BIG BATTLESHIPS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 82, 31 December 1907, Page 5

BIG BATTLESHIPS.

SIXTH DREADNOUGHT. LAID DOWN AT PORTSMOUTH. \ OT IELEQttArH—.rBESS ASSOCIATION—COPTBIGUft London, December 29. At Portsmouth yesterday, the sixth battlw Bhip of tho Dreadnought typo was laid dowa-. According to previous cablegrams, the fifth and sixth Dreadnoughts are to bo of 19,300 tons, as compared with the 18,000 tons of the Tomcruiro, Bellerophon, and Superb, and the 17,900 tons of the Dreadnought, the pioneer of the class. It, has been stated that Nos.-5 and C are to be of tho same horse-power and spoed as'the Bellerophon, 23,000 h.-p. and 21 knots. In a'lotter published on October 19, tho officials of tho Navy League state:— '■.-'■ •"The building, of the Dreadnought and her sisters unquestionably marks a new era in. the struggle for supremacy at sea. If-.the. Dreadnought has rendered till foreign ships ot earlier date in a 6cnse obsolete,-so also has she rendered all older British ships obsolete.- 1 How, then, does England stand at the beginning of this now era? To put the case as\ plainly as possible, the Navy League will ;J admit that in battleships' built before the \ Dreadnought epoch England had maintained I the-standard of equality to any two Powers. -A "Tho British Navy has at the present mo- f. Mont ono Dreadnought and two Lord IJoI-/'' sons complete, three Temeraires building, and three St., Vincents preparing to build, a-i total of nine battleship' units; In addition,* Britain has three immense armoured cruisers) of tho Invincible class building. These are vessels' with' tho armament of a powerful battleship, and oxcelloutly armoured. Adding • them in, the British totalis 12. Germany has four battleships of Dreadnought type build./ ing or preparing to build,' and, in addition,' two cruisers of Invincible typo, a total or six. Prance has six battleships of Dantoh.;. olass building'or preparing. to build, and-the United States four similar to the Dreadnought.As tbe.ro has beon delay in laying down- the : new German, 6hip6, the two-Power standard, lias, up to the present date, been maintained. I But if all the German ships counted above! should bo ,in : hand -by the close of the pre-; . sent. year, then, the British: Navy: will' have: ,12 large armoured ships built and building to: the 12 French,' and German, or the ten Gcr- 1 man and American. • There will be no margin) against Prance and Germany, though there will bo a margin- against Germany and the, United States combined. ' The' .two-Power \ standard will thus not be maintained unless, England adds to her programme for 1903 not: only sufficient units to meet the German v program,mo for next year . (three . large ;■ armoured' ships), but also units to provide a .margin of reserve."- -','.;■