Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1917-04-06
PLANS FOR $4,000
TON BATT;ESH|P
Naval Officer Urges Building
Of Enormous Fighting Craft
WOULD Be 995 feet LONG

$202UA SAVas AiOUO V'aCOU 6tsWsS or
aizs Of Warships W. Should Build
Says Commander Moffst - Would
Carry Huge Guns and Be Very Steady
It Sea.
No subject to be taken up by the next
congress, with the exception Of the tar
n, will be watched with greater inter-
est than the attempt Of certain patriots
90 lead the United States into building
. behemoth battleship bigger than any
thing dreamed Of before.
At the last session Of congress Sen
ator B. r. Tillman introduced resolu-
ton to the effect that the committee ON
naval affairs be instructed to investi-
gate Just how big man-of-war could
be built.
Senator Tillman had inserted in the
senate documents the plan for colos-
sal ship as made up by Commander
Moffet of the United States navy.
Commander w. A. Moffet is in charge
of the United States Naval Training
academy at Lake Bluff, Ill.,, and it was
at that place that he formulated these
daring and already famous plans
(Which have won the support Of so
many naval experts and excited such
widespread popular and technical in
fcreSt.
Tonnage Steadily Increasing.
Under the bold title Build the Lin
It, his project Is outlined in Sea Power
of recent date. His article says in
part: The history Of modern battle
ship construction shows that its dis
placement has steadily increased. Our
drst battleship, represented by the Ore
9on, displaced 10000 tons; the next,
t1se Kentucky class. 1850; the Maine
class, 1850; the Georgia class, $4,000;
the Connecticut class, 10000. etc., in
creasing at an average rate Of about
1000 tons year.
I'VE have, since the dreadnaught.
and like all other nations, steadily in.
creased the displacement and in the
last few years have actually had the
courage to so beyond Great Britain in
displacement. 50 that we have the
Pennsylvania GLASS; actually larger by
1000 tons than the latest ship of the
British, and 1t is reported in the news
papers that the general board has even
recommended ships as large as $4,000
Menz.
-Why not take lesson from history
and frankly decide what we want, what
characteristics battleship should
have, what speed. endurance, battery,
1rm0r, ETC.. 1t should have, and then
Guild 1t regardless Of displacement?
Canal Limits Size.
The limit for US in the size Of bat
1ieships is the Panama canal locks. It
= also the limit for any power that
might 60 to war against us. for none
would sacrifice the advantage Of being
able to send its feet through the canal.
The limit, therefore, Of displacement
nnc our battleships Is within 1000 feet
In length and 40 feet in beam, the d.
mensions Of the Panama canal locks.
"Our great but seldom mentioned ad-
vantage Of the large ship as compared
with the smaller is practical position
~ q gun platform, especially at high
speed and in rough sea. At eighteen
knots in moderate sea the 10000 ton
ship can hardly fire her turret guns,
and she rolls and pitches to such an
extent that her chances Of hitting are
small. The $1,000 ton ship is under
the same conditions and even at high
er speed comparatively steady, and
her guns can be fired more effectively
But the 10000 ton ship will hardly
know she is at sea, and while her 81
000 ton rivals are trying to get the
range and fire on the roll she will be
as steady as church and as regularly
making salvo hits.
This, the first real superdread-
naught, would have approximately the
following dimensions:
Length over all, feet................. 995
Beam, feet NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. los
Draft, feet Observation-Disclosures. 81
sgseed. maximum, knots. ............... s. -36
Endurance at maximum speed,
Estimated horsepower ................ 25o 600
Total displacement, tons. ............ 900
"Battery-Ten eighteen-inch Il. L. r.,
sixteen siX-inch II. L. c.. anti-air craft
guns, anti-submarine guns, saluting
battery, etc; four submerged torpedo
tnbes."
CkN-O ulC NlaIM EENE