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~ | | MARINE REVIEW. i INCREASING OUR FIGHTING STRENGTH. THE YEAR 1900 WILL BREAK ALL RECORDS FOR THE NUMBER OF NEW SHIPS ADDED TO THE NAVY--FIVE POWERFUL BATTLESHIPS, ONE CRUISER AND_NUMEROUS TORPEDO ORAFT WILL BE COMPLETED-- GENERAL WASHINGTON NEWS. Wasuinetos Orrick Marines Review, 13845 PenNsyLVANIA AVE. WASHINGTON, D. C., Dec. 13, 1899. j As already outlined in the Review, the year 1900 will break all pre- vious records for the number of new ships of various types added to the navy. But for the delays in the construction of the destroyers--the 30- knot vessels--and the torpedo boats of less speed, the increase of naval strength in 1900 would be of still greater proportions. Five of the most powerful battleships yet undertaken will be ready for commission during the year, and if the crews can possibly be obtained all will see active service before the early autumn. These vessels will materially increase the fighting strength of the service and will give to the home station a more powerful aggregation of heavy ships than was ever assembled under the American flag. In this class will be the Kearsarge and Kentucky, sister vessels, and the product of the Newport News works. Each has had most successful official trial trips within the past few weeks and both have shown that in speed and efficiency they outclass the Oregon and Towa class. No vessels in any navy approximate these two ships in battery, power and arrangement of the heavier guns in the superimposed turrets fore and aft. While regarded as an experiment, able ordnance officers have given their unqualified approval of the system. Equally powerful, but having a different battery, is the Alabama, 'building at Cramps, and expected to be ready for acceptance early in February. Capt. Brownson, who is to command this ship, speaks of it in terms of praise and predicts a fine record for it. Later in the year the Illinois and Wisconsin will be a part of the fighting strength, the former being due for commission in October and the latter on May I next. The Union Iron works, which has constructed some of the finest of the ships, including the Oregon and Olympia, are builders of the Wisconsin, "while the Newport News company has the Illinois on hand. The delay in completing the latter has been due to the immense amount of govern- ment work on hand at that yard, which now includes three battleships -and one monitor. Next in point of size among vessels to be completed during the com- ing year will be the English-built cruiser Albany, now so far advanced that she should sail for New York to take her crew on board next month. Then come the torpedo craft Bainbridge, Chauncey and Barry, building at Philadelphia, and which are due in August; the Dale and Decatur, building at Richmond, in November; the Hopkins and Hull at Wilming- ton, in December; the Lawrence and Macdonough at Weymouth, Mass., 'in June or July, and the Paul Jones at San Francisco, about the same 'time. The Truxton, Whipple and Worden, building at Sparrow's Point, 'are in doubt, but will probably not be finished until early in 1901. The 'Bailey, Goldsborough, Bagley, Burney, Blakely, Biddle, De Long, Nicholson, O'Brien, Shubrick, Stockton, Thornton, Tingey and Wilkes should also, according to reports, be a part of the service during the next year. ; Representative Underwood of Alabama, will renew in the present congress his fight to secure the erection by the government of an armor plate factory. He has already introduced a bill for that purpose, which will be considered by the committee on naval affairs. In view of the proposed increase of ships for the navy and the large amount of armor plate to be used by the government it is said to be not improbable that the Underwood bill will claim the early attention of congress. In'this connection itis well to note that the secretary of the navy has transmitted to the senate the report by Read Admiral O'Neil upon the subject of armor plate for naval vessels. As already foreshadowed in the Review, it: goes into the subject of the manufacture of armor plate in great detail and concludes by recommending that the restriction of price be removed. If _this restriction is not removed it will