LATEST DREADNOUGHT

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 778, 30 March 1910, Page 5

LATEST DREADNOUGHT

VANGUARD COMPARED WITH THE GERMAN NASSAU. GIANT SHIP LEAVES BARROW. His Majesty's battleship Vanguard, built by the tirm of Vickers, Sons, and Maxim, Limited, at their naval construction works at Barrow, left Barrow-in-Furness on February 12. There was a large crowd of people to witness her departure, aud many cheers were given as she drew out of the dock gates and straightened for her passage down the Walney- Channel. She was an charge or Pilot Harry Charnley, who has success-' fully negotiated the passage _or this vessel out and in for. the third, time. The weather was exceedingly bright, and as the huge • battleship, looking spick and span, sailed, under her own steam from the pier heads she presented a fine , spectacle. The Vanguard, which was commenced some time after the St. Vincent and Collingwood, is the first to be delivered. At the moment -when so much is heard concerning the capability of the foreign yards, it is worthy pf remark that this tremendous fighting machine has been built and completed ready for commission in twenty-two months, and that if it had been necessary it would have been possible to place her complete in the hands of the Admiralty by the end of last year. _■ The Germans are. just completing their four battleships—the Nassau, Posen, Westfalen, and Rheinland. Although these vessels carry twelve big guns of llin., they are so arranged that only a broadside of eight guns can be fired, and all the British battleships can fire that number. In regard to speed the Germans are inferior to the extent of two knots comriared with the Vanguard. Pilot Harry Charnley stated that the latter ship steered very easily, and that sho was far easier ,to handle than a tramn steamer drawing 24ft. - * " • . Tho following are comparisons between the Vanguard and the German Dreadnought Nassau, which was put through her trials about, the same time as the Vanguard:— Nassau. ! Vanguard; Length 451 ft. 500 ft. Breadth.. ~ 98ft. ; 84ft. Draught > 26Jft. 27ift. Displacement 18,204 tons. 19,25010118.. Power ' 20,000 h.p., 24,500 h.p. Speed (official N trial) ...... 20.5 knots. 22 knots. Guns Twelve llin. Tenl2in. „ Twelve 5.9 Twenty 4in. The Vanguard, which will be commissioned on March 1 to relieve the Bulwark, in the first division of the Home Fleet, carried out her 24 hours' accepi • ance trial and other final tests on the way to-Plymouth.