MODERN ARMADA.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 571, 28 July 1909, Page 8

MODERN ARMADA.

THE GREATEST FLEET IN HISTORY. ! "'■ ■ ■■■■■■■■■■■■

,r IMPRESSIVE" SCENES,

TORPEDO ATTACK ON THE DREADNOUGHT '

'■]Tho' special •cbrrespbiid'orit'jof ■ tho ? Londrtn [ f 'l)aily; Mtiil-'?;givcs-tlio;following; graphic ?dc3criptidu ;of-thp'vgreat-naval- - display at Spithead:on-;Saturciay,■:June ; , , ?From,'; tho : crowded: I'iinprpssioris of ■•■■ tho mighty s'pectaclo at; Spithcad 'on Saturday, thero; errierges' ono' figure .that.' stands out in ;a. certain ■ dramatic isolation.,.'. ; It; is tho figuro of a man .'in? a, largo_"brownvovercoat; tho. riiaiiiier ;at .onco '.vivacious-, and masterful;: directj? ponet'rating';'eye;-.'wide,':inobilo' mouth; : an air of -.'swift.'dec'isibn-juid -assured power, it was i tho figuro of Sir John Eishor. l''or? it was not' merely tho ..might of, Britain that..'wo ?witncsscd? at Spithoad;,it.was .thp triumph.. of ;thb greatest naval .reformer •in history.;., ■--■• ■■ '". ■:?'".;.,:' .■ '.''.■" , ''-." 1 - : " ;■; No fleot comparablo • with that lassembled biij? Saturday - has over' bebn'.seen; before. More ships may? have, been;'.gathered together for show ; but'hero':was..,a striking unit' of 150 vessels of war, complete in every detail, from .battleship .to''scput,;.ready for 1 instant ; . service,? not .mobilised;, from remote waters,: but.'accessible .at.:>,.day's notice.. An unexampled thing incredible ten years: ago, when? to havo .gathered such a> : fleet within iour, waters would.' havp ■ been

a:-'matter' of mouths'and' enormous "expense, 'ind. hero it was assembled?as it .wero naturally (by ineiely? : pres'sing.;a.;buUpri. '.'All the .navies of?.tlio world ..together...could not 'have produced its match,.'for?..herb-.were 'seven Dreaduoudits, and all the rest of tho world '.dpes.-not ?hold?oiic. v And. this ?amaziug fleet, with: its instancy and power,-..was-itho'work .'of-tho man?in tho ; brbwn;overcoat; "Exegi moiiumentnm," ho I ?might; havo ■ said ■ withr 'rat'vanity, as ho; gazed on those? long vistas of:grey;hulks arid soaring mastheads. Ho' had; accomplished a. revolution—a revolution iri,?.coristructiori, in ,inf strategy, in seamanship,—and here was the'-fesult. ; Ho iyas surrounded by all?his friends: and foes,; 'ther.centro.o.f the -most; lurid' lightnings of cbritrpversy..? To this group:he ,was?.the :bo-. .traycr, of. Britain's,;power, >;to-"that he-was .the saviour'?of;Britain's? supremacy; : to'all the ono coritral'.dbmiiiating -figure— beginning with ,'his' famous book on gunnery,'.-had ,prided. ing, the' British fleet arid?charigiiig. the? wholo ■ riayal thought of thoWorld." So -much for the; man. Letrus turn:tqi.tlip: occasion. It ■was;the;c!iniax?.of:.,a ; .ui;eriiprablo', v/eek. .-'lt waS'tlib' find)., 'episode in; tli6; crowded •chapter of the??visit',:-of ; ;ftho'editors?, from;-Greater ?Britairi■-to/the; neaijt of.'thb Empire.? '.As wo passad along' tbo/eiid ['of:'the. lines'arid ; looked clo.wn.thb ilong sea lanes., betwee lis we seeiiied to/scb .'.the! ships ;fadiiig'; ,; away-" into : infinity, so. vast:,'was,;tho v ,stage,- so'[numerous; the /silent :;actors;,that:iay 'iriotidnless; '?bn ;the .mbtionless'lea?iri'a?kind ,of.;StilI A expectancy. ' ) ;:-:?'??[;- : [[-:-:;[[[ : Tflo['Paseahti ff;'-f:.f '~ Passing.' the "[destroyers, lying in four.?lines,?wo.cariio'tb;thb;threo lines .bt. .b;attl(^ips'[and'.«^isbrs/;the. , 'first::hc.aded' by the Ureadriought''and;her?[throo'..sister[ships, thejßellerpphbn, Superb, ;arid-;Temc.raire. Tho -next lino was hcaded-.by the ■ King,.Edwards, ■and the.last by the Prkcb''of-JVales. ■ Doivri ;this?last averiuc,-/the following [tlic Enchantress; tie'rried :?pflrsiiiiig' her' way .th'roiigli; the ?heart of ?the' ~; Navy., [Glinta ~of.;sunjslibt[;-'thro'ugh, tlio groy,.iky, picki.iig;[out:?tlw;.biiiiiicg'[ii&;bf■? this-ship?,, i.now"(of ■.•■.'thatj'ixand';'touchingj.i'Kb.jgroy: sea, to '.Out of; the ?lan6 we:emerged,?and swept' r p"ast thc'.thirty['eiglit ■ subniariries in •St-pke , s['Bay, .tHienback int-b ~tho'?'first' laiib'ofi.'Pi'uiscrs ,and; Sivip'V past : the three- 'great arniourb'd ; ?bfuis-. [e'rs, of .the;Dreadrioiigh.t i -type,..thb Invinciblo,; •InfloxiblCj/aiid:,lri(]c.mitab'le,' and [so -'.'along-' ,side,t ; hb,:l)re[adnbught'itself..' ?„■?:; z'.■'■'■'■':

