SUBMARINES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 813, 10 May 1910, Page 4

SUBMARINES.

LARGER AND MORE POWERFUL DESIGNS....'... For somo years the construction of submersible craft for the British Navy has been regular and methodical, but one litis many times asked the question: How long , would it bo before a better fightins machine was designed? Jho As, Bs, and C'slmvo proved many things in the way of efficiency, but the conditions- under which the crew worked, the limited fight-ing-capacity-of inch a vessel, made one wonder why a bigger, more comfortable, and greater fighting craft was not deSl Noto of tlie A's, B's, or C's is much different to .the .original which was built from Iho drawings ot Holland, of Puladclphia, who sold the British rights to Vickers Company. Machinery to been vastly improved upon since the -first rickety -set from America were greeted. Ilhoy- only possess one torpedo tube, they , of coarse, carry much more liquid tucl, which gives them greater range of acbon from their bases but they havo not kept, pace or at least did; not keop pac« the great developments which were takuv place in battleship design. Prom now forward' it is hardly likely thai the early design will be followed. Vickers some-time ago buill an experimental vessel which was much longer than any of the others. It had a struiigo shape, /or attached .to each side of its cigar-shaped- body it had two siuallei structures, pointed at. each end. They looked as if they had be*n the halves ol •i amtillcr submarine, and as if oiie lia;l been attached to each ;side. Iho top. structure was carried the full length of the vessel, giving greater deck space, am! Iho interior arrangements wero such as to make the lives of. the navigating crew more tolerable. Instead of ono torpedo tube there were two forward and one utt. Tho machinery was a stride, for the single propoller was discarded and a twin set of engines introduced. This of course, permitted of a torpedo tube with the centre lino al't. That vessel was a long time completing, but eventually when she did put to sea sho proved her capabilities. Sho was easier to trim and manoeuvre, two things more important in connection with a submarino than with a craft which kcops on .Iho' surface, 'fliere wero minor faults, but to some extent these were overcome, and eventually sho camo to Portsmouth ami was known as. the "D 1." . Sinco sho has l>eon at Portsmouth there have been numerous, experiments with her, and as a result of these, four vessels are now being built from up-to-date designs based upon tlio '-*D l's" demonstrations. and will bo launched shortly from Vickers's yard at Barrow-in-Furness. . , • , These vessels' aro entirely a new cla.=w. They possess a new idea' or two in regard to the internal combustion engine, and they carry sufficient fuel to make a 11100-mile voyage luovo than' possible. There will'bo more comfort-for the crew. The ventilation will be much better, and tlio striking power will practically be trebled, in comparison with the A's, B's. and C's. The surface speed will bo about 1G knots. Bolow surface it will bo 10 or 11 knots.