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TAE MARINE. REVIEW 29 LAUNCH OF THE VERMONT. guns; two 3-in. field pieces; two machine guns, caliber, 330% six automatic guns, caliber .30. 'Vhe battery will be mounted as follows: The 12-in. guns in pairs in two electrically controlled, balanced, elliptical tur- rets on the center line, one forward and one aft, each with an arc of fire of about 270 degrees. The 8-in. guns in pairs in four electrically controlled, balanced, elliptical turrets, two. on each beam, at each end of the superstructure. The 7-in. guns in broadside on pedestal mounts on the gun deck behind 7-in. armor, each gun being isolated by splinter bulk- heads of nickel steel of from 1%4 to 2 in. thick; forward and after guns arranged to fire right ahead and right astern respectively; other 7-in. guns to have the usual broadside train. The guns of the secondary taney in commanding position, oe having a large arc of unobstructed fire, and protected ae ever practicable. All the 7-in. guns are so arranged that their muzzles train: inside the line of the side armor, thus leaving a clear and unobstructed side when it is desired to go alongstie a pier or vessel. Rirundenicnes will be made whereby the 3-in. guns on the. main deck can be quickly and conveniently dismounted, housed, and secured. Armor and Similar. Protection--The hull is protected at the water line by a complete belt of armor 9. ft..3. in. wide, having a maximum thickness of 11 in. for about 200 ft. amidship. Forward and aft of this the maximum thickness is gradually decreased to 4 in. at the stem and stern. The lower casemate armor extends to the limits of the magazine spaces and reaches from the top of the water-line belt to the lower edge of the 7-in. gun ports on the main deck, and is 6 in. in thickness, the athwartship bulkheads at the ends of this casemate also being 6 in. thick. The casemate armor around the 7-in. guns on the gun deck is 7 in. thick, and the splinter bulkheads are from 1% to 2 in. thick. The protection of 3 in! guns is nickel steel 2 in. thick. The upper casemate athwartship armor extending from the shell plating to the 12-in. barbettes is to be 7 in. thick throughout. ; The 12-in. barbettes extend ein the ipotactive: dee to about 4 ft. above the main deck, and consist of 10 in. of armor in front and 7% in. in the rear above the gun deck. Between the gun deck and protective deck there will be a uniform thickness of 6 in. 'The barbettes will not have any special framing, the connection of the armor to the decks being sufficient. The 12-in. turrets will have a front bate 12 in. thick, rear plates 8 in. thick, and top plates 21% in. thick. The 8-in. barbettes will be 6 in. thick in front and 4 in. thick in rear, with the upper tube 334 in. thick and the lower tube. 3. im, thick. The 8-in. turret front plate will be 614 in. thick, the rear plate 6 in. thick, and the top plates 2 in thick. The conning tower and shield will each be 9 in., and the signal tower 6 in. thick. An armor tube 36 in. in diameter will extend from the base of the conning tower to the pro- tective deck, and will be 6 in. thick throughout. Teak backing of a minimum thickness of 3 in. will be fit- ted behind all side, athwartship, and 1I2-in. armor; 2 in. of backing to be fitted behind the 8-in. turret armor; other ar-. mor will be fitted without backing... Protective Deck--There is a complete protective deck ex- tending from stem to stern, the deck being flat amidships, but sloped at the sides throughout, and sloped at each end. It will be built up of 20-lb. plating throughout, with nickel steel of 40 lbs. on the flat and of 100 lbs on the slopes. The following nickel steel protection is also to be fitted: Hatch covers and gratings in the protective deck; splinter bulkheads on gun deck; sponsons and wing plates for two forward 3-in. guns on gun deck; bullet shields between wing plates for 3-in. guns and 7-in. guns; side protection and wing plates for 3-in. guns on main deck; turret shelf plates; conning tower base plates; 7-in. gun port sill plates; 80-lb. protection on ammunition hoist trunks not otherwise pro- "tected by armor, and 80 lbs. protection on coaling trunks on slope of protective deck to the height of berth deck amidships. Cofferdams about 30 in. thick and extending from protec- tive deck level will be worked from end to end of the vessel, these cofferdams being extended above the berth deck, for- ward and abaft the transverse armor, to a height of about 36. inches. The cofferdams will be packed with cellulose or other ap- proved water excluding mineral. Ammunition.--The magazines and shell rooms are. so. ar-. ranged that about one-half the total supply of .ammunition will be catried at each end of the ship. Magazine bulkheads adjacent to heated compartments, such as firerooms, engine rooms, and dynamo rooms, are arranged with air spaces. © The ammunition for 7-in. and smaller guns will be con- veyed by hoists directly from the ammunition rooms or am- munition passages to the deck on which it. is required, or as near that as possible. These hoists will be driven at con- stant speed by an electric motor. and will be arranged to de- liver seven pieces per hoist per minute. 2 The number of hoists will be as follows: Twelve for 7-in., fourteen for 3-in., 3-pounder and 1-pounder .combined, and sufficient whip hoists to the tops. To supply the. 7-in. hoists, four horizontal ammunition conveyers, operated by electric motors, will be fitted in ammunition passages for the trans- fer of ammunition from the handling rooms to the base of the hoists. The turret guns have regular turret ammunition hoists, op- CONTINUED ON PAGE 32. scleihiettiariiamidanmena nn Ale ti