Show MOTHER ANOTHER TERROR Of SEA LAUNCHED BY UNCLE SAM SAMy SAMl l y t I S p iii H A p pC C I 4 r 1 I I I IkE f ft t a an n j 4 rt M t 4 t P PI I t tJ i v eJ MISS ELIZABETH ELIZABETK FLEMING Daughter of Famous Fam us Florida Family Who Christened the Florida Flo rida BATTLESHIP FLORIDA TAKES TO TH E Greatest of American Successfully Launched at Brooklyn Navy Yard Xe Ne York lork May Mar 32 the of or the United State H navy at ot her tem teni the and aDd Stripes Stripe at ot her lier stern litera and a string o of oC gay eay pennant along alons alon the O 0 feet fee of her deck line the Florida the biggest of the American dread built thus thuN far for was fully launched at the Brooklyn navy na yard ard today In the presence of the vice president of the United States State the secretary of the navy the naval BRal at attaches attaches of all nil the tile powers power and a crowd of enthusiasts enthusiast whom Intermittent rain had bad failed to keep away The fighting leviathan built to carry ten gun guna the concentrated big gun fire of five ordinary nary nar battleships glided down the ways was to the strains of ot The Star Spangled Banner played by the navy naY and infantry bands while the crowd cheered and hundreds h of river craft tolled their noisy whistles Lesser sisters moored or anchored in IB inthe inthe the navy yard the Rhode Island Ne Xe Nebraska braska Connecticut C Yankton and Hancock Han Hancock Hancock cock dipped their colors and fired d a salute guns as the mon monster monster monster ster fighting machine reached the wa waters waters a terse Keel Blocks Removed As soon as s the tide was declared fa favorable favorable a word to remove the keel blocks was w s given and Naval Na Construe Constructor tor Bater took his station at the stern of the Florida The christening party headed by b Miss Elizabeth Fleming leming daughter d of a former governor of Flor Fior Florida Florda Fiorda da ida and for the big battleship moved up to the rail There was an ominous creaking the sliding and permanent ways was slowly drew apart and Miss liss Fleming sent the champagne bottle crashing against the ships side The Florida hesitated a moment then slowly slow gIlded glided down the ways was with the voice of Miss Fleming Continued on oa Page Three ANOTHER TERROR OF SEA I LAUNCHED BY UNCLE SAM I Continued From Page One Oae clearly calling out Go brave ship I christen thee Florida The launching was the most success successful successful successful ful ever held at the New York Tork navy yard The gigantic battleship slid down the ways was with the lightness of at a lifeboat boat Probably there Is not a battleship afloat that could tackle the Florida on even terms when her commanders commander s flag flies tIles from tram the ungraceful but for tor formidable skeleton masts which will be I placed upon her that Is provided the naval designers do not change their minds as to the utility of this novel feature of marine architecture within the next eighteen months by which time the Florida should be in commis commission sian sion Built la In Government Yard The ship is 15 the first of any real im importance Importance m to be constructed in a gov government i navy yard for a number of years and naturally her performance will be watched with keen interest by bythe bythe b the private shipbuilders who are now building b her the Utah In Camden N J L As Asa a matter of fact tact the North Dakota built by the Fore River Shipbuilding company and the Dela Delaware Delaware Delaware ware constructed at Newport News with the Florida and Utah will make what is described as a unit in naval parlance p meaning that these vessels are practically of the same type and may be expected to operate together in naval warfare The North Dakota and the Delaware are nearly two thousand tons smaller than the other two ves yes vessels sels SeiS 5 ls the armament is practical practically ly the same and the smaller vessels Indeed are rated at about a quarter of ot ofa a knot faster taster The Florida Is feet teet 6 inches long nearly n as as long as a city block her I beam beamis is 38 88 g feet 2 laches she draws raws sq f I feet teet of water and displaces tons In light order while when fully loaded with her supplies and ammunition lon she sheI I will wilt measure up to tons Her estimated speed is 20 knots per hour which would have been regarded a few years ago as the topnotch for a swift unarmored cruiser She will carry 2500 tons of coal in her bunkers which should enable her to make the round roundtrip roundtrip roundtrip trip across the Atlantic at half halt speed Parsons turbine engines built in the New York navy yard of the enormous power of horsepower will main maintain maintain tain tam the high speed of this big ship and the steam will be supplied by sec see sectional sectional boilers The main battery of the ship will consist of ot ten rifles ar arranged arranged arranged ranged In pairs in turrets Looking at ather ather ather her bowon one would think that the Florida had what is called superposed or turrets like the Kear Kearsarge Kearsarge Kearsarge sarge and the Kentucky but as a mat mst matter matter ter of fact act there are only two guns In each pf of the five turrets and the second turret In the forepart t repart of ot the ship is necessarily elevated on a a superstructure ture so as to be able to fire tire freely over the top of the foremast turret There is a very formidable secondary battery composed of sixteen rapid four two one and a number of machine guns There are also two Inch submerged tubes for far torpedoes Armor Not Disclosed Just what the armor Is to be he on an these ships the naval designers will not tell That marks the adoption of a new pol policy pOlIcy icy in the American navy where here heretofore heretofore heretofore It has been be n customary to set setout setout setout out in smallest detail derail in the chief con constructors constructors constructors annual report the thickness of every inch of armor on the ship It is believed though that the side ar armor armor armor mor will average about 12 Inches and that it will be extended extend d over oer a length of the ship heretofore h uncovered red and will be much wider than the ordinary armor a mo belt so O as not to expose the un under under der dere body of the ship when she rolls in ina ina I a sea wave It t will wiil take more m re than 1600 men to toh h manage this great fighting machine the minimum requirement is 60 officers and enlisted men The estimated cost of ot the ship complete is as fixed in the act of May 13 1908 Her keel was laid March 9 1909 so that the naval constructors have reason ta tG tabe t be proud of oC the rapidity with which they the have carried on their work Washington May 12 When the big battleship Florida glided off the ways at the New York navy yard today it was more than half finished The monthly statement issued by the con construction construction construction bureau shows that on May 1 it Ivan ivas advanced toward comple completion completion completion tion Only three other battleships are now under construction for tar the navy tit Utah at Camden which stands at 72 per cent cen the Wyoming at Philadelphia recorded at 19 per cent and the Ar Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas kansas at Camden rated at 24 per cent Fifteen destrOyers ire J re rebuilding building the state sta e of completion rang ranging rangIng ranging ing from In the case of the Pat Patterson Patterson Patterson terson to 88 for tor the Spaulding The submarine boats are also under underway underway way wax one the Salmon Salman building at Quincy being rated at and the newest new st the Thrasher at Philadelphia standing at 47 |