Ships of the Navy Thei-~Types.And Uses
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Pa~e Eleyea Ships of the Navy Thei-~Types.and Uses which case the latter craft is Why a Battle Fleet Has a blind and may become an easy (Acme •••••••• ) prey to depth charges dropped TU U. S. S. Colorado. ODe of from the sterns of the destroy- Am.rlc:cr'1 b •• t battl.lhlpa. ers. Mines also are effective Variety of Vessels weapons for use against sub- marines . (Continu.d from page thr ••• ) ries but LO six-Inch guns. The • In addition to the various last named craft is 555% teet vessels, 011 or coal In the case of types of war era f t atorede- long over all, with a 55· foot Japanese), the heavy cruiser at scribed, there are numerous beam. economical speed has a range ot others, such as gunboats, mont- In addition to the Memphis' approximately 18,000 mlles, al- tors, sloops, torpedo boats, and 10 main battery guns, she car- though at full speed it eats up mine layers. There also are a ries four three-inch anti-aircraft fuel so rapidly that Its radius is number of dUferent types of ves- guns, and two three-pounders. limited to 3,000or 4,000miles. sels that are a part of every first She also has six 21-inch torpedo The Italian navy possesses class navy but which are non- tubes in two triple deck mount- some amazingly speedy heavy combatant craft, such as mtne Ings. The maximum range of cruisers. Take tor example the sweepers, repair ships, hospital her heaviest guns is 22,000 10,()()().tonBolzano, which is 627 ships, fuel ships, and the like. yards, the effective range 18,000 teet long over all. She is equipped The so -called armored cruiser yards. The vessel's engines de- with four geared turbines of a and the so called protected total of 150,000horsepower and velop more than 90,000 horse- cruiser were not considered In power, and her speed is in excess has a maximum speed ot 39 the descriptions because of the of 34 knots. Her side armor is knots. On her eight-hour trial fact that they have almost dis- 3 Inches thick and her upper run she averaged 38 knots. The appeared from the navies of the Bolzano carries eight 8-lnch guns deck armor 1% inches thick. world. Also not considered were As a part of a fleet, the light as her main battery, sixteen 3.9- guns. It has eight 8-Inch guns draught of 914 feet. This craft crews are unenvied. Being em- feet in the beam. It costs the the so-called pocket battleships cruiser's duty Is to assist In de- Inch anti-alrcraft guns, eight 37- mounted m four turrets, twelve carries a crew of 162officers and ployed both upon the surface government to construct about of the Germans, which. though fending the capital ships and air- mm. anti -aircraft guns, eight 5-inch antl-alrcrart guns, four 6- men, has flve 5-Inch dual pur- and submerged, submarines are two and a half mlllion dollars, they carry six 11·inch guns each plane carriers trom torpedo at- 13.~-mm.antl-alrcraft guns, eight pounders, and eight 5O-caliber pose guns, useful, as the term equipped with dual power plants. and carries a crew of fifty men. as their main batteries, are no tacks by submarines and de- 21-inch .torpedo tubes, and one machine guns. It is unofficially Implies, against either surface Diesel engines propel them on It is equipped with a three-Inch greater In tonnage than cruisers stroyers, and also to flght off catapult for launching airplanes. reported to possess 6-inch thick craft or airplanes; four machine the surface, power is derived anti-aircraft gun and six 21-inch and carty relatively light armor. Her weakness lies In her armor, hostile craft of Its own class. belt armor extending for 600 guns, and eight 21-inch torpedo, from electric batteries when torpedo tubes. which on the sides and turrets Is When the fleet Is in movement feet along the sides and three- tubes. they operate as subsea boats. For lack of statistics it is im- only '2% Inches thick, on the con- light cruisers generally occupy Inch deck armor. Its biggest Supplied with geared turbines Still somewhat in the expert- possible to reveal the speed of ••• ning tower only 3 Inches thick, positions in a protective circle guns have a range of 28,000 of 42,800 rated horsepower, this mental stage, submarines are of this craft or to tell how many Considerable experimentation and on the deck only 2 Inches that Is closer to the capital ships yards. destroyer is capable of making various types and sizes, ranging torpedoes she carries, but, tak- is under way In certain Eur0- thick. than that of the heavy cruisers. With eight propelling