The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-26
Giant Vessels Use Electric Drive and Garry
l6-Inch Guns, Though Armor Is
Sacrificed for Speed

construction of battleships have given rise
to much speculation as TO where it all will
end In 1905 the launching of the original
Dreadnought was proclaimed This war
monster was regarded as titanic and even
well informed engineers were convinced
that naval constructors had about reached
their limits. The Dreadnought, however.
has displacement of only 1900 tons, a
mere tender, so to speak, for the gigantic
Constellation, with her 43,500 tons
Is there any limitation as to the size OF
warships? Experts say they do not know.
When a ship was built capable of floating
a battery of 12-inch guns, amply protected
by armor plate, constructors thought they
had accomplished a great deal. But compe
tition went on and soon another nation had
built a vessel large enough 10 float a battery
of 14-inch guns Now come ships carrying
16-inch guns and engines capable OF drivtnc
their vast hulk at forty miles per hour. II
the nations in their eagerness TO be in the
first rank decide they should have 1S-inch
guns the constructors say they could prob
ably design and build ship big enough to
carry such armament
War Ships Increase in Size
Governed by Panama Canal
There is one practical consideration, how
ever which in the opinion of naval men
will do more than anything else to limit the
pacity of the Panama Canal. The Constel
lation is S74 feet long and 101 feet 81 inches
In breadth She might be 1875 feet Longer
and still be able to get into the canal locks.
but II she were three feet wider she could
not 40 it, OF course the canal locks could
he widened but only after a tremendous
outlay OF time money and labor
Such considerations naturally suggest the
question Of dry docking facilities for the new
s1fvNrr .
dry docks at Balboa Canal Zone, Honolulu
and Puget Sound are sufficiently large to
accommodate vessels of the Constellation
class The new yards to be constructed AT
san Francisco would also be able to take
care of them. On the Atlantic adequate ia
cilites are 10 be found at Norfolk and Bos
ton.
Though an six of the battle cruisers were
designed by the construction department OF
the navy. only two are being built at United
States navy yards Contracts for the other
four were let TO private shipbuiding cor
porations 4 limit of s23.000.000 was placed
on the cost of the United States and the
Constitution while the contracts for the
Constellation and the Ranger were let on q
cost plus fee basis, and those for the sara
toea and the Lexington on cost plus 10
per cent basis
The following table shows the name of the
builder and the cost basis ior each OF the
ships
Ship. Builder cost BASIS
Constellation. Newport News
u 30 ............... Cost plus fee
Constitution. Navy Yard phila s23.00oo00
Lexington. Fore River $ B. Corp Cost plus io',
Ranger. Newport News $. y. Co. Cost plus fee
Saratoga. y. Y : Corp Cam
d,u n Observation-Disclosures. Cost plus loo.
United states Navy Yard. Phiia S23.0o00oo
Though definite figures as 90 cost arc
available only in the case Of the Constitution
and the United states. IL is thought thai
mono of the vessels win greatly exceed the
$4,000 900 maximum set for those con
etructed i'm United States navy yards