The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-27

on e2cn s1o6 or the craft and along the
.ntire length Of the sliding ways.
With this work finished the keel
blocks are knocked out Of place and
tumbled to the ground 30 that they
viii not obstruct the vessel as she
moves toward the river. To safeguard
The men during this time. heavy safety
chains bind the sliding ways to the
groundwayA When the last man has
come out from beneath the vessel
then. and only then, will these chains
be cast loose.
The Critical Moment.
II Is the usual custom in launching
naval craft, especially large ones, to
send them into the water stern first
This is because the fuller form of the
huh aft tends to make the vessel rise
more quickly from her initial plunge
than would be the case X she were
sent into the water with her sharpey
bow first. Further. this procedure
makes the pivoting stress less at the
instant when the bow on entering the
water and the stern upon rising throw
the burden OF the ships weight upon
the forward poppets by which the
1anking sections of the sliding ways
and cradle are tied together This is
the most critical moment In any
launching, and II the vessel have not
sufficient stability in her light condi-
ton and the poppets be unequal to the
tax thus suddenly placed upon them
the ship may .ose her balance, turn
over and perhaps sink
When the Tennessee Ia safely afoat
on the East River Capt George II.
Rock and his assistants Of the con-
, struction corps will be justified in
breathing great signs Of relief Weeks
have been spent IN carefully calcuiat-
ing for every contingency, and an
| error In those figures might easily
wreck the massive structure upon
which 80 much money and labor have
already been spent The men re-
sponsfble in the present instance are
past masters of their art, and we can
confidently look forward TO the Ten
nessee sweeping majestically from her
.ofty foundation and out upon the
swiriIng tide without a single hitch.
The Tennessee was authorized by
act OF Congress approved March 3,
! 1915, but her keel was not laid until
May IA, 1917. She Is a sister ship of
the California, which is now under
construction at the Mare Island Navy
Yard.
From stern to the tip of her pro-
jecting clipper bow. the monster craft
! Is a little more than an eighth of a
mile long. When ready for sea her
| full load displacement will be $4,000
tons--substantially double that OF the
dreadnought South Carolina appro-
priated for just uon years earlier to a
day. Such Ia the advance achieved In
a decade.
| speed Estimated at II Knots.
The Tennessee win have a battery OF
eight big boilers. capable of generating
steam at a pressure equal to that OF
! an express locomotive and in sufficient
measure to develop a total OF $4,000
indicated horse power in her propell-
ling mechanisms. She will burn liquid
fuel instead OF coal. sad her tanks will
be ample to give a normal capacity OF
1900 tons Of oil. Her radius OF action
will, therefore, be a wide one. because
leach long ton of fuel oil will be the
steam raising equivalent OF 1.6 long
tons OF coal. 1t will be Infinitely
Ieasier, therefore, TO handle her fue
land maintain her boilers at their maxi
mum working pressure. At full speed
the Tennessee should make not less
than twenty one knots an hour.
! as n the case of the New Mcy.co
(which is a wonder in marine engineer.
ing, the Tennessee will use her tur'
Dimes to operate dyraIoS, and tn,
electric current so generated Will b,