The north Mississippi herald., 1920-06-25
WORLDS BIGGEST
BATTLE CRUISER
United States to Build Greatest
Naval Fighting Machine
Ever FIoated.
LEXINGTON FIRST OF Big SIX
Will Garry Eight 16-Inch Guns and
Have Speed of 35 knots-Dis-
placement, 42,2oo Tons;
Horsepower, 8o,o00.


worlds biggest warship will be laid
! down here within six months. The
battle cruiser Lexington, combining in
a degree unequaled by any qualities or
powerful armament and high speed,
has taken form in drawings and awaits
| the arrival of materials TO be ad-
vanced from the hands of the archi-
| tect to those of the builder. By fall
| 1t is estimated the prospective queen
of the United States navy will become
ship under construction instead of
an ambitious plan.
The Lexington is the name-ship OF
class of battle cruisers which viii
| give Uncle Sam, within -four years,
! feet of six big-gun fighting ships un'
matched by anything then afloat. Her
sister ships. the Constellation, Sara
| toga, Constitution, Ranger 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
traditional background for fresh ex-
| ploits.
Length Will be 374 Feet.
With the others of its class the
Lexington will be whale of a ship
IT will dispace 43, POO tons and will
lave the power of 10000 horses, as
| measured in mechanical terms. Its
| length of S74 feet is within 4G feet OF
the length of the Leviatltan, monster
| passenger liner. The 1914 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 q speed of 30 knots. This cruis-
oY's speed higher than that of many
! deStroyeIS. is the object of much of
| TIE designing that entered into the
creation of the Lexington class
Amor will be sacrificed to make pos
sible the 35-knot speed-the main belt
i being only inches thick at its MAXI
/ laum as compared with the j. inch
Sceel belt on most battleships but
armament will be of tremendous pow
er. The Lexington thus viii have -f+ss =
only the strategic advantage CT HIN
speed, but will be able to fire heaV-
Ter charge over greater distance than
fny other battleship for which the
plans are known.
Eight 16-lnch Guns.
The Lexington IN action Will speak
| with a voice of 16-inch guns, of which
she will have eight. The navies of
| Great Britain, France and Italy con
tain no gun greater than 10 inches and
| hat of Japan includes 16-inch guns
| Cnly on battleships Of 24-knot speed
which are now under construction.
| Unlike the dreadnaught class's reliance
| on big guns exclusively, the Lexington
| VIII carry 16 six-inch guns as q second
| ary armament.
| Taking page from the naval les
| sons of the war, the designers of the
Lexington have equipped the ship with
! four anti-aircraft guns, eight torpedo
tubes, four of which are submerged
| and four on deck and with means Of
| defense against aerial bombs and
2erial torpedOes. Defense against sub
marine torpedoes will be obtained
through fore and aft torpedo defense
bulkheads. by which the stability OF
the vessel will be preserved no mat
yer where she is pierced. Under any
conditions but an explosion, il is
claimed the Lexington class of war
ship should prove unsinkahle.
An Indication of the LeXington's
greatness is afforded by comparison
with the British warship Hood, which,
when it is toated, will be the biggest
ship in the British navy and atlOat.
Lexington. Hood.
Displacement 43, 200 tons. II 200 tons.
Speed. 80 knots. 81 knots.
Length. feet $50 feet.
Horsepower. 1905 900 l44,000.
Big guns s. 16-mch. s 15-inch.
Main armor .5-inch. 12-inch.