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By far the most important ships building for our navy to-day are the two big battleships “North Dakota,” under construction at the Fore River yard, and “Delaware,” now building at Newport News, Va. These ships, to use the current phrase, are the “answer” of the United States to the battleships of the “Dreadnought” type, which are being constructed for other navies. On the cover of this issue is a drawing of the “Delaware,” which gives a good impression of her lofty freeboard, great length, and formidable fighting qualities. These ships are a great advance upon the “South Carolina” and “Michigan"; for in them it was possible to remedy the defects of low freeboard and low speed, while the battery is greater by two 12- inch guns and a powerful secondary battery of 5-inch pieces. Furthermore, the great displacement of these ships has made it possible to give them an amount of armor protection never before approached. The speed has been raised to 21 knots, and the bunker capacity is also very large. The system of mounting all guns on the center line of the ship, adopted in the “South Carolina” and “Michigan,” has been followed, with the result that their broadside fire is twenty- five per cent greater than that of the “Dreadnought,” and will probably equal that of any battleship afloat at the time they will go into commission. The ships will be 510 feet on the waterline, 85 feet 2% inches in maximum breadth, and will displace on trial 20,000 tons on a mean draft of 26 feet 10%, inches. On trial they must carry 1,000 tons of coal in bunkers whose total capacity is 2,500 tons, and the speed must be 21 knots. The “Delaware” and her sister follow the “Dreadnought” type, in having a long forecastle deck extending from the bow to about the center of the ship. The main deck, below this, has the same free-1 board as the “Connecticut,” or say about 20 feet. The forecastle deck has a freeboard of 28 feet. The 12-inch guns are mounted as follows: Forward is a two- gun turret, with the axes of its guns 24 feet above the waterline. Close abaft of this, with its barbette of sufficient height for the guns to clear the roof of the forward turret, is another turret, carrying two 12-inch guns. Immediately abaft the break of the forecastle deck are two two-gun turrets, the guns of the forward pair firing over the roof of the after pair. These guns, like those on the forecastle deck, are located on the axis of the ship. Abaft is the fifth turret, so placed that its guns have a command of 24 feet above the waterline. It will be seen from this description how excellently are placed the guns of the main battery. Four of them have a command of 24 feet, four of 30 feet, and I one pair, the second pair from the bow, is carried at a height of about 36 feet above the water. The battery of fourteen 5-inch guns for repelling torpedo- boat attack is mounted in broadside; two of the guns forward in the bow in spon- sons, so arranged that each has a slight arc of fire across the axis of the ship. Two others are mounted astern on the gun deck, and the other ten in broadside in a central battery. The armor protection is unusually complete, superior even SUBMARINE SIGNALS FOR SUBMARINES SUBMARINE SIGNALS, as installed on the Octopus and CuttlefisA, are the only means whereby submarine boats can always keep in communication with their tenders, both sending and receiving such signals at distances up to five miles or more SUBMARINE SIGNAL- COMPANY BOSTON, MASS., ..nd .LONDON, ENGLAND BREMEN : Norddeutsche Maschinen- und Armaturen-Fabrik, Agents The Mietz&Weiss Marine and Stationary Oil Engines Used in the United States and Most All Foreign Navies to that of the “South Carolina” and “Michigan.” The belt is 11 inches thick by 8 feet in width, and above it the side of the ship is protected by a secondary belt 7 feet 3 inches wide and 10 inches thick. These two belts afford a reasonable assurance of the maintenance and stability of the ship under battle conditions. Above the main casemate armor, amidships, the side is protected by 5-inch armor, behind which are mounted ten of the 5-inch guns. This armor also affords protection to the bases of the smoke- pipes. The percentage of weight allotted to hull and armor in these ships is considerably greater than the percentage of such weights allotted to similar purposes in the largest battleship now afloat. The contract speed is 21 knots, and this is to be obtained in the “Delaware” by reciprocating engines, and in the “North Dakota” by turbines of the Curtis type. Operate on Kerosene Oil, Fuel Oil, Alcohol, Crude Oil and Distillate. Stationary, I to 150 horse power; Marine, I to 120 horse power. Over 40, horse power in operation. Send for catalogue. August Mietz Iron Foundry&Machine Works, 128-38 Mott St., New York WITTE GAIOLAKE ENGINES Positively beyond .ill question of a doubt, the highest type of perfection yet attniued iu modern gas engine construction. 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