•'itflero.'-bur' tour of the fleet ended.'-.. Wo )Vbht : -aboard?-.the historic ship,?'? tho/ very focus'of ".the: t!re*tt? l hTOl^,cfo r iit'i[o-ersy "of .the time. .:[.'Avspipriaid. scene! All tho civil-and. active authority;bf,itho':Nayy,'jdbrds and pa!? lords, ■■Ministers..;arid-, .admirals; [?wbro■ among .übiv'iviAVliatVm-iftgle'd'tfeelings were here!. The', .Dreaynought^was".it;'-fo'r good or ; evil?,.True; .6hatyt['lias'revoluti(}niired tlio',Nayy[.:arid.'atjed'.' [of; the'[fleet .befbrp :'its'?timb. : But, ;not less'.true that, this,;: the most'effective: iiistriimerit?:bf ?sba-ppwer,' ; ?Hvas:' "bound: ?.to ; c^riie''—arid ,'sh6uld;nbt! : wp:liaveit :: first?Op- : posi-teilaythe' the last', word' in tho_:old.;coii.4ruct-ibii''; hero was' tho first, .word invtlie? riew-^-tlip'.'ma.Tvellous; ship; the nipnstcr'that; carries [2800 [tons [of coal.-for its.food, andlean- steam' 10,000. milcs'.at- the. .'rate[of?lS'kribtsv.without.a.stpp/' .'.-' ."■;;. .:?:

