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18 MARINE REVIEW BATTLESHIP VIRGINIA. The most recently designed American battleship, embodying the mature experience of the naval experts, is typified in the Virginia, which was launched from the yard of the Newport News Ship & Engine Building Co., Newport News, Va., on April 5. 'Congress in March, 1899, appropriated money for three coastline battleships carrying the heaviest armor and most powerful armament for vessels of their class, and increased this number by two of like character in June, 1900. These five vessels are intended to whip anything hitherto proposed at home or abroad, and naval officers fam- iliar with their characteristics believe that the construction bureau of the navy department and the contractors have fully met the evident purpose of congress in this regard. Of the five vessels appropriated for three were required to be sheathed and coppered, and two were without sheathing. Im- mediately after awarding the contracts, however, the navy de- partment took this question under consideration and decided to omit all outside sheathing and coppering, so that each ves- length, mounted by pairs in balanced turrets, one turret being forward of the super-structure and the other aft, and each having a total arc of train of 270 degrees. Of the eight 8-in. guns, .45 calibers in length, which will be:carried on this ves- sel, four will be mounted by pairs in turrets, superposed on the -12-in, turrets above mentioned, and four in two broadside tur- rets slightly forward of amidships, the amidship turrets hay- ing a total arc of train of 180 degrees. In the Virginia there will be a broadside battery on the gun deck of twelve 6-in. rapid-fire guns, .50 caliber in length, mounted six on each side, each with a total arc of train of 121 degrees. The sec- ondary battery will consist of twelve 3-in. .50 caliber rapid- fire guns, twelve 3-pounder semi-automatic, eight 1-pounder heavy automatic, two .30 caliber machine guns and six .30 caliber Colt automatic guns, all mounted in commanding posi- tions and having large arcs of fire. The Virginia will also be fitted with submerged torpedo tubes. The magazines will be specially fitted to enable her to carry, with absolute safety in all climates, the new smokeless 2S NSS S = ae eee ee e Ces oe , ( . By aX co) ) ) ) / ) ~ Z, ) oo WN ay \\y PK c BHGihke AN WO str \ \\ BATTLESHIP VIRGINIA AS SHE WILI, LOOK WHEN COMPLETED. : [from a sketch furnished by the Navy Department. sel of the class is now a counterpart of the other, except for minor modifications incident to construction. The general dimensions and chief characteristics of these vessels are: Length on load waterline, 435 ft.; breadth (ex- treme) at load waterline, 76 ft. 214 in.; trial displacement, about 14,948 tons; mean draught at trial displacement, about 23 ft. 9 in.; greatest draught, full load, about 26 ft. In the 15,000 tons represented in each of these vessels, the many antagonistic qualities essential to a perfect fighting ma- chine have been compromised and incorporated in the propor- tion which experience seems to have pointed out as the most desirable and efficient. To begin with, these battleships will have a speed of at least 19 knots, which compares most favor- ably with any battleships under construction abroad, as well as with any in the projected stage. The Virginia will be propelled at this high speed by twin screws driven by two four-cylinder triple expansion engines of about 19,000 I. H. P., having a stroke of 4 ft. running, un- der conditions of maximum speed, at about 120 revolutions a minute. The steam necessary to this power will be supplied at a pressure of 250 lbs. a square inch, by twenty-four Nic- lausse water-tube boilers, placed four in each of six inde- pendent watertight compartments. The Virginia will carry four I2-in. guns, .40 caliber in powder. Provision will be made in the magazines for the stor- age of at least sixty rounds for each of the 12-in. guns, 125 rounds for each of the 8-in. guns, 200 rounds for each of the 6-in. guns, 300 rounds for each of the 3-in. guns, and a plenti- ful supply of ammunition for the smaller guns. So much for the vessel's offensive qualities. To make her defensive qualities proportionately great, she will be provided with a complete waterline belt of armor, 8 ft. in width amidships, 11 in. thick at the top and 8 in. at the bottom, tapering to a uniform thickness of 4 in. at the ends of the vessel. She will also have a casemate armored belt, extending over about 245 ft. of her length, of a uniform thickness of 6 in., rising from the top of the main belt to the upper or main deck, and joined at its after end to the barbette of the 12-in. turret by a 6-in. armored bulkhead, and having at its forward end an armored bulkhead of 6 in. thickness, extending from side to side, thus forming a citadel or redoubt, within which the 6-in guns will be mounted. Within this citadel or redoubt, and extending from the for- ward turret to the after turret, light armor 1% in. and 21% in. in thickness will form subdivisions of the gun _ inclosures, thoroughly protecting the gun's crews from flying splinters and fragments of bursting shells. The barbettes for the tur- rets of the 12-in. guns are to be ro in. in thickness for that por-