GREYHOUND CRUISERS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 521, 31 May 1909, Page 5

GREYHOUND CRUISERS.

INVINCIBLE'S TRIAL. SIX HOURS' SEA -RTJN AT 28 KNOTS. \ IBT TBI.KOU'APH —THEBS ASEiJCUTIOH—COFTKianT.I "(Rec. Hay 30, 4.45 p.m.) . 1 ■ ' ; . London, May 29. . ' In'a speed trial in the Channel, the .now Jjatfcloship-cruiser Irtvincibld (sister ship ;of the Indomitable and tho Inflexible) averaged 28 knots for'six hours. A SPEEDY, WELL-ARMED GROUP.' The Invincible, like her sister ships the Indomitable, and the Inflexible, is of the following dimensions: —17,250/ tons, 530 ft. - long, 78} ft. beam,=,23ffc. draught, 41,000; i.h.n., , estimated speed 25' knots. Each carries eight. 12-inch guns. " The estimated :cost, (including guns) islnvincible, .£1,765,925 ; ' Inflexible, •£1,708,613; Indomitable, . X 1,735,357. The buildere, respectively, afo:—Humphrey's, Elswick; J. Brown; Clydebank; Fairfield Co., Fairfield. A speed of 28 knots over six hours in the Channel ;is fat above the estimate, and apparently beats all records for-big craft. Last year, returning from the Canadian Tercentenary oelebrations ■ with the . Prince of ' Wales on board, the Indomitable ran the distance of 1684 .milos from the Straits of. Belleisle to. tho Taatnet (from land to land) in* 67 • hours. This gave, her-an ocean.speed iof 25.18 : knots.-. 'The speed from' Quebec to Cowes was/ 21,4 knots. The . fastest run in any single day was at the rata of 26.4 knots. Thero is no oruiser in the world which has approaohed such a speed in an ocean run. During the voyage all kinds of' weather ,were» encountered, and tho. Indomitable proved herself an admirable sea-boat. One of the , novel features of ' the voyage was that throughout, owing to the •powerful wireless telegraphy equipment with which she is fitted, she was able , to receive messages from the; Admiralty. ' The. object!for. which she and her sister ships have been built is—according to one writor— to deal with hostile bruisers, and in battle ta' compel the enemy ;to fight bv heading him ofl 'or conoontrating'on the head of his line.. One oomplete division .of four Indomitables is now ready or building, while there are two divisions of Dreadnoughts in hand, • each also of ' four ; ships, The Indomitable has' turbine engines of 41,000 horse-gower, driving four | screws. She can burn oil fuel in addition to coal. Her eight 12-inch guns oan all be fired on either broadside, so that her- armament is ■more powerful than, that of any battleship earlier than the Dreadnought. \ , "