The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-01-30
BY Clark Squire


Her graceful prov cieavtnE the
water and throwing the spray high
on either side. the U. 9. 8. Omaha.
dehutants OF Uncle SANS proud
nary. gllded out OF Commencement
hay. Tacoma. shortly after 8 o'clock
Tuesday morning. on the builders
preliminary trial down the Sound.
Those who saw her ala not realize
they wcra watching the larger, single
power plant In the United States
navy move aeroas the haroor. appar-
entity without effort. Not one OF the
plants az fArfamed Niagara can
equal Il for power.
This clean-out, speedy sea fighter
gives promise Of being the pride OF
the navy after abe Ia commissioned.
which win be In about month. She
will be the fastest and highest pow.
cred vessel flying the stars and
Stripes Her radio equipment Is
equh TO that OF any ship afioat. and
abe has the most elaborate wireless
installation yet devised for fire con.
troll.
The Omaha Is Of tho scout cruiser
type. She carries ~ hxinch guns,
10 torpedo tubes. four three-lnch anti.
aircraft guns and two one-pounders
for sillutiEg. She Is one OF tho first
vessels 20 be equipped with airplane
catapults. There Will be two OF these
cntapults eft on the upper deck.
These are designed 20 throw an air.
plane from the stern OF the ship.
They have sufficient power 10 give
the plane Q velocity OF 80 miles an
hour IN 90 feet. In other words. n a
plane were shot from one OF these
cafaprlts AZ one side OF a wide city
street. by the time Il reached tho
other side Il would be travelling a
miie . minute.
The cruiser herself has enough
power TO make her the speediest vcs-
sci In the navy. She has 100000
hcrsspawer and her turbines have
developed more than the specifica-
tons cali for. She can gcnore
three and one-third times as much
power m the Tacoma municipal
plant At IAGrande. Or. In terms OF
motor power. the Omaha has as
much horsepower as AIS Ford
cars
A speed Of IS knots an hour Is cali
81 for In the contract. but navy Of.
ficcrs are confident abe can attain a
speed OF 81 knots. This Is AZ fast AZ
. Ford going AZ more than ~ miles
per horr.
Energy - Furnished by II oil-fed
Yalrow boilers. There Ia an equal
number OF WESTINGHOUSE steam tur.
btrcs, three 70 zach unit--onc for
cruising. one for high pressure and
one for low pressure. She also has
Westinghouse reducing gears. with
uuadrupie screws. There are four
boiler rooms and two engine rooms
In the four main condensers there
axv nearly 10 miles Of s-s-lnch tubing.
Only one other vessel afloat has
moro horsepower than the Omaha.
That Is the Hood Of the British navy.
which has Iso. 900 horsepower. The
Inflated Lusitania and tho Maure-
tRnia, each SIX or seven times an
large as the Omaha. had only 10000
horsepower.
She has the latest steering gear.
controlled electrically. hydraulicaIly
and by hand
The vessel carries tripod mast
Of the English type forward and a
standard American cruiser mast aft.
The decks are fitted with tracks for
laying mines while forging thru the
water.
~ hcr name implies, the Omaha
vi serve &s scout to the feet 10
which she Is assigned. Carrying
scout planes. she win hover on the
fringe OF the feet, laying down
smoke screens. fighting Off enamy
planes and laying mines.
Orders ara carried to various parts
Of the ship by fourinch brass speak
ing tubes, measuring six miles In
length This Is nearly enough to
reach from Tacoma to Puyailup.
There also Ia enough conductor
wiro and cable to supply a small city.
There are more than 100 miles OF