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Show Huge Fighting ODD ShipReadySoon 35,000-Ton North Carolina First Battleship Added In Twenty Years. WASHINGTON. The North Carolina, Caro-lina, first battleship to be built for the United States navy in 20 years, will go into commission April 11. The most powerful fighting ship in the world, according to navy officials, of-ficials, she will join the battle line this summer under command of Capt. Olaf Hustvedt. No announcement of her assignment assign-ment has been made, but it is believed be-lieved she will go to the Pacific and may become the flagship of the United States fleet. The North Carolina was built at the New York navy yard. The Washington, a sister ship, is nearing completion at the Philadelphia navy yard. The speed of each ship is expected to exceed 28 knots. Each will carry nine 16-inch guns able to fire 10,000-pound shells more than 25,000 yards. Many Experts Engaged. The North Carolina was launched June 13 and is being completed about five months ahead of time. She is the result of more than 140 separate battleship designs, in the working out of which from 40 to 70 naval design experts were engaged. The designing covered 19 years and included studies of every type of battleship, its hull, super-structure, fire control, cruising radius, power, speed, gun power, anti-aircraft protection, etc. The outcome, in the opinion of naval construction experts, is the best battle unit, offensively and defensively, de-fensively, built up to the present time. Larger ships, embodying many improvements, are under construction con-struction for the navy, but it will be two or three years before the first is ready to join the fleet. The North Carolina is one of six sister ships each of 35,000 tons and each having as a main battery nine 16-inch guns. The Massachusetts, Indiana and South Dakota will be launched this year and the Alabama early in 1942. Fourth of Name. The North Carolina is the fourth American combat ship to bear the name of the Tar Heel state. The first was a ship of the line of 2,633 tons, mounting 74 guns, launched at Philadelphia in September, 1820. This ship was the flagship of the United States squadron in the Mediterranean Medi-terranean from 1825 to 1827 and continued in commission until 1866. She was sold in 1867. The second North Carolina was an armored cruiser of 14,500 tons and was a unit of the fleet from 1906 until scrapped in 1930. In the first World war she was in the overseas transport service. Her name was changed to the Charlotte in 1920 and the name North Carolina assigned to one of the six battleships then under construction. con-struction. When the naval limita-tion-of-armament treaty was ratified the first battleship North Carolina was scrapped along with her sister ships and a squadron of battle cruisers. |