be impossible to continue the con- struction of modern naval vessels. As to the establishment of a govern- ment armor plate factory, it is asserted that owing to the increase in the price of materials, it is necessary to add 30 per cent. to the estimate of $3,000,000 heretofore made regarding the cost of such plant. Secretary: Long's recommendation in Lis annual report for the con- solidation of the bureaus of construction, steam engineering and equip- ment will doubtless be carried through. Rear Admiral Hichborn will become the head of the consolidated bureaus. There has been under the present system of independent bureaus a great deal of friction. Every department wanted as much of the ship's space as it could possibly get and was forever warring for it. "The independent. system," said Ad- miral Hichborn in discussing the subject, "was all very well when the department was only building a few boats, but now we are building some fifty and several of them are battleships. No private concern could exist under the system which has obtained in the navy department. There must be one head in control and every department must work in harmony with him. I venture to say that with all his immense navy, Chief Con- structor White of the British navy does not work as long as I do. But he: knows what's going on and he knows that his plans are being fol- lowed out to the letter. He is in control." Three new warships with strictly Spanish names have now been added to the active service of the navy and commanding officers assigned them for duty with the Manila fleet. "All of them were sunk in the battle of Manila, then raised, taken to Hong Kong and overhauled at great expense. The money, however, is said to be well expended. The cruisers -are the Isla de Cuba, Isla de Luzon and Don Juan de Austria. Defects and errors in the original designs were corrected by Constructors Hob- son and Capps. The value of the vessels, exclusive of armament, is estimated to be $610,000 and the total cost of raising and repairing them reached $305,000, so that the government effected a saving of 50 per cent of the value of the vessels. These ships are very small and it is doubtful if they will be allowed to cross the Pacific. They will very probably be permanently assigned to the Asiatic squadron. BUILDING A GREAT NAVY. IF CONGRESS ADOPTS SECRETARY LONG'S RECOMMENDATION FOR EIGHTEEN MORE VESSELS, OUR NAVY WILL BE INCREASED BY SEVENTY-NINE VES- SELS WITHIN THE NEXT THREE YEARS--ELEVEN OF THEM BATTLESHIPS. If the present congress adopts the recommendation of Secretary Long of the navy for eighteen more vessels of war, our naval fleet, compared with what it is today, will be increased to the extent of seventy-nine new vessels of all kinds. This increase includes the battleships Kearsarge and Kentucky, as well as two or three of the torpedo craft that are, alike to the Kearsarge and Kentucky, practically completed. It includes also the three battleships and three armored cruisers, authorized by the last congress, but delayed on account of the limit of $300 a ton placed on armor; and also the gunboat that is to replace the Michigan on the great lakes, but which is delayed awaiting modifications of the treaty with Great Britain relative to the construction of war vessels on the lakes. Thus it may tbe said that if congress agrees to the construction of the eighteen new vessels now asked for, the additions to the fleet now in commission that will be made within the next three years, 'most of them in 1900 and 1901, will be as follows: Battleships, all of first class...... comes age sie Fs opere oresavgyontin Dapek N ogee MOTORS: gs ae aetna er th cae ye occ hoe mt Liter Sn. Sar ee ahiieaays Paes. aa NMENTOLe Cig CRUIS@TS gape pe tee Oe cation ahs Stais siadecs, 0s REE Oe es a a Protectedscniuisenseacrerriatrypeyehics aie acy. see yie Bers eke Uinprotecte ducKuisensiy ster se tess pint oe ea nee seine GIT) Oat pa see pe me EG teh ut aha tna ed Lick ct. te koi cua RO TP ed Om crane Paps eRe wee hate hoc Sea soe ovis to -scci avs cm te hv ean om era GtiGe slip Siar a espeeta ey hey iors cr PERE te icc esl Sc Senaviceder a weaceiee ck _ Co mtr COCO 109 Oe Heo ta lettin ean ee ee Fel eee AGS Bh ea oa a BES lh 719 The list of vessels actually under contract at the present time, with names of builders and probable dates of completion, is as follows: Probable date of Where and by whom building. Completion Name of vessel. BATTLEXHIPS. *[Cearsarge . ....