THE LAST WORD.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15895, 21 January 1924, Page 6

THE LAST WORD.

UNCLE SAM'S NEW WARBHIP. AIRCRAFT ATTACKS HELD AT BAY. The most powerful battleship in the world, a milestone in engineering propress, and a splendid training school for young Americans—such is the electrically propelled U.S.s. Colorado, the latest super-dreadnought to be added to the navy of the United States.

Though the Colorado is primarily a lighting machine, she need never fire a shot at an enemy in order to earn her cost of £5,500,000 many times over for her country. She is a vast experimental laboratory of marine engineering. The most advanced designs in ship equipment of every description, from huge electric propeller motors to potato-peelers, will be tested out on her with minute accuracy and under every kind of service conditions, and the results of these tests will be given to American shipbuilders.

The Colorado also offers unsurpassed opportunities to young men. Every year she will teach hundreds of recruits the fundamental things that will be useful all their lives —health, self-respect, and self-reliance—and will train them in any of a score of" trades that they may select, from aviation or electricity to music or stenography. They will return to civil life proved men who have forgotten that such words as "I can't" exist in the English language. A Terrific Broadside. The main battery of the Colorado consists of eight 16-inch guns mounted on four turrets, two forward and two aft. These guns are the largest permitted by the Washington Arms Conference, and are considered by naval authorities to be superior in range and striking power to any ordinance possessed by foreign navies. With them the Colorado can drop eight tons of steel and 'high explosives on the deck on an enemy 20 miles awaya stroke that will put out of commission anything now afloat. And she cannot only strike hard, but strike quickly, too. Speed of action is, in fact, essential in modern naval warfare. So efficient is the Colorado's system of aiming and Are control that she can unloose her terrific broadside with deadly accuracy within less than a minute after the enemy is discovered by the scouting airplanes. The main control station for this system is located on the top of one of the cage masts, 140 feet above sea-level, but several duplicate stations are located in more protected parts of the vessel ready for use in case the superrtructure is shot away. The Lessons of Jutland. Next in importance to -ner striking power is the Colorado's ability to resist attack. She is a "post-Jutland" vessel; that is to say, she has incorporated in her design all of the lessons taught by the most important battle of the Great War, and is protected alike from direct fire, plunging fire, submarine torpedoes, and airplane bombs. Not only has she an 18-inch belt of main'armour and several heavy protective decks, but she is a honeycomb of watertight compartments, and must be literally shot to pieces before she can be put out of action or sunk. Anti-Aircraft Guns. For dealing with airplanes, she has four 3-inch anti-aircraft gun l * with a vertical range of two miles, and also carries several battle 'planes for direct action. It is estimated by naval authorities that it requires at least five direct hits in a vital part by air bombs to disable a modern battleship, and that an aviator of the highest skill, undisturbed by anti-aircraft guns and enemy 'planes, can make but one hit with 25 bombs on a motionless vessel. With a ship in erratic motion and protected by artillery and battle 'planes, therefore, the percentage of hits from attacking aircraft must be very small; so that the airplane, like the submarine, is a dangerous, but by no means fatal, enemy to the battleship. A secondary battery of fourteen 5incli guns will protect the Colorado from destroyers and similar small craft; ajicl an observation balloon and several scouting 'planes will give her the necessary range of vision for long t distance action.

Like all United Slates battleships built sinhe 1915, the Colorado is propelled by electricity. A group of meters mounted on a panel in the con-trol-room gives definite information concerning the operation of each important machine in the ship, by a system of inter-locks makes the closing of wrong connections impossible. Thus the Colorado can be manoeuvred instantly with the utmost precision, and is thoroughly safe-guarded against errors of manipulation of the control switches. i

When the full power of both turbines is employed, the Colorado's estimated speed is 21 knots. For ordinary cruising purposes, however, only one turbine, giving a speed of around 15 knots, will be used. The living quarters for the Colorado's crew are spacious, light, and comfortable. There are reading and writing rooms, a library, a recreation room, a special ladies' room for visitors, a laundry with no limitation t as to the number of pieces, a barber's shop, a cobbler's shop, and a moving picture machine which will bo in constant use. In addition, the Colorado's oil-burning boilers and electrical machinery eliminate much of the real drudgery of sea life, so that it is quite certain she will become one of ihe most popular vessels in.,the service.