The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-07-02
MAGIC GERMAN
SHIP SCORNED
BY U. S. EXPERT
Naval Engineer Blows Up.
Talk of Speed-WaSp
in Article.
PICKS ON ENGINES
Critic Says Any Nation Can
Build Battle Vessel of
Same Design.
BY JOSEPH II. BAIRD
United Press stan Correspondent

nlNfu fEEh. ItdAA wi &c tN-ANN'N
WASHINGTON. July 2-The
Frsatz Preussen. new German bat
tleship cruiser heralded last winter
as combining the speed Of grey
hound with the sting Of wasp,
again was being discussed IN naval
circles today as the result OF a
derogatory article about the ship
written by Captain H. G. Dnger'
avail engineering expert.
Dinger's study. published IN the
United States Naval Institute pro-
ceedings. picked the ship apart
viewed it through the eyes OF an
engineer. and found it wanting IN
many respects. The officer said he
found moth. * magical about the
vessel
1T is not quite possible to have
3 GREYHOUND and a bulldog in one
unit" Dinger- wrote. referring to
Germans sacrifice Of power IN the
new ship. made in order to gain an
armament weight unusual Tor a
I0O0O-ton vessel.
Omit Credit Line
Specifications of the German snip
we're printed in recent issue OF
me navy departments official en-
Oineering bulletin after being re-
veaIed first by Hector Bywater, Eng
Iish naval writer.
If was said the ship, limited by
the Versailles treaty to a cruiser
WEIGHT of 10000 tons, nevertheless
carried an armament Of SIX eleven
irch Guns. which makes her a SIllall
battleship. Her maximum Sp H,,el
was given as twenty-slX KNOTS anu
her cruising range as 10000 miles,
q referring to the Erstatz PruesSen
+,,oe the bulletin said: In hgnO-
i1p mower they are greatly upsrlol
- the treaty class Of battleShlps
and it is difficult to see now any
,,eseel other than a battle cruiser
co,,ld deal with them. POSSIBLY
toereforp the Erstatz PreuSseI
eventually may necessitate some re-
80, nj the treaty rules govern
ing ships. Identification the
At the Tune OF ITO puSi -
settlement was considered an oihclal
announcement from the engineer
ING division of the navy
Todav it was explained however
+b.t the article was reprinted from
the Engineer. a London magazne
end the credit line inadvertently
was omitted.
No Technical Restriction
"There has been much comment
IN the press as to this Wohoel
shin Dinger said. which IS &C
cause CONSERVATION in all the naVlt'
and is heralded as almost the WoiS
Of magic. ouorol
AN examination of the alleged
Characteristics from dispasSlonaIt
technical angle fails to show any
thing magical about the vessel
He added German engineers, with.
out undue technical or tlnancla
restrictions" had achieved results
= which might be produced in Other
countries under like conditions.
The Ersatz Preussen'S power L
only half that of an American light
E cruiser. although its battery does no
weigh more than half again as much
he pointed out.
Referring to the welded hull
pointed out by naval critics as one
of the outstanding means used tc
reduce tonnage in the German
ship. Dinger said:
4 There is nothing to prevent the
United States navy or the English
Of French navieS using Welding as
extensively as it has been used ir
this German vessel. United State:
Welding technique is, believe, fully
up to that employed in Germany.
Just an Experiment
Dinger discounted reports that
Germans had built highly efficient
.engines developing one unit OF
horsepower for each seventeen
bounds of weight. When the total
machinery weight is added to the
actual engine weight. the power
plants efficiency will be reduced by
half. he predicted.
whether these Diesel engines
will be as reliable as turbo-reduc-
ton gear remains to be SEEM he
said. ct is possible. but from past
Experience with Diesel engines
either German or otherwise, it is
doubtful
q THE Ersatz PreuSSen Will be a
very interesting engineering expert
Iment and her actual operation will
mo doubt serve TO teach many les
sons. There appears to be no COM
.peIling reason for the large navieS
10 rush in and build vessels OF her
particular characteristics"