The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1938-10-13
Nautical Novelties
The Battle
queen Of The Seas

queen Of The Seas
In a splendid article in a re-
cent issue of the magazine sec
ton of the New YORK lines, MIR.
manson w. Baldwin re-estaD-
fishes the battlesnIp as tne
queen of the Sea-tAe bulWarK
OF Americas sea LOWer ana
sets forth her powers and llM-
-taCionS. 1t is too bad that this
alIlcIe cannot De broadcast all
over the country in order that
the American people every
where might have the vast am
CUNT OF Information 1t contains.
Mr.. Baldwin is a staff writer
on the Times who speclalizeS In
naval and mliltary articles.
lhere is probably no American
pennlan To-Day WnO has such a
tlrSt-hand knowledge of the
Navy or who writes so very IN
tereStlngly on the subject.
Mr.. Baldwin characlerlzes the
battleShlp as "a mobile tort, a
seagolng point d. appui, upon
which the lighter forces may
maneuVer anu operate 10 the
common end for all-control of
the sea-" In describing the ar
mour and protective uevlceS of
the modern battleShip he says:
The great weight OF armor is
eVeryWhere-flOm 10000 to 15,-
900 tons of it throughout the
Shlp-gray, solid: cury4ng SLABS
above the turrets with their
long reaching guns gaping to-
ward the far horizons. The con-
troll stations at mast heads are
lightly armored against machine
gun strafing and light BOMBS
ana spllnterS; splinter shields
protect the anti-aircraft gun
ners on the neKer ships, and
forward beneath the bridge, ait
OF the turrets is a grim clip
teal squat cylinder of steel
the heaviest armor on the
Shlp-the coming tower. pierced
by eye Sits, from which the
captain and his associates, at
battle stations observe the
course of action.
"ArmOr is but one and YER
haps the less important form
OF ship protection. For all de-
SlgnerS know that the best ar
NOR can lessen, but cannot pre-
vent damage; it's purpose is to
keep a shin a mobile fighting
unit, despite damage.
ITO this end a modern battle
ship is built like a honey comb;
steel bulkheads, some of them
armored, divide and subdivide
the ships interior, a triple steel
skin protects against the bombs
1ropDed alongside or against
the mine, and everywhere in the
warren of compartments be-
low decks are water-tight doors
and matches with rubber gas
ketS which fit snugly against
the polished knife edgesNdoors
and matches neatly labeled
closed in action.
There are guns everywhere
on these great battleships. Of
them MI. Baldwin says: "Seem-
ing gigantic and ponderous. but
controlled delicately and pre-
clsely by some of the most COM
plicated electro-mechanical in
struments known to man, the
great turrets swing lightly on
ball bearing roller paths. The
three or five inch sky guns are
able to pump out twenty high
explosive shells a minute as
high as planes can fly. the
lighter anti-aircraft guns are
easily trained and pointed by
the touch of a finger.
After describing the operating
OF the machinery and devices
down in the bowels of the great
ships and paying a tribute to
the men who handle all of this,
Mr.. Baldwin says: This is the
heart of a battleship, where all
the power that keeps her a
living, fighting and moving
thing is generated. Power that
is frightening on the newer
snlps-caged steam imprisoned
at terrific pressure behind high
tensile boiler steel, steam 50
super-heated that a jet of it
! burns through flesh and bone,
steam so hot that a jet of it
cannot be seen, so fearfully hot
that a broom placed near a
small leak in a steam-pipe
flange or joint will flash into