if;;:;[':[Attack on tho^Drfeadnousht. ';;;.?B[ui> feturn^to'^ dock where, before .this' ivc had wi.tnesscd' ; the mostthrill-iiig.;-.spectacld'.''bfithis...tbnlling'.';day.' '-;.?T!ho. torpedo ; nets had been [flung "out,- for-we wero: :to,,undwgo; a'torpedo;attack, 'Thb:nets arc -sustainedin.tho'wa?ter: by great arms worked :by.:'motors.;;.They,:?arb?;impcnf.trable to, tor-, • is; :.the;torpedoes 'of, an; enemy.. : But, said.my-lieutenant,'not. to :our own tor-, pedoes/'for. we -have ['invented a cutter.'; at" taclimeriti.td.'.t.hei?tbrpbdb which'::;will?' cut' .through;-.any.' net..? :It.:is;.[our.'[si3cret--onb,' bf 1 brir[:many;sccrPts;;: : Ono:wonders [what ['are the'secrets ;that other-navies possess.- ';,;' : j [Presently the? subniarifles.are [seen coming' up the ;long "-Nothing .is'ivisiblo: save; 1 which.looks .no: moTe than, .a little ?slMk;abovp. : They/pass by. in stealthy [emerging- like?.? a : nsh to tho surface, as the'y.-reabh tho Dreadnought, then .'.diving; again—thb.-sinister symbol, of' the horrors' of;iva.r, : 'a;'stipk-;above-.'aJid death below..;-What j.lifp; is';;cbnlparable';with.;-that of- thes'e yenbirious, t.h'eiviast.'anii" most;hateful .expression of.ithe 'spirit'.'of ?war;;;Tliey; ,; i}>rn[ [and'[thereis:a pause.' 1 Then';from:tho[:i...Lo of. the de-. 'strbyers.;,emerge pur-assailants., .low-browed .viiiams,,;.stearriing' furiously, .uponr.us. ■ The fi ! rst[ comes ■ abreast -of. our' engines', ?at ;a ! 'dis-' ; taiico of perhaps? 300[yards.'? ritee-is a puff,' :a'spark [is 'flung.ihto :the [air;?anH;olio sees spriiethirig ieap projeption.be-, :tweeii:thc;sccoiid'and,third, frimiel. It'.[dives, : like;a';[m'an';diving into.the?sea.? "Almost, inst:aritly;,"a curious,.wavy :path : '.is cloveu. through the?--:intervening water;, straight to-. ■,\vards;-'.tho..'Dr'oa^dugfet.'[-..Wjß;;w''atehvb'reath-ioss.' -AVdull ■ sound and- abovb-the edge' of the; .net;. comes,- a?; honible .ctea&re,': shaped ]ike;. : a-'iporpoisei'-:ife' ; no^ v -pMriig['ab6vb" the srii'iaco, .about it-.a: suggestion" of- that ma-. ,terial' intelligbnco that Mr. H...G'. 'Wells has [familiarised-us-With, Jin : his ; .:'.iriia'"inative[ .world- 6f"..';mat©rial ? powers ' ! divPrced. from •moral directiori'.,»;Tho!net-has'.saved us. Out-' side it the;.porpcrise. floats,: bla?zing idly[[aild: .emitting ;. : ihat'.'stenbK of ! : petrol'"with ' which : dne now. 'associates the Strand.. ,■ The -first deistroyer; is'.succeeded" by a second, and the second [by: 4; third, and <so, pn?[.; : Bach. as itipasses emits;'its sparks-aid .sendsits fright. '.ful '.fish to? '■ our: net.? So' short is the. range, -that one or two of .'.tho'"' missiles'" force, their way;through'the net,'..and;tephriically l"tor-, pedo rt , and.' 'sink" a' Dreadnought. ? Soon -tho 'sea looks as though it; is peopled'with a shoal of dead porpoises, each flaming—and jsmelling—horrifically.',- "And' so' [the. ' attack passes,; and some ;of us. hasten-tb : taste? the delicate \ irony. of [.tea. on.. the • Dreadnought ■ and others begin the exploration' of tho world below. .-. .';'■'':;;.., - -, ?', ; '.":*:

Saturday's fleet of-144 warships was composed of' tho following classes:' ■ Battleships-... 24 Armoured eruisora 16 Othor. sri.ifera ... ,5 • ocouta: •... / ... 4 1 J)estroyors ... ...> ... .' ... 48 Submiiri'ipa , ... 35 Auxiliaries . . ... ■ : • 9