Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-02-19
SIX BATT[ESH|PS
70 GO INTO DISCARD
Maine, Alabama, Wisconsin, Iii
rois. Kentucky and Kearsarge
Termed Back Numbers
WILL STAY AT NAVY YARD

Six battleships stationed at Phiiadel-
,h;a with an aggregate tonnage Oi
"a 400. arc going into the discard.
An order from the bureau of opera =
t,ons Of the Navy Department direct
;rs that the battleshins Maine, Ala =
lama Wisconsin. Illinois, Kentucky
md Kearsage be placed out of commits
s;on. has been received by the com
mandant of the navy yard.
These shirs will now augment the
aid ''back channel feet" comprising the
So+leships Iowa, Indiana and Massa =
oSusetts, which since long before the
rar had been fixtures at Philadelphia
They we're recommissioned during the
var and used for coast defense and
training ships.
The ships affected By the order are
among the first of the vessels which
Constituted the "new navy" They
have never been actually in battle. hav-
ng beer completed shortly after the
Snanish American war, and since then,
suncrseded By several classes of pre-
dreadnoughts and super -dreadnoughts,
thew we're relegated to the class of third :
, line battleships before America partic
ipatiou in the war.
On Transport Duty
After the armisticc these vessels. with
some cruisers. were assigned to troop
transport duty. Their secondary gun
batteries were removed and berth decks
cleared as much as possible to make
room for the returning doughboys.
Since the conclusion of this service
the vessels have been stationed at Phila
delphia in reduced commission. The
Alabama, Illinois and Wisconsin last
summer were used for the training
cruise of the Annapolis midshipmen.
The order discarding these ships is
In accordance with the navy's policy
Of economy and curtailment from it's
war basis, there being Mt present no use
for them, as they are Of obsolete design,
and the cost of their maintenance and
upkcep is very heavy.
There is an acute shortage of officers
aud men in the navy at present, and
the placing of these vessels out of com
mission will release approximately 1900
The ships. with the exception of the
Maine, are armed with an old type of
short caliber, 49, inch rifle. The Maine
has 12-inch guns. All were units of
the battle feet that the United States
sent around the world with such a
splendid efficiency record in 1908.
Were Subjects of Criticism
The Kentucky and Kearsarge are
the ships around which such storm
OF criticism and protest arose ten years
ago regarding defects in their design and
general battle efficiency. They were at
that time cited as examples of the gen
eral faulty design Of American bat
tleships regarding the placing Of de-
fensve armor and dangerous construc-
tion of big gun turrets and ammuni-
ton handling devices.
The criticisms. written by a promi-
nent writer on naval subjects. attract
ed wide attention on their publication
with photographs and drawings in a
magazine. The data was at that time
said to have been furnished the writer
by Admiral Sims. in his efforts to in :
crease the navy's efficiency.
There is a possibility that on their
retirement the ships will either be sold
as scrap or used as floating targets
for the new fleet to test the destruc-
tive power of our latest guns and shells.
Navy yard officials estimate that it
will take from three to four months to
place the big ships out of commission.
The Maine, the largest Of those to be
retired, has displacement of 10000
tons. She was completed at Cramps
in 1909.
The kearsarge and Kentucky. II 600
ions. were built at Newport News IN
1900, The Illinois. 12,190 tons. was
also completed there in 1901. The Wis
copsin and Alabama. 2,190 tons. were
built in 1901, the former at San Fran
CISCO and the latter at Cramps. Phil
adelphia.