The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-01-26

,hNh "iAithhS cii fiNOhSs hihu OtebaS o
inch Paixhan guns mounted in
broadsIde. In October. 1857. her
battery was changed to one 10-inch
smooth-bore and ten S-inch smooth
bores. This, on the outbreak OF the
Civil War. was increased by the ad-
diuon OF one light 12-pounder. while
in the year following November 81,
1889 the hroadside battery was in
creased by the addition OF nine s-inch
smooth bores OF sixty three hundred
weight
The Second of the Name.
The second Mississippi rendered
her service in times of peace. She
was authorized by the naval act OF
1903, and was sister ship to the idaho.
She was steel armored ship of 49,
600 tons displacement, and was
launched at the Cramp ship yard at
Philadelphia, Pa. on September 80,
1905. Her dimensions were; Length.
S75 feet; breadth, II feet; draft. "a
feet 8 inches. For water-line protec-
ton she had a s-inch armor belt, in
addition to which she had protec-
tive deck of three inches OF steel On
her turrets she had l2-inch and 6 H.
inch steel plates
Her main battery was grouped;
the 12-inch and S-inch b. l.. Rs be-
ing mounted In pairs in turrets, while
the 7-inch rifles were placed In broad
side. Her secondary battery consisted
of twelve 3-inch r. F.'s, six 3-pound-
ers, two 1-pounders, two S-inch field
pieces, and SIX 80 calibre automatics.
Sh chad also two 21-inch submerged
torpedo tubes. She was fitted with
verticle triple expansion engines, of
13,6o7 horsepower, and with Babcock
and Wilcox boilers Her speed was
I'LL knots; her complement COM
prised thirty-four officers and TAO
men; her contract price was $500
500.
Sold to Greece.
'In 1914 she became the aeronautic
ship of the navy. performing this duty
until her sale, after which she was
transferred to the Grecian govern
ment on July s, 1914. For herself
and her sister ship. the Idaho, Greece
offered the sum OF sl2.535.275.96,
which was the original contract price
OF the two vessels. They had had
nearly ten years OF service. and feel
ing that II We could get what they
cost after they had lived half a bat
tleship's lifetime. 1t was too great a
bargain to refuse, and Congress au-
thorized their sale. The Sxty-third
Congress was generous enough to
grant my request for 100000 ad-
ditional TO be added to the $4,000
600, which provided a sum sufficient
to add n new dreadnaught to our
navy, and this will be the New Mex
leo, now building at the New York
navy yard.
THE Mississippi is the second
dreadnaught authorized by Congress
In 1914. constructed at the yards of
the Newport News Shipbuilding Com
pany from the same plans as the
Idaho and the California. Like her
sister ships. the Mississippi will have
a displacement of $4,000 tons, length
over all of 624 feet, an extreme
breadth of ninety-six feet four and
one-half inches. a draft of thirty feet.
and a speed OF twenty-one knots
She is to be heavily armored. and is
to be fitted with otl-burning boilers
Of the water-tube type Her main bat
terry Is 10 consist OF twelve 14-inch
=. l. RS, and four submerged tor
pedo tubes: her torpedo defense bat
terry Will include twenty-five 5-inch
r. Fs
The dreadnaught we are launch
ing today will have ten times the dis
placement and nearly fifty times the
horsepower OF the old Mississippi,
and her batteries will have 1000
times the destructive power of the
batteries on the old ship
THE Newport News Shipbuilding
Company was awarded the contract
for the Mississippi on a BIRD, as per
the Navy Departments specifications.
OF $7.195, 600, exclusive Of armor and
armament. When completed and
commissioned. the new Mississippi will
cost In the neighoorhood of s14.200,-
600"