The New York herald., 1920-12-26
j. S. NAVY TO HAVE
FOUR NEW TYPES
They Are Battle and Scout
Cruisers, Airplane Carrier
and Fleet Submarine.
14O SHIPS BEING BUILT
Langley Will Carry Is Planes
and Have Many Ingenious
Devices.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 25. - Among the
t40 vessels under construction for the
navy and four types new to the Amer
lean battle fleet but long in use by the
other principal maritime Powers. They
are the battle cruiser. of which SIX are
being built: the scout or light cruiser,
the airplane carrier and the feet 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
10 have a speed Of slightly more than
thirty-three knots (about forty miles)
an hour and will carry eight 16-inch
guns mounted two in a turret.
The ten light cruisers also will func-
tion as scout cruisers. They will have
q speed of 337 knots and will carry an
exceptionally heavy armament for ves-
sells of their class, mounting twelve g.
inch guns. They are designed to develop
10000 horse power, half that OF the
battle cruisers.
One Of the most interesting Of the new
types Is the aircraft carrier Langley.
formerly the collier Jupiter. This ves-
sels is being built along the line Of
the General Boards policy that aircraft
carriers should be combatant vessels
whose speed and other characteristics
will permit OF their use with the fleet
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
a huge platform Sc feet above the
waterline. extending from bow to stern.
q distance Of about 525 feet and with an
amidshlps width of So 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 provided on the flying deck to
project the planes into the air and give
them the necessary momentum Tor a
start Arresting devices will be rl-Sed
on the flying deck to permit of landing
directly on the deck while the Langley
Is under way. while huge cranes will
also be installed to pick planes out Of
the water.
Beneath the flying deck other travel
ling cranes will be provided TO hoist
aircraft out of the hold spaces and for
carrying them to machine shops, assem-
bling spaces and to the elevators. Shop
facilities for repairs will include a COM
pletely equipped machine shop. wing re-
pairing shop, moulding spaces. metal
shop and various storerooms.
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 inter-connected, so that the
smoke may always be discharged on
the lee side ard thus not interfere with
the landing or discharge of aircraft.
The fleet submarines building number
six. Six others authorized have not yet
been contracted for. Their principal
chara cteristics will be long cruising
radius, enabling them to accompany
the fleets under practically all condi-
tions. and new structural 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 cruis-
ing will he two main Diesel engines aft
Tho other Desels forward will drive
electric generators which will provide
current for the two main electric motors
to propel the submarines when sub
merged. The estimated surface speed
is twenty knots and the submerged
speed is ten knots.
In addition TO these new types Secre.
tary Daniels and the General Board
have recommended the construction dur.
ing the next three years Of three other
types heretofore unknown In the United
states navy. They are tho destroyer
leader, long range cruising submarine.
and mine laying submarines similar tc
the German U-117.