|Newport News Works, Newport News, Va...... Jan. 1900. eWentncky a .|Newport News Works, Newport News, Va......| Feb. 1900. Illinois... .|Newport News Works, Newport News, Va......| Oct., 1900. Alabamat.......cccccecsecceees Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia..............sc0cces000-- Feb., 1400. Wiscomsin.,............000+ Union Iron Works, San Francisco.................. May, 1900. Maine:..8.. io cones Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia..............00:000000 June, 1901. Missouri: ce Newport News Works, Newport News, Va...... Feb. 1902. Ohio eee Union Iron Works, San Francisev............. .....- Mareh, 1902, MONITORS. Arkansag.....................|Newport News Works, Newport News, Va.....| Sept. 1901. Connecticut............00... Bath lron Works, Bath, Me..............::0ccee0ees March, 1901. HlGridarieccsscece te Lewis Nixon, Hlizabeth, N. Ju... 0c April, 1901. \Why Omni gs sneer eerecees Union lron Works, San Francisco. ................| March, 1901. CRUISERS. Albanyao eee Armstrong's, Newcastle, Eng................:csseeeee0: Jan. 1900. Denes. ccs heeseste Neatie &.Levy, Philadelphia..... ..| July, 1902. Galveston......................, Wm. R. Trigg, Richmond............. ..| Jan., 1902. Chattanooga «:............. Lewis Nixon, Elizabethport, N.J......0... ........| July, 1902. Cleveland................000+ Bath Iron Works, Bath, Me.........0...cc-sc0seeee. July, 1902. DCOMBE., ..s:cesneestecses es Union Iron Works, San Francisco............ ....../ April, 1902. Desmoines.............0c0000. Hore River Co., Weymouth, Mass............ .. -| July, 1902. PRACTICE SHIP. *Chesapeake.................| Bath Iron Works, (Bath yMe>.< crore ees Jan., 1900. TORPEDO CRAFT, -| Dee. , 1900. --| Dec., 1900. --| Dee., 1900. «| Nov., 1900. --| Nov., 1900. : Teme, tbe an., 1901. Fore River Co., Weymouth, Mass.........0..0-.0..-. June, 1900. Macdonough................ Hore River Co., Weymouth, Mass.........00.6000--. July, 1900. Paleloneseeen ees Union Iron Works, san Francisco. .... ............ August, 1900. Berrys es Union lron Works, San Francisco,............00.+. August, 1900. Preble................. ...... [Union Lron Works, San Hrancisc0........20....+.- August, 1900. Stowant tisicsssutiyeounts. Gas Engine & Power Uo., Morris Heights,N.Y.| {n doubt. sPraxtonye sete Maryland Steel Co., Sparrow's Point, Md........ In doubt. Wihipple:. tose Maryland Steel Co , Sparrow's Point, Md....... in doubt. Wordeneececccogiceesee a: Maryland Steel Co., Sparrow's Point, Md......... In doubt. eDahlorenenses.y-cety Bath Iron Works, Bath, Me...s...00.2-escee Reces. -Dee.; 1894. *T., A. M.' Crayen......... Bath Lron Works Bath) Menta. a sagen ee Dee., 1899. Baileyeee ene Gas Engine & Power Co., Morris Heights,N.Y.| July, 1900. Goldsborough.....é:........ Wolff & Zwicker, Portland: Ore.........:c2.s0.0-. April, 1900. Stringham. .|Harlan & Hollingsworth, Wilmington, Vel... April, 1900. Bagley... .|Bath Iron Works, Bath, Me@...............00c0000 devens Nov., 1900. Barney .|Bath Lron Works, Bath, Me.........ccccccsceecseses Nov., 1900. Biddle.. .|Bath Iron Works, Bath, Mez...............ss00000e-0.. Noy., 1900. Blakely Geo. Lawley & Son., $. Boston seers] April, 1900. Delong..... Geo. Lawley & Son. S. Boston.........ccscscsessseesess April, 1900. Nicholson.... .|Lewis Nixon, Elizabeth, N. J.. «| July, 1900. O'Brien ........eé.-++-.-...-|Lewis Nixon, Hlizabeth. N. J .-| July, 1900. Sub NGensdeeeenee sees Wi. R. 'Trigg, Richmond. --| April, 1900. MSCOCLO Te een ee Wm. R. 'Trigg, Richmond.. ..| April, 1900. Wm. k. Trigg, Richmond... -| April, 1900. Columbian lron Works, Baltimore aA t, 1900. Gas Engine & Power Co., Morris Heights, N.Y. October, 1900. SUBMARINE BOAT. Blungeric seats Columbia Iron Works, Baltimore. ................. In doubt. *Vessels completed; practically ready for service. The Pennsylvania Steel Co. has secured a contract from the Cuba Steel Ore Co. for the erection of a steel pier in Cuba. The pier will be 1,000 feet in length. {December {4, --