New-York tribune., 1917-11-04
TALTER SCOTT MERIwETHER.
7 writing IN "The Rudder," reports
tho comment of can ap,iahlo


M writing in The Rudder," reports
the comment of "an amiable
friend" when he was shown drawing
which demonstrated how the great new
American battle,cruiser Constitution will
look when completed. Said this friend:
II suppose if we had had one of these fell
lows at the time of our war for inde-
pendence she probably would have been
he whole show"
But, it seems, one need go 10 no such
extremes in imagining the effect Of the
forthcoming Constitutions effect upon
enemy navies Of the eighteenth century.
The senior vessel in Americas navy to-day
is the little gunboat Dolphin, built more
than thirty years ago. 1t is a mere pyg1ny
compared with the vessel soon to enter
service. And yet, writes Mr.. Meriwether.
having still in mind the era of the Ameri-
can Revolution:
"This pygmy could have swept the seas.
even though they had been whitened By fleets
made up Of such doughty frigates as was the
old Constitution, our first battle-cruiser, as
her steel namesake Is now our latest. If ir
her famous flight from Broke's heavy squad
ron the Constitution had possessed even one
Of the Dophin's little guns she could have
destroyed al Of the British frigates. Yet
the Dolphin could be hosted by the crane
davits of one of the new battle-cruisers, and
her entire battery could easily be slowed in
the bore of one Of their guns and leave
therein plenty Of room for all shots which
the Constitution could have fired In half
dozen broadsdes.
1T was that line Of thought which induced
this comparison between old Ironsides' OF
immortal memory and i2-knot speed and the
gigantic steel construction, whose 10000
horsepower will insure her a gait OF more
than forty land miles an hour. Therefore. q
comparison Of the bluf-bowed old frigate
with the long-backed electric racer is like
comparing an ox-cart TO the Twentieth Gen.
tury Limited, fintlock TO a machine gun, a
boys kite to q battleplane.
"The old Constitution was admittedly the
superior of every vessel Of the frigate class,
a superiority she proved in every action she
fought Yet the weight Of her entire broad
sides was but little more than the powder
charge Of one OF the 14-inch rifles which her
namesake is TO carry. The weight Of the
Constitutions heaviest shot was thirty-two
pounds. II would require almost forty OF
these to equal the weight of a 14-inch shell
While the range Of the heaviest gun carried
by the old frigate was less than mile. that
Of the heaviest gun of her namesske is more
than twenty-five times as great.
'The weight Of the frigate's heaviest gun
was $500 pounds; the weight Of the 14-inch
rife is SO tons The guns Of the frigate
we're mounted on wooden carriages, the recon
being checked by heavy ropes. The recoil
gear Of the l4-inch rife must absorb shock
equivalent 20 that Of ten Pullman coaches
running at seventy miles an hour and brought
20 IN instant stop.
"The guns of the old Constitution were in
capable Of piercing arnor at any range. The
14-inch rife picrces so inches of wrought
iron at the muzzle and at a range of nine
miles its shells have cut through l6.7 inches
OF Krupp steel. The muzzle velocity of the
old guns Is not known, as no measurements
we're taken in the brave days Of yard-arm to
yard-srm battles. The scientifically meas
ured velocity Of the 14-inch gun is $500 feet
a second II the she'll could maintain its ini-
tial velocity in four and half days il would
travel a distance equal 70 the span from
earth 20 moon.
an the matter Of muzzle energy still
more striking comparison can be had. The
nuzzle energy Of l4-inch rife is 10000
tons. Therefore, a broadside from the new
Constitution would have total muzzle en-
ergy Of 100000 tons, force sufficient to lift
me old Constitution $50 feet in air. II the
old frigate could be stood on end and placed
alongside Of New York's City Hall she would
about measure up TO the top of the cupols.
II the new Constitution were up-ended along
side the woolworth Building shs would
tower so far above the Gothic pile that if the
City Hall were placed on the apex, the com
bined height Of the two would not equal the
majestic length Of the battle-cruiser.
with the wind on the quarter and blowing
strong. which was the Constitutions best
point Of sailing, the old frigate could reel of
about twelve knots an hour. The new battle
cralser is designed for speed Of thirty-hve
knots. almost three times as great. To attain
this pace. which Is FIVE knots in excess Of any
foreign-built vessel Of the same type, it was
found necessary TO endow her with 10000
horsepower, which {. two and a half times
greater than was the motive power OF the