The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-01
THE TENNESSEE.
NAVY'S BIGGEST
SHIP, LAUNCHED
New Queen of the Seven
Seas Takes First Dip
without q Hitch.
THOUSANDS AT CEREMONY
All Lessons Of the War EN-.
bodied in Latest of Amer
ica's War Craft.

Old Father Neptune and that we'll
known character McGinty jovial souls.
touched cups ana laughed at s:lE:1s
yesterday morning. or In a corner old
rsprobate Davy Jones. who welcomes the
unfortunate seamen to his locker, bit his
fingers In despair. For the new Queen
Of all the Seven Seas entered into her
domain And Neptune and McGinty and
Davy Jones, listening and periscop,ne
the scene from beneath the piles OF the
cob dock. in the New York Navy Yard,
heard the good crash and pop and gentle
sixzle Of sound champagne. split accord
ing to the brassbound laws OF the navy
against the virgin prov OF the United
States superdreadnought Tennessee
They watched her sturdy afterQuarters
slip easily into the waters of the East
River. heard each little wavelet kiss q
kindly greeting to each rivet, and finally
they saw the towering clipper bow
lovely reminder OF so many ships the
sea has loved. drop off the ways where
they were born. plunge low into salt
waters as II to salute them with the
very lips OF her hawse holes. rise from
ths bow like a lady from a curtsy, and
hoat free OF iand-a ship.
And they heard Franklin Roosevelt
acting Secretary Of the Navy. He was
shattered with champagne as the roar
OF Q crowd of thousands rose about
him. Every whistle and bell in the yard
and river gave tongue-and they were
legion. But above II all rose the Roose-
welt voice 1t artlculated the thought
Of eli the other noises. It told the for
tune of the Tennessee with the gifts OF
al the good fairies at her birth. in talk
every seagoing man knew. It said:
'Shes a lucky shipl"
A Lucky Ship and . Mighty Ons.
Do Neptune and McGinty agreed. They
may treat the Tennessee roughly now
and then, buffeting her with their great
waves. But with the Tennessee, star ch
as the mountains-or the men-of the
State for which she's named. their buff
fets at best will be but sport. And by
and large they will give her fair weather
and curling water nymphs in the bluest
blue and the whitest white playing about
her prov by day and great globes Of
phosphoresce beating out beneath her
stern at night, and a good skipper and a
happy company ABOARD and a good land
fall and little fog and all the things that
sailors know II lucky ship should have.
As for lugubrlus Davy Jones. hiS one
consolation lay in this: that II the Ten
nessee ever sends guests 20 his eternal
locker they'll not be any Of the 1852
officers and men from Brooklyn and
down Maine and Kansas and California
who'll drive the mighty electro turbines
with the power Of 80 900 horse. or man
the twelve great II inch guns aboard the
Tennessee-they'll be the men hghting.
IS always, on the right side. And the
men whom Davv Jones can count on will
be those upon some other ship--a ship
Of evil.
For besides launching and christen
ing with every omen OF the fairest the
tennessee Will be the most powerful
lighting machine afioat. In general she
Is Of the class with the New Mexico
and others OF our navy and with the
greatest Of the Britons But In the Ten
nessee there have been perfected refine
ments Of detail OF which her designers
expect the utmost
Mise Helen Roberts. daughter of the
Governor OF Tennessee. was the spon-
sor Of the new ship. She was all that
good ship could demand-young, pref
" and seriously impressed with the i'm
portance Of her task. For minutes be-
iors the 5000 tons of steel were set
free. she stood with the laced bottle of
champagne over her shoulder, her 1.-the
young body braced. her swapping eyes
nxed TO catch the first movement Of the
bulk OF steel. and on her mouth not the
trace OF a smile.
Takea hin XVifhouf q Hitch