ENGINEERING PROGRESS IN THE U. S. NAVY. 83 



Another point that should not be overlooked — give the engineers time to 

 know and understand this new machinery. For instance, it is new to practically 

 every man on your latest battleships, the Wyoming and the Arkansas, and I know 

 none of them have been shipmates with turbines before. 



As regards economy at cruising speeds, from all accounts the ships of the 

 Atlantic fleet are now cruising at speeds varying from 14 to 16 knots regularly, 

 and under such conditions I feel certain that the turbine ships will compare equally 

 as well, if not better, than the reciprocating-engine ships. 



Your latest battleships are now being equipped solely for burning oil fuel 

 under the boilers, and to my mind the only possible solution in such a case is tur- 

 bine machinery; this has been proved conclusively in the destroyers. 



The question of economy at the low cruising speed of 10 knots will now have 

 to give way to a much more important one, namely, economy at the higher speeds. 

 With a four-shaft turbine installation it is possible to get at least 2 knots more out 

 of the vessel, without any undue strain on the machinery. I do not believe such 

 a condition is possible with reciprocating engines. Further, there is only a very 

 remote possibility by which the turbine engines of a four-shaft turbine battleship 

 can be put hors de combat. 



As regards a combination of reciprocating engines and turbines in battleships, 

 if this is again proposed, I would suggest that the turbines be placed on the out- 

 board shaft, which would get over the difficulty the author refers to, regarding the 

 efficiency of the turbine wheels. It may interest you to know that this arrange- 

 ment of machinery has proved exceptionally economical on larger merchant ships 

 of moderate speed. Some of these ships have three shafts and others have four 

 shafts. I do not, however, consider it suitable for a battleship. 



Many improvements have been made in Parsons turbine machinery both in 

 respect to improving economy and, what is also of just as much importance, less 

 liabiUty to breakdown. 



1. Blading is being made more rugged by fitting two binding strips to the 

 longer blades in place of one. 



2. Radial dummies will be fitted in low-power turbines of battleships, avoiding 

 all adjustments. 



3. Greater attention is being paid to fitting auxiliary exhaust nozzles where 

 they will give the best results, but I should Uke to mention that these connections 

 were fitted and used on the Chester. 



Further, it should be borne in mind that the Parsons turbines of the four 

 battleships now completed have machinery installations which were designed in 

 1908. 



Two destroyers fitted with Parsons reaction turbines of the latest design are 

 now being built at the Bath Iron Works, and these designs contain many improve- 

 ments over the earHer type. The machinery arrangement is entirely novel for 

 destroyers, and I feel confident in making the statement that these ships will be the 

 most economical throughout the whole turbine world. 



