SEA SPEEDS BEATEN

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 619, 23 September 1909, Page 7

SEA SPEEDS BEATEN

.■■._;..;.■. -———*-— ". ' ;.;;FORTY-FiyE MILES AN HOUR. '/.'■A. NEW .TYPE.; ■■'■ : -'- / OF DESTHOYERS." \ (By' Telegraph—Press ; Association-Copyright.) ';"/ '" London, September .21.' • ..At the official trials of the iurbino destroyer Swift/1800 tons, a speed was attained; considerably over' the,;stipulated thirty-six knots.•'■."■';•;..'••. - '■ •■ ..-.'.'■.'"■■'i'.''...'-';■"'■ •Thrcoknots an hour in excess of the, speed, of any .other British warship.' was recorded. ; l \' : , THE PACE OF A FAST; TRAIN. ; ; SWIFT HAS': MORE HORSE-POWER THAN' •;/■//-."'.'/'« -DREADNOUGHT;. : ,;. ; .-/•_-...' ■The;: "Swift", is officially .described. as an "ocean-going destroyer," but sho is about, twice as largeias the destroyers, displacing 1800 tons. She is.said to-be really, a "destroyer: of ■: destroyers," iher function being,to'■;chase and destroy tho enemy's destroyers. For tho purposo of /attacking them,./ she : carries 1-mch quick-firing guns.,'ln order that .sho. may' be, ,able to overhaul .'them, it-was.stipulated- that the. Swift .must be able to steam' 36-knots, as compared With tho: contract speed of 33 .knots" •stipulated l for: tho destroyer Tartar.' and' her: sisters.- But,the Tartar,. like ..the ,great armoured .' cruiser Invincible, considerably ex- . coeded'the, contract. speed, and it was - known that tho Swift would do so too.- In fact, at an'.unofficial trial last .year, the Swift attained n speed of 38.knots (44.1 and miles) an';hour. .The:speed .reported in to-day's: cablegram; is ."three- knots in: excess of ■ the.speed ,of: any other.. British -warship." .:' Tho Tartar's Eclipsed • Records. 'To discover what-this means, it. is neces.sary'.'to.', look- into tho records of tho destroyer Tartar, which has' hitherto. been' regarded :as the -fastest warship.' In' December, '1907/ the Tartar:did 35.95 knots, on the measured knot,, '.nearly three knots ahead of her contract speed. In further trials/she .maintained.a speed of 35.363 knots throughout a continuous run of: .'sis'.hoars' duration.-: During this ruh.she.ma'do. six run's Over the measured .knot, hor average ■speed; being ,35.G7./knots/ and:th6 best' speed attained on .'any ; one Tim was 37,037 knots— easily .a'.'world's -record. '■.-■. If .the /three extra, knots mentioned' in,the, cablegram are, added. :onto'-'the.37,' the .Swift has.reached the wondorful.Gpecd.of 40.knots (46 miles) an -hour. On v ;tko :Other, hand,/if thoVTartar's- average speed is '.taken' as/about: 36 knots,, adding .tho thred'will gWe'a speed of. 39; knots (nearly 45 miles) an hour.:, In,either, caso'it is a wonder-ful-performance^-as,fast as a fast train.' . 1 -/Accepting.the-lower figures, this is how'the speeds of the- ocean-going destroyer. Tartar, the 'Guperrdestroyor: Swift, and the great armoured i cruiser:.lnvincible comparei--. -..'■•;,/.-■ '■'."'.•'..,;-.'. '■i!i\ v- '■• .'Class' of.: -Contract Knots' on l :Vvy.'..- : -...'.:; : invincible, armoured,cruiser... 25' (32m.) Tartar, ~ destroyer, ... ' ... 33 ;33 (41m.) Swift/ ~ super-destroyer ..... 38 33 (45m.) ; 'ThevSwiffieft thft.yard of Messrs^'Cammel'l and -Laird, Birkenhead;: about; the,; middle of i-last; jy!ar. :',Her. cost 'is:set down, at a. quarter !Of.-a..millionj-'to.''ba.,exac't, , -iC5!50,70G.. ;: ->; ~ : • Her '/engines are tho most 'powerful ever put into .a 'small, craft, and' aro 'of tho Parsons .type'of -turbines, /developing : no" less ..than' i 30,000-liorse power/ -as /compared: 1 witli: the ;Drea'un6iiglirs 27,500-horso power/-. ' ,". . .;;■'; ;, iThovSwift's boilers .are fired with '■■ oil fuel ; .alone/, which lis.:driven/ihto.:thb furnaces by .'powerful: puinpa,- ,60 :.that the -stoker's labour; is.reduced..to a and,her pace-Can' ibe..nmintainad\\vithout-effort,so long'as her'lßo ■tons of oil-holds out. ',-*:•.:■■ '..-.: -.■.-,';.:"' : :- '.'.; Nothing like the .above'speed hns ; previously : been, attompted, with, any.-vessel, .and, the Swift -will be the,first of .&■ now race of;express ships. ;At tho; same "time it is .to bo noted that, with; regard to. the,- ordinary torpedo-boat destroyer for,- ocean-going. service, ■the-„Adimralty has departed: from i tho .speeds; of thd Tartar -typo- in its' ; new ■.brder's./'According -to..."Ehf?inc6ring,";orders t ihavoj.rewntlsij.been-rplnccd- for. twenty 'torpoao-boat desftoyors, .■ to have:a's'pcbd of 29, knots an :hour,,(Seventeen .of .them to' be .fitted' ,v/ith: Parsons ;turbines/and three .with .'.the .fluttis/typoh/.The construction of these; boats' '-Will''enable them, to ke'op'.'.tho sea'..-in-i-lalir wentheri';-:. ;■•■■•:-. '::./';.;'■*:.•.' :'-..-..- ~:\*; : ....'.'

': -Tho Admiralty,;evidently.prefers the slower destroyer to the 80-10 knot' fliers of. the Tartar ■type, because'.of the-better.sca-goins; qualities ;of .the former.,:Tho,argument against' tho. fliers 'is'that .while'they .make world's records In 'their'ownicoiiditions,'; they lose speed:in' a sea-' • way. l and' shape vcry ; badly ,in rough weather'.' With, the-slower destroyer' there' is claimcdto be'-o better average speed in all;weathers, and' lesi liability/tn etrnctnrel damwie. : Thi> j Navy will.;have" ita'fllers'.an'd its-,medium-fast'too. ■