Republican farmer., 1920-06-04
UNITED STATES
 TO HAVE BIGGEST
 BATTLE CRUISER
Lexington" Will Be the Mightiest of Any War
 ship Afloat.

Quincy, Mass, May 2s-The keel of
 the worlds biggest warship will be
 laid down here within six months.
 ing in a degree unequalled by any
 ship of war now built or building the
 qualities of powerful armament and
 high speed, has taken form in draw
 1ngS and awaits the arrival of ma
 terlals to be advanced from the hands
 of the architect to those of the
 builder. By fall it is estimated the
 prospective queen of the United States
 navy will become a ship under con-
 struction instead of an ambitious
 plan.
 The Lexington is the name-ship of
 a class of battle-cruisers which will
 give Uncle Sam within four years a
 fleet of six big-gun fighting ships un- matched by anything then af1oat Her sister-ships, the Constellation, Sara toga, Ranger, Constitution and United States are also under contract. They bring names out of the old navy with which to develop for the first new capital vessels of the postwar fleet a traditional background for fresh exploits.
 With the others of it's class, the Lexington will be whale of a ship. It will displace 43,200 tons and will have the power of 1S0,00O horses, as measured in mechanical terms. Its length of STA feet is within 46 feet of the length of the Leviathan, mon- ster passenger liner. The 101.4 feet of width of the Lexington will make that floating gun platform broader
 than any passenger ship.
 The Lexington, which is to be equipped with electric drive. will at- tain a speed of 35 knots. This cruiser speed. higher than that of many de- stroyers, is the object of much of the designing that entered into the ere ation of the Lexington class. Armor will be described to make possible the 35 knot speed-the main belt being only five inches thick at it's maximum as compared with the 12-inch stee. belt on most battleships, but arma- ment will be of tremendous power The Lexington thus will have not
 only the strategic advantage of high speed but will be able to fire heavier charge over a greater distance than any other battleship for which the plans are known.
 The Lexington in action will speak ' with a voice of 16inch guns, oi which she will have eight. The navies i of Great Britain, France and Italy 1 contain no gun greater than IS inches | and that of Japan includes 16-inch guns only on battleships of 24 knot speed which are now under con- struction. Unlike the dreadnough ! class reliance on big guns exclusively the Lexington will carry 16 six-inch guns as a secondary armament. Taking a page from the naval les sons of the war. the designers of the Lexington have equipped the ship with four anti-air craft guns, eigh' | torpedo tubes, four of which are sub- merged and four on deck and with means of defense against aeria bombs and aerial torpedoes. Defense | against submarine torpedoes will be l obtained through fore and aft tor 1 pedo defense bulkheads, by whicf l the stability of the vessel will be pre- l served no matter where she is pierce. I ed. Under any conditions but an ex l plosion, it is claimed, the Lexington 1 class of warship should prove unsink | able.
 An indication of the Lexington: l greatness is afforded by comparison with the British warship Hood, which when it is f1oated will be the bigges ] ship in the British navy and afioat 1 Lexington Hood 1 Speed 35 knots 31 knots
 Displacement-42,2 200 tons 41,2O0 ton: | Length ...874 feet S60 feet l Horsepower ..1SO,OOO 144,OOO | Big Guns ....S 16-inch 8 15-inch | Main armor. ..5 inch 12 inch