New Britain herald., 1924-12-26
SCRAPPED SHIPS
 All FOR FUTURE
Allow Designers to Make for
 Stronger Construction

WaSOnglou, Dee, @6, Wi'h six or seven year period uhlud before the United States may lay down it's mst replacement bali,sMp under ,ho Washington naval treaty, navy experts wIli haNe ample time 10 make IN" utmost uSc ot data ob. lujnrd from governments on the hull ol what Vas lu have h.,u the super drradOougU, Washington a2d on other srwrppud vessels m prrpar- ing d,sIgns for new ships They arc expected to achieve u dfcidcd uI- vance In Narsup construction as q result ot 'H"lr prolonged s.udios.
 Th, WJ,0uuE,ou oNpyruUnls. de- 'uiIs of HhDnh are regarded ns among 'hc most rou'lvuuaI matters m the custody Of tho navy drpurtmrnt afforded m opportunity to obtain information Of an unusual charac- ter. The four ships Of this class, 'hroe O. WHoh Wpr" cpmph1pd and are HOW NiIh 'ur Nrv' represent thy mos, poNrrfm d JoU,,vg and off H. VI N' 'l' I''i III'' lI' Ill t'ti N. l'.7'll ll budding tac world will know unuI .he two new British sup"rdrcad- noughts are launched and comms- stoned. "hc only vessel approach ing inc Maryland, West Firera and colorado now aCloat is The Japanese ,6-inch Punuad pos,-Ju,AuI bat Ucsip Mu'su.
 Designs for this class of ships were prepared in tho navy depart mont while tho European war was in progress, lu' before the United S'a'cs entered the conflict. The submarine menace had almost reached its climax In threatening allied defeat before the plans were completed, and there arc many things in the hull construction of The ships which grew out of war experience of the allied as observed hy American experts, These have to do for the most part with better protection against torpodocs and mines and the experiments with the Washington hull afforded inc only chance naval engineers of any na- ttonality have had 10 test the meth ols of protection adopted on a scale that would furnish reliable data.
 The designs of the ships were based in part upon extensive ex- periments of similar nature with caissons built for the purpose and subject to attack. At best how ever. this furnished only partial data as to the stresses which must be provided against in actual warfare. It Is noteworthy that the only an- nouncomcnt as 10 the Washington experiments made by the navy de- parImcnt declared the expectations of the naval constructors who de- signed the ships were realized, i'm plying that the hull resisted under water attack 10 a degree that no hattlcshtp previously built could have been expected 10 do,
 1 The Washington design also in cjudod additional protcctive deck construction made necessary when the war proved that Sca h1't'rs could be fought al such oTtrtme range that prolecti'"s would fall from high angles, making tho decks oS combat ships the greatest dan 1 ger point, Bombs dropped from aircraft also would be directed at the decks, and despite the added weight and changes in stability that would result, it was obvious that protective decks must be adopted without sacrificing heavy side ar mor necessary for protection at shorter ranges with shells coming at
 Gattcr angles against 'ho ships
 sides The protective decks of the
 Washington wero subjected 10 at- tack also, both by bomb and shell
 fire which finally sout the uncom-
 ploted ship to the bottom off the Virginia Capcs,
 Ex'ensiye data as to thn result of every method Of attack orl-
 pIoyod was compiled by tnn special
 naval board which coDduotod tlr
 .rsts With +Lie .Ic c,r.rr-s brre