Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-26
AIR CRAFT SHIP TO CARRY Is
PLANES UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Navy Adopts Four New Types of Vessels
y Now Features Of Principal
Sea Powers.

Among the 40 vessels under con-
struction for the Navy are four types
new to the American battle fleet. but
long in use by the other principal
maritime powers. They are the bat
tie cruiser, of which six are being
built; the scout or light cruiser. the
airplane carrier and the fleet sub
marine.
The battle cruisers will be of great
speed, light armor, long cruising
radius and strong offensive armament,
the ships being designed primarily
for ranging work ahead Of the main
body and for action at long range
against vessels of their own class.
They are to have speed of slightly
more than 80 knots (about 40 miles)
an hour and will carry eight 16-inch
guns mounted two in a turret.
The ten light cruisers will also
function as scout cruisers. They will
have a speed of 1877 knots and will
carry an exceptionally heavy arma-
ment for vessels of their class. mount
designed to develop 10000 horse
power, half that of the battle
cruisers.
Has Flying Deck.
One of the most interesting of the
new types is the aircraft carrier
Langley, formerly the collier Jupiter.
This vessel is being built along the
line of the general boards policy that
aircraft carriers should be cOmbatant
vessels whose speed and other char
acteristics will permit of their use
with the feet at sea.
The Langley will carry in the
neighborhood of fifteen planes Of
both the sea and military scouting
types. The ships flying deck will
consist of huge platform hfty-six
feet above the waterline extending
from bow to stern, a distance Of
about 525 feet. and with an amid
ships width Of sixty-five feet. The
planes will be housed below on the
hangar deck when not in use. and
will be carried to the flying deck in
elevators. Catapults will be pro-
vided on the flying deck to project
the planes into the air and give them
the necessary momentum for a|start
Arresting devices will be rugged on
directly on the deck while the Lang
ley is under way, while huge cranes
also will be installed to pick planes
out of the water.
Beneath the flying deck other trav-
cling cranes will be provided to hoist
aircraft out of the hold spaces and
for carrying them to machine shops,
assembly spaces and to the elevators.
Shop facilities for repairs will In
clude a completely equipped machine
shop, wing repairing shop molding
spaces. a metal shop and various
storerooms.
LOng-RanEe Submarines.
An ingenious method for providing
smoke pipes without breaking the.
flying deck area is devised for the
Langley. The ship will have two
smoke tunnels, one on each side,
clear Of the flying deck and intercon-
nected. so that the smoke may al
ways be discharged on the lee SIDE
and thus not interfere with the land
ing or discharge of aircraft.
The fleet submarines building num-
Der six. Six others authorized have
not yet been contracted for. Their
principal characteristics will be
long cruising radius. enabling them
to accompany the fleets under prac-
tically all conditions, and new struc-
tural designs to make them as nearly
as possible proof from depth charges.
The submersibles will be more than
300 feet long, with a displacement
of about 1000 tons. The propelling
machinery for surface cruising will
be two main Diesel engines aft. Two
other Diesels. forward will drive cleo
trio generators. which will provide
current for the two main electric mo-
tors to prope] the submarines when
submerged. The estimated surface