Floating Airports

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 605, 6 March 1929, Page 11

Floating Airports

U.S. NAVY’S HUGE PLANE CARRIERS Faster Than Battleships FLOATING airports, with, runways nearly 900 feet long, sufficient for the largest of bombing machines to take off, and capable of travelling at a speed of approximately, 40 miles an hour, are the latest addition to the U.S. Navy, and two of these airports, capable of hurling an armada of planes into the air at a rate of more than one a minute, are now part of the Pacific Fleet.

With such speed in filling the air with bombers, combot and scout machines, the Lexington and Saratoga, the new aircraft carriers, present an element in naval warfare that promises to do much in making future battles at sea more decisive and more graphic than ever before.

electric power would be sufficient to supply the needs of a city with a population of 700,000. The Lexington is fitted with the most up-to-date radio equipment. The aerial is run to the deck from a single topmast, which is lowered when the vesesl passes under obstructions such as the Brooklyn Bridge. Electricity operates the steering gear, the airplane elevators, searchlights, cooking and refrigerating apparatus, machine shops, windlasses, sewing machines, etc.

These new vessels, the largest in the world, represent a concentration of naval science and destructiveness undreamed of before the war. Each displaces 33,000 tons, and contains an electric power plant capable of driving such massive bulks through the water faster than any capital ship. The Lexington, built at the Pore River yards of the Rethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Quincy, Mass., in its recent speed trials on the Pacific Coast established nve world’s records in a run from San Pedro, Cal,, to Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands. On the first day out the carrier made 700 miles, breaking the previous record for distance steamed in 24 hours. On the second day she exceeded her performance of the first day by covering 742 nautical miles. The remaining distance to Honolulu, 786 miles, was accomplished in 24 hours 34 minutes.

Fresh water for the ship is supplied by a gigantic evaporating plant, which will make 104,00 Ogallons of fresh water a day. The plant is the largest and most efficient distilling plant of its kind ever installed on any ship.

The capacity of the fresh and salt water pumps aboardl is 21,366,600 gallons an hour. These pumps are used for salt water, circulating, boiler feed, fresh water, fire main, sanitary systems, and other miscellaneous services. Oil pumps have a pumping capacity of 208,000 gallons an hour. Rudder Weighs 115 tons ’ The hrudder of this ship is of the balanced stream-line type, weighing 115 tons. It is controlled by hydroelectric machinery containing eight hydraulic rams. A feature of the ship is the stowage of lifeboats and auxiliary craft in recesses in the side, in order that the top deck may be wholly free for aircraft. The interior communicating systems include telephones and other means of transmission, which required the use of wiring to the length of 52 miles. Ship service is provided for by 325 telephones, as well as a general loud-speaker announcing telephone system consisting of 326 telephones. A call bel lsystem, comprising 500 annunciator drops, 710 push buttons, and 248 bells, is in operation. A feature of these interior systems is the provision made for sounding alarms, the fire alarm arrangements, consisting of 230 stations, and a general alarm gong system of 216 gongs and howlers.

Thus the ship on three successive days broke the 24-hour steaming record. She established a nfew record for miles steamed in three successive days, and set up a new record for the trip from the United States to the Hawaiian Islands of 72 hours 34 minutes over 2,228 nautical miles. The best previous record was 75hrs 34min, made by tbe light cruiser U.S.S. Omaha in 1923. The world’s 24-hour record for merchant ships of 675 miles, held by the Mauretania, is about 100 miles less than the Lexington’s run on the third day of her voyage. Refuelling at Sea The Saratoga is a sister ship of the Lexington. On her voyage from the Camden shipyards to the Pacific this carried demonstrated the possibility of ber being used as a base for dirigibles. Tbe great Los Angeles effected a landing on her vast deck while the Saratoga was travelling at a speed of 15 knots. The Los Angeles is 680 feet long. This feat demonstrated the feasibility of refuelling dirigibles and aircraft at sea. With such landing places at sea, the radius of operation of all aircrart will be greatly increased. The Lexington and Saratoga present a radical departure from accepted standards in the building of battleships and curisers. Instead of the funnels being in the centre of the vessel, with the gun turrets ranged round them, they have been placed to one side, with the gun turrets, containing the most modern anti-aircraft weapons, in a straight line forward and aft.

The food is cooked on 15 electric ranges, and in seven electric Labour-saving machines used in meat: peeling are fitted, and many other a.pplances all intended to relieve drudgery and promote happiness. Th crew of the Lexington numbers 1,904. The living quarters are all above the water line, thus providing as much natural light and ventilation as posisbie. The ship, however, is fitted throughout with mechanical ventilation, the intake and exhaust flow being regulated to the needs of each compartment. All the officers cabins are fitted with steel furniture, and there is a comfortable reading and reception room provided for the crew.

The armament of the ship is aimed primarily at air attack, by which an enemy would attempt to keep the airplanes from taking their part in the engagement. There are five 5-inch anti-aircraft guns and eight 8-inch guns on board each ship. The electric machinery on each carrier is the most powerful ever installed on board a ship. On each there are four 35,000-kilowatt turbine generator sets, supplying electricity to drive eight 22,500-h.p. motors, connected in pairs to the four propeller shafts. This tremendous force, equivalent to 180,000-h.p., is greater than the combined rated output of the six electrically-driven battleships now in commission—the New Mexico, California, Tennesse, Maryland, Colorado, and West Virginia. This amount of