G70 



Popular Science MoutJiIi/ 



"Is it not fair to assume, nay. is it not certain, 

 that if battlesliip displacement lias increased 

 from ten thousand tons in IS'*6 to thirty-two 

 thousand tons in 1916, that it will continue to 

 do so until the limit has been readied? Why 

 not go the limit at once? By so doing we scrap 

 the battleships of every navy in the world. . . ." 



Moffett's ship, shown behind the Pennsylvania and Oregon, is about as long as both vessels. 



The Thousand-Foot Battleship 



Commander Moffett's daring plan to beat the world 



HlTTIN'f". a target aflen niilt-.s wiili 

 liltceii-iiicli guns seems so cas\ a 

 task in \icw of the naval battles 

 fonglil olT the Doggc-r Hank and Jutland 

 tliat Admiral Sir C"\i)rian Hridge of the 

 Hritisli Na\'y, maintains tiiat it is in- 

 advisable to build warships bigger than 

 tliosc now in commission. Commaniler 

 William Adger MotTctt of our own Navy, 

 takes direct issue with him, arguing that 

 the whole tendency in warship construc- 

 tion from the days of the sailing frigate 

 to the modern super-dreadnought has 

 been toward the large ship wilii l.irge 



guns, lie boliily advocates a vessel 

 more than twice as large as any battlc- 

 sliip hitherto constructed — a veritable 

 Titan of the seas. 



In an article iiublished in "Sea Power," 

 ComnKinder MolTett points out that only 

 the size of the locks of ihe Panama Canal 

 limits the size of battleships. That 

 limit ajiplies to the warships of the entire 

 world as well; for no power would 

 sacrifice the advantage of being able to 

 send its Heel through the Canal. Since 

 the P.m.im.i C.mal locks will receive 

 \essels of one thous.iiul feel length and 



