Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-01-11
CURRENT DRIVES CRAFT
FIGHTING SHIP BUILT
TO MAKE FAST TIME
Keel of Montana Is Inid Immcdintciy
t-5s After tnii.O rnia Slides From
a. Ways.

VALLEJO. CAL. Jan. io.--Thc lnrd
eteetricaily-dr supcrdrcadnouGht
3 was added to the United states Navy
aiioat the other ady. when the Cali
fornia was launched at the Mare island
navy yard here.
In the use of electricity as a means
or PROPULSION, the new hGhting Snip
follows the example set in the build
ing OF the New MEXICO anu Tennessee.
he California is expected To cost
more than S15,uoV.OOo and will carry
twelve fourteen men guns. Besides
6eing eieetricaiiy dr.. vsns the new,
from her guns TO her potato-pcei
AS the great craft slid' into the water
She was cnecred by Governor William
ID. stephens, OF California. his uaugh-
tiers. Mrs. Randolph n, Zane, who spou-
sered the war vessel ana thousands
still warm the keel OF great com
panion superdroadnouEht the Mon
Designed ny Master Minds.
DeSignea by master minds sharpened
ness. Bulked alongside the .rctworll
Of the ways where sne had been pulled
by tugs after the launching the great
vessrJ showed herself TO he the en-
battIcd iioat!ng city that She is All
that has been learned III tho war IL
noushts has been put in this latest
addition 10 the American navy.
. nc OIiifpr1li y keel was ialu ''Ctp-
Der Is. 1916 but during the war the
men who fabricated her turned their
tools TO the knocking together OF other
and smaller warCrai. designed 10 fight
the submarine. For two years not
rivet was driven. but upon the sign
ing of the armis;ice the great huil
again Swarmcd, CIankeG and rang with
life and II was heated. beaten aud
turned into the mighty craft that was
Carries Crew Of ,.o.:.
In commission the California will
have crew OF Lee men and fifty
has a length over all OF 62i feet, a
breadth OF nincty-s six feet and 4 depth
OF AZ feet Her displacement a, her
IONS. She has an estimated speed Of
tWenty-onc knots an hour. and nor
NAL fuel capacttY Of lao" tons.
1T is estimated that she is fully SO
Per cent better protected than any
other vessel in the United states Navy.
not excluding the New Mexico
Her great turbines OF y. OoD horse
power are the principal unit OF the cali
fornia's electric system. The guns viii
ton, steering, supply Of power To the
drive shaft, laundering, printing. Ice
cream freezing. cakcmakinS ana dish
washing an Will be electrically opor-
ated. Although this has Dioui.ht her
total cost to something In cNccSs OF
Sih9Ooooc, saving i'm fuel is expected
quickly 10 offset this cost Her hun
alone cost s5.So0O 600.
Ranks High in Armament
- 81. ',t't'ti,I' ne N5!llci MA VIII rank
hlSh. BESIDES her twclvc-inch guns
she Will carry tour submerged tor
pedo tubes, Twenty-Five two-inch anti
aircraft guns. ono thrc.-iuch landing
gun. and two %e-caliher machine guns
S she VIII be htting example oil the
e tasI word. in hatueship DESIGNING ana
hitting, and will hc the first shin OF
Her class TO be turned out in plcin,.
me award for Thea California was
tnado at the same time the Tennessee.
Vas, maS CONTRACTED for. The Tennessee.
Dull IN an Eastern shipyard. was 10 he
was Launched before many or tho I'M
proycMenis ,goins into the CalfformI;,
hold tDday. sac" ''t|