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Show ! BATTLE CRUISERS TO GUARD NATION AMERICAN FLEET TO INCLUDE FASTEST AND BEST ARMED VESSELS AFLOAT. Will Cost Eighteen Million Dollars to Construct and Equip Ddeadnought, Plans Calling for Speed of Forty Miles an Hour. Washington. Superb battle eruis-ers. eruis-ers. higger, faster and more heavily armed than any war craft now afloat or building, and which will cost $18,-000,000 $18,-000,000 each to construct and equip, will be recommended to congress as a part of the navy building program for next year. This decision was reached Monday at a conference between President Wilson, Secretary Daniels and Representative Repre-sentative Padgett, chairman of the house noval affairs committee. Plans for such a type of vessel as is contemplated already have been prepared under the direction of Rear Admiral David W. Taylor, chief constructor con-structor of the navy, zxd aow are being be-ing considered toy the secretary and members of the general board. Dreadnaughts, which also will be recommended for construction this winter, will cost $18,000,000 each, it is estimated, as against $15,000,000 for those now building. Part of this increase, in-crease, however, is due to new hull construction to pravide for greater protection against torpedo attack. Plans for the battle cruisers, Mr. Daniels said, contemplated a speed of thirty-five knots an hour. . They will be faster than any but the swiftest destroyers. de-stroyers. In land terms, they will equal the speed of railway trains making mak-ing more than forty miles an hour. In size they will equal the largest American Ameri-can dreadnoughts now building and far exceed any now afloat. |