the guns are mounted three In
two turrets and two In the remaining
two turrets. There are three guns In
each Of the Pennsylvania turrets,
which are placed two forward and two
aft.
The Wyoming is 554 feet long, the
Oklahoma is 575 feet, and the Pennsyl-
vania is 600. The Wyoming has two
twenty-One-inch submerged torpedo
tubes, whereas the Pennsylvania. like
the vessels of the Oklahoma type. has
four twenty-one-inch torpedo tubes.
The Arizona, building at the New
York navy yard, is sister ship of the
Pennsylvania, but will not be ready
for her trial trips until several months
after the Pennsylvania is ready to be
turned over to the government 1t Is
expected that the Pennsylvania, Okla
homa and Nevada will all be added to
the feet at about the same time. This
will necessitate an almost complete re-
alignment of the first line vessels.
The Oklahoma and the Nevada. New
! York. Texas and present feet flagship
Wyoming are expected to compose the
first division. the second division being
made up of the Arkansas. Utah, FlOri-
da, Delaware and North Dakota,
which will give the Atlantic feet, for
the first time in its history. two com.
plete divisions of dreadnaughts.