motors. more than 36 knots. Its cruising from those of 500 tons to those ing them as a group, submarines pean navies, especially In those The heavy cruisers are the In this case they are performing each rated at 22,500horsepower, radius is about 6,000 mlles. In of more than 2,000 tons. These have average surface speeds of Great Britain and Italy, in the cavalry of the fleet. They form a service similar to that ot the the Lexington has a total horse- fairly smooth waters it is a flgUres have to do with the ves- ranging from 14 to 21 knots, and development of high speed tor- a horseshoe around the fleet destroyers. Light cruisers lead power rating of 180,000. Its speedy vessel indeed, but in a sels afloat. SUbmerged their submerged speeds rangIng up pedo motor boats. Some of these when it is In movement, the open destroyers In torpedo attacks to motors, however, have developed heavy sea it bucks so badly that total displacement is consider- to 11 knots and carry from eight vessels are small enough to be end of the horseshoe at the rear. aid the smaller vessels In over- 210,000 horsepower while matn- it can not go as fast as a cruiser ably more. A submarine displac- to 16 or more torpedoes, depend- carried aboard a battleship or a They also may be detached tem- coming enemy opposition. Be- talning a speed for the craft of t hat normally develops less ing 2,710 tons while afloat on Ing upon the size of the craft cruiser. They have speeds of ap- porarily from the fleet to move cause her guns are outranged by 34.5 knots. Only one ship, the speed. the surface, for example, dis- and the number of tubes with proximately 40 knots and' a as a separate curtain at some those of the heavy cruiser, the liner Queen Mary, has greater Slightly larger than the stand- places 4,080 tons submerged; which she is equipped. range of action up to 1,000mlles. distance In advance or to the side light cruiser Is no match for the propelling power than the Lex- ard destroyer is the craft known Submarines frequently are di- Submarines, as the World war American naval opinion seems flrst-named vessel. In a tight of the bigger ships in order to Ington and the Saratoga. as the flotilla leader, a number vided into three general classes, revealed, are especially destruc- not to favor these motor torpedo place a light cruIser's best pro- contact the enemy. When they Airplane carriers are extreme- of which are represented in the oceangoing, seagoing, and tive when employed against mer- boats as effective weapons, hold: do contact a foe it is their busi- tection is her speed. ly wlnerable craft, therefore, American navy. With virtually coastal. Those constructed and chant ships. They also can be Ing them to be even less destruc- Numerous and varied are the ness to put the hostile cruisers they never would be sent to sea the same armament as the equipped to operate with a fleet used to advantage against war- tive than the old type of steam or smaller vessels out of action, assignments given to the light In time of war without other ves- standard destroyer, this vessel are known as fleet submarines. craft, and quite effectively as torpedo boat. that was driven off to keep on the alert for enemy cruiser in addition to those as- sels to guard them. As a part is of 1,850 tons dispiacement, Those capable of traveling long an arm of " battle fleet. In the sea by the destroyer. It is sociated with the fleet at sea. As submarines and to flght a bang- of a battle fleet, their speed 372 feet long on the waterline, distances without refueling are this duty they usually travel at . conceded, however, that these commerce raiders light cruisers up battle with all hostile craft would permit them to keep up 36% feet in the beam, and draws known as cruiser submarines. some distance (several miles) small craft, the " mosquito except capital ships. The heavy have no equal. They can stay at with the faster vessels, and their 10% feet of water. Supplied The chief duty of the majority of ahead and to the sIdes of the fleet" as they are called; might sea a long time, cover many cruiser is not equipped to stand planes would be highly effective with 50,000 horsepower, the- these vessels is to torpedo fleet, outsIde the protective be considerably more dangerous mlles in their cruises, inflict up against a battleship, she Is for observation and as weapons flotilla leader is capable of 37 enemy vessels or halt and de- horseshoe formed by the heavy In smooth waters such as found heavy damage on enemy ship- too vulnerable to the battleships' against hostile craft.