The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-11-26
TIE sIIpERDRE,AD- D.
AUGHT CALI
FJ,RNIA
a s15,oeo,eoo Ship, the --latest
Word II Il. Ratlseship De-
s . sign

Vallejo, Cal. NoV 21.--The third
electrically driven snperdreadnought
was added to the United States navy
afoaI today when the California was
launched at the Mare Island navy
yard here. Inf the use OF electricity
as a means Of propulsion. the now
lighting ship follows the example set
N the building OF the New, Mexico and
Tennessee.
gase California is expected to cost
rasre than sl5:eo0.b0o and will car
~ twelve 14-inch guns Beside be-
Zig electrically driven, the new war
ship will be electrically operated from
5 her guns TO her potato-peeling ma
Chine.
s. S AS the great craft slid into the wa
:afer she was cheered by Governor
siIiam D. Stephens. Of California.
ess daughter. Mrs. Randolph T. Zane.
wfse sponsored the war vessel and
thousands of spectators. While her
berth was stiil warm the keel Of
great companion superdreadnough
The Montana. was laid within it.
Designed by master minds sharpen
ed by the. urge of war, the Califor-
Sia represents the ultimate in fight
ing fitness. Rulked alongside. the
fretwork of the ways where she ha6
been pulled by tugs after the launch
ing, the great vessel showed herself
to be the. embatsled floating city that
She is. All that has been learned in
the war IN regard 10 the fitting up OF
dreadnaughts has been put in this
latest addition to the American
aayy.
The California's keel was laid Oc-
1ober l6, 1916, but during the war
The men who fabricated her turned
their tools to the knocking together
OF other and smaller warcraft design
ed to fight the submarine. For two
years not rivet. was driven, but Upon
She signing of the armistice the great
huh again swarrned, elanked and rang
with life and it was heated. beaten
and turned into the mighty craft that
was launched today.
In commission. the California will
haye a. crew of 1922 men and 5S
officers. full complement. She has
a length over all of 624 feet,
breadth Of 90 feet-and a depth Of 47.2
feet Her displacement at her mean
araught of 305 feet would be $4,000
tons. She has zn. estimated speed .ef
q knots an hour and normal fuel
capacity of 1900 tons.
II is estimated that she lis f..lly
thirty per- cent better protected than
any other vessel in the United states
navy, not excluding the New Mexico.
Her great turbines Of $4,000 horse
power are the principal unit Of the,
guns will be fred by electricity. Her
ventilation, steering. supplying Of pow
.er TO the drivh shaft, laundering.
printing, ice-craam freezing, cake
making and dishwashing all will be
electrically operated. Although this
has brought her total cost 10 some
thing in excess Of SIS 5,0oo.00o., saw
ing in fuellis expected quickly TO off
set this cost. Her hull alone cost ST.
500 ,00o
/. In armament the California VIII
rank high Besides her twelve Il
inch guns. she will carry four sub
merged torpedo tubes, 25 two-inch
rapid fire guns four siN-pounders
two one-pounders. four three-inch
anti-aircraft guns. one s-inch landing
gun and two 30-calibre machine guns.
She will be a fitting example of the
last word" in battleship designing
and ftring, and win be the first ship
of her class to be turned out in a
Pacific coast ship yard.
The award for the California was
made at the same time the Tennes-
see Vas contracted for. The Ten
nessee, built in an eastern shipyard.
was lo be sister ship Of the Cali
fornia. but she was launched before
many OF the improvements going into
the California were reduced TO the
efficiency that they hold today.