BUILDING BATTLESHIPS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 788, 11 April 1910, Page 4

BUILDING BATTLESHIPS.

THE TIME REQUIRED FOR COM- ,.- PLETING THEM, In illustrating the latest. British bat-tleship-4/ho Vanguard—as just completed by the Vickors 'Company, "Engineering" gives most interesting data as: to , '-the timo;-required :'for building battleships.-ir.Our contemporary states that.the .Vanguard, which was designed to', steam 21 knots, attained on her official trials a mean speed of -, within a fraction of 22 knots on tho measured -mile, the steam consumption of tho turbines being 13J-lb. per horse-power per hour. Those results are exceptionally favourable. .What, however, is of most interest at the . present time is the period occupied in the building of this latest of Dreadnoughts., From the date of laying tho keel:until tho date of commissioning only 23 months elapsed. This is- a shorter time than in tho case of any of the Dreadnoughts, excepting only the prototype, for* tho machinery of which t-he Vickers Company were- the contractors: it is admitted that tho full resources of Portsmouth Dockyard were concentrated on tho hull construction, whereas tho Barrow, establishment, during tho period of construction of the Vanguard, has been employed on much equally important work, to be. completed with, corresponding expedition, Only exceptional resources! and the avoidance of labour difficulties qan eur sure the completion of a' Dreadnought within two years. Tho Vanguard has been. completed just within tho 23 months, but-tho' other five ships of tho Same class , hayo taken from 26 to 28J months. It is true that labour disputes have influenced tho results, but these_ are contingencies' wliich must be anticipated. In arranging programmes to ensure, our required ' standard of strength relative to any foreign fleet at any future dpte, 27 months .would seem te be the minimum period allowable, , notwithstanding the credit-able performance of the Vickers Company.