SEA POWER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 602, 2 September 1909, Page 5

SEA POWER.

•IRST GERMAN DREADNOUGHT READY WAS BRITAIN HOAXED? CHANGE OF POLICY IN PACIFIC. (Uy TolcirnDli.-I'reea Amiclallou.-Ooojtlcbl.l (Rec. September 1, 10.10 p.m.) London, September .1. Lieutenant CaTlyon Bellairs, member for King's Lynn (whose criticism, as a Liberal member, of tho Government navnl policy )iiUsed a breach between him and his load:rs') comments as follows on tho results of tho Imperial Dofcnce Conference:— "The Admiralty,'surrendering to its critics, has decided to reoccupy the Pacific in strength. Tho Pacific fleet will consist of three fast battleships, which are officially classed as armoured cruisers of improved [nvincible typo, but which hare been spoken Df by. both the front benches as Dreadnoughts; also 18 destroyers, 9 second-crass 3ruisers, and submarines.' « : "Another change is the abandonment of tho all-big-gun Dreadnought by introducing 6-inch guns in tho improved types for secondary armaments. The Germans hoaxed the Admiralty, by the use of painted canvas screens, into believing ■ that they had abandoned the 6-inch gun, but •when tho Nassau (Gorman Dreadnought, sister of the .West-, falon) was .launched it was ducovered that she had twelve 11-inch guns and twelve 6inch." [Secondary armament was lacking in the one' inal Dreadnought. The lack of an anti-torpedo department was criticised, and twenty i-inch guns appeared in her successors. ' Now it is stated that tho projected "extra" Dreadnoughts will have a secondary armament of G-inch guns. Tho German Weslfalen and her sisters have twelve 6-inch guns as well as-twelve 11-inch.J THE WESTFALEN. ' BRITISH ORDERS FOR NOVEMBER. ~-'.' London, August 81. On November 1 the second two of the 1009 quartet of big armoured ships (i.e., tho four originally in the 1909, Estimates, apart from the "extra" four) will bo laid down. Tboy will consist of an improved Dreadnought (battleship) and an improved Invincible (armoured cruiser). ■ - The battleship will be laid down at Portsmouth, and Messrs. Vickers, Son, and Maxim will supply tho armament. The cruiser will be laid down at Devonport, and the armament will bo supplied by Messrs. Armstrong, Whitworth and Co. Berlin, August 31. Germany's first Dreadnought, the Westfalcn, 18,500 tons, 20,000 h.-p., twelve 11inch and twelve 6-inch guile, has been completed, and is now lying in the Wcser. LATEST DESIGNS. IMPROVKMENT ON IMPROVEMENT. Tho first two battleships of the British 1900 quartet—three battleships, one cruiser—were to have been laid down in July. The Novom-, ber pair—a battleship and a cruiser—completes the number. The "extra" four are ia matter apart, and will, it is said, be much more powerful ognin. .. One of tho 1900 battleships has, it is stated, been named tho Hercules. According to re- , cently-published details,, she will carry tho sanie number ' (ton). of 12in. guns, as,the original Dreadnought, but' will be 10ft; longer (being 500 ft.) and 4ft. greater in beam, also 2100 greater in'tonnage (20,000). , Concerning the "extras" tho saino authoritj tays:—"lnstead of ten 12in. guns firing Bsolb. shells and weighing 53 tons, they will bo armed with ton 13.5 in. - guns, firing shells of "1250 or. I.loolb.,'n'nd weighing 85 tons; all 'the guns' being able to fire on cither beam." The tonnage is placed at 25,000 or 2G.000. : TIIE GERMANS.-A COMPARISON. Particulars of tho first German Dreadnoughts were published in this paper on August 18. They aro tho Nassau, Westfalen, and Rheinland, and the first two aro to go into commission at once. The armament of the German Dreadnoughts is XII 50-calibre llin., XII Gin.,, and XVI 23-pounder guns; of tho original British Dreadnought- it is X 45-calibre l2in. aud XXVII 12-pounder guns. As is shown hy the foregoing particulars ol British improved and fiirther-improred Dreadnoughts, the race has passed these initial types and the contest is now being waged bqtween ships building or oh paper. Tho following table, based on Mr. Jane's latest work, showe the point which the competition ■ has now reached. .It sums up the broadsides of two British types ' and the improved German typo: - • •■:•■•• ..•■•, ■ Total .. -. i Welsht ■ Ship. Nation. Broadside.-of shells. ■ • lb. Dreadnought ...British...vm 12in. 68-ton gune..6,800 B^SnjelLt ea ...-. British...X 13.51n. 85-fon eune.,13,000 UeowuU .• Gcrroan...XlllZin. 51-ton guns..U,76o