AMERICA'S FIRST DREADNOUGHT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 353, 19 April 1911, Page 3

AMERICA'S FIRST DREADNOUGHT.

The Michigan, the first of the completed Dreadnoughts of the United States Navy, is practically a facsimile of the British ship in everything except and speed, the displacement being from 3,000 tc 4,000 tons less than that of the typical Dreadnought of to-day, and her speed about two knots less. In respect of protection and armament however, she is fully qualified to lie in line of battle with the heaviest ships of the Dreadnought type. Although she carries but eight 12-inch guns as against ten carried by the British ships, the position of her turrets, all of which are on the centre line, enables her to deliver the same weight, of fire on either broadside, namely, eight 12-inch guns. Speaking of the penalties paid by the Michigan on account of her small displacement, it should be mentioned that it was necessary tc cut down her freeboard aft and lower the after two turrets. eight feet below the positions at which they are carried on our later Dreadnoughts of larger displacement. The Michigan is 450 feet long, between perpendiculars, 452 feet 9 inches over all, 80 feet 2A inches in breadth at the water line, and on a mean draft of 24 feet 6 inches has a displacement of 16,000 tons. Hci full load displacement is 17,617 tons. The speed called for by the contract is 18.5 knots, but she has done 20.01 over a measured mile. She is driven by twin-screw, reciprocating engines of 16,500 horse-power, and she has a maximum bunker capacity of 2.00 C tons. The armament consists of eight 45-calibre 12-inch guns mounted ic four turrets. The foremost pair are 25i- feet above the water. Back ol these are two guns in a single turret, which fire above the roof oi the forward turret and are carried at a height of 33-A- feet above the water. The superstructure occupies about one-third of the vessel's length amidship. It contains the conning tower and two smokestacks the two military masts, and two boat derricks, placed abreast of the smokestacks. Within the superstructure and carried on the spar deck is a battery of ten 3-inch guns for torpedo defence ; and twelve other 3-inch pieces are mounted on the superstructure bridges and elsewhere on points of vantage throughout the ship. Abaft of the structure are the remaining two 12-inch gun turrets, one mounted on the main deck at a command of about 17J feet above the sea, and ahead of this anothei turret with its guns carrying at a height of 251 feet above the water. This disposition of main armament gives a broadside of eight 12-inch and a fore-and-aft fire of four 12inch. The armour plan of the Michigan shows a waterline belt 8 feet wide, tapering amidships from 11 inches in thickness at the top to nine inches at the bottom. The belt reduces gradually to a thickness of 4 inches at the ends of the ship. Above the main belt, and extending from the forward to the after barbette, is another belt of armour 10 inches thick at its lower edge, 8 inches thick at its upper edge, and S feet in width. The barbettes for the 12-inch turrets are from lu to 8 inches in thickness. The turrets themselves have 12 inches of armour on the sloping portplate and S inches on the sides and at the back. The protective deck is l\ inches in thickness in its after portion. The big guns are manipulated by electric power, as are also the ammunition hoists. The torpedo equipment consists of two submerged torpedo tubes for the discharge of (he new 21-inch turbine-driven torpedo. At the present time the United States navy have completed or under construction eight Dreadnoughts : The Michigan and South Carolina, of 1.6,000 tons, carrying eight 12-inch guns ; the Delaware and North Dakota., of 20,000 tons, carrying ten 12inch guns ; the Florida and Utah, of 21,825 tons, mounting ten 12-inch guns ; and the W 7 yoming and Oklahoma, of 26.000 tons, each mounting twelve 12-iucb. guns.