El Nuevo mexicano., 1919-01-09
NOW HENRY |AvENIS
KNIFE SHAPED THING
TO CURB SUBMARINES
Latest DEVICE OF FAMED EAGLE
BOATS. PUBLIC is ASSURED.
WILL FOREVER END MENACE
or uNpERsEA pEPREDAToRs.

Detroit, Jan "a long, narr0i
wedge, with a steel-encaBed nose 0
solid concrete tapered to a knife
like edge, forming a c~onsiderabl
part OF It's total length OF 2O4 feel
and declared to be- capable Of crush
ing any submarine--such is the Eagle
built by Henry Ford and designed
originally to help rid the seas Of TIL,
menace OF the German U-boats.
Contrary to popular belief the Eagle
is not a motor boat, but an oil-burn
ing. steam turbine driven craft, witt
a cruising radius of 5000 miles. The
Eagle is not a thing OF beauty; beauty
was not contemplated in its construc
ton. 1t is a long, gaunt weapon Of
war, OF all-steel construction with the
exception OF the concrete nose.
Another popular impression that has
been shattered is an idea that the
EagIe boat is equipped with torpedo
tubes. The submarine chaser was
not intended to combat the major in
strument Of German ruthlessness with
Its own weapons. It was designed
to depend upon its manoeuvering
qualities, its powerful light guns, and
a new American invention for direct
ing It's fire at unseen objects.
Its crew including operating and
fighting complement numbers approx
imately 80 men
To the observer, the first impress
sion OF the Eagle boat is one of won
der that a craft SO narrow can pos
sess %buoyancy sufficient to keep it up
right in heavy seas. Despite its
length of more than an average city
block, the craft has a BEEN of only
Is feet, and draws when fully equip
ped less than ten feet of water.
Its sea w~orthiness, has been DEM
onstrated in the official trials, accord
ing to reports to the navy depart
ment.
While it. is admitted the Eagle does
not make the speed OF the average de-
stroyer, it is claimed that It can out
distance most submarines and thei
razpr-like edge Of the bow, silently,
but ~eloquently tells what would have
happened had it come in contact with
the German undersea pirate.
Built with utility as its prime pur-
pose, seemingly not an inch of space
is wasted in the fitting Of the vessel,
and not an ounce of superfiuous weight
enters its construction. When drop
ped into the water ready for the fn-
stallation of its engines, guns, etc.,
less than 200 tons Of material have
been riyeted together 10 shape the
Eagle boat.
The plates that form the she'll OIL
the submarine chasers vary in thick
ness from IA to S-S inch, and not a
single forging or rolled beam enters
their makeup. Everything is press
from sheet metal, cold, by means
Of machinery that cuts every piece toll
an exact pattern, punches rivet holes,
md bends the interior part to requir
ID shape.
Amidships rises the deckhouse, top
ped by the pilothouse, with radio
quarters, and above all the coningl
-ower with the crows nest at the
point. Except for this super
structure, the deck OF the Eagle car
lies always the stripped for action
appearance. K
The first Eagle boat was launched !
'uAy IL 1910 hiu WHcn tuc dTu1lH- Il
ice ended hostilities, early in Mol
fember, eight had been completed and
lwenty-one others were under con- Il
itruction in various stages Of COM
,letion. Some OF these have arrived \
It Atlantic coast ports. II
Although the sudden cessation OIL
lostilities deprived the Eagle boats (
II an opportunity to test their PROV |
'ss against the German undersea ter {
or, they are nevertheless to become 1
part Of the American navy, the gov \
lrnment having announced its inten-
ion to use them as gun-boats in ~coastlt
work, and possibly in insular .
=
The contract for the construction Of !
he Eagle boats, which the govern :
nent has announced will be carried !
ut, calls for 100 OF the vessels for :
he United States government, and !.
welve for the French navy. y
----EL.t iu