MONSTER BRITISH WARSHIP.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 901, 22 August 1910, Page 7

MONSTER BRITISH WARSHIP.

<fH.M.S.' ORION LAUNCHED. LARGEST AND HEAVIEST ARMED VESSEL AFLOAT. TO CARRY TEN 13-5-IN. GUNS. By Telcßranh—Press A'sßociation-Oopyrißht. (Rec. August 21, 6.20 p.m.) London, August 20. The British battleship Orion, tho biggest warship aHoat, has been launched at Portsmouth, in the presence of-King Alfonso of Spain. Tho Orion will have a speed of 21 knots, and will bo armed with 21-inch torpedoes, possessing a range of 7000 yards and a speed of 40 knots. The main armament will consist of ten 13.5-inch guns. Until the Orion's sister-ship, the Lion, was recently launched, the Admiralty had kept the existence of these guns a secret, the previous vessels of the class having been armed with 12-inch guns. It is not yet known whether tho four other battleships under construction will bo similarly armed. . THE LATEST IN BATTLESHIPS. • The Orion is a sister ship to the Colossus, launched about three ' months ago, and a description of the one will tit tho other in most respects. The Colossus was the first ship of a new type, a marked improvement on the original Dreadnought, writes the naval correspondent of the London "Daily Telegraph," as she will bring two more big guns, throwing. projectiles of 8501b., to bear on cither broadside. Yet she carries no more guns than her predecessors. The difference consists in the disposition of the armament. In. tho Dreadnought only eight guns can be used simultaneously on starboard and port. In the Colossus, on whichever side the enemy may be, all her big guns can be brought into action at once. Sim is tho largest battleship yet launched in.this country. Her length is 545 ft., as compared, with the 190 ft. of the first Dreadnought, and with the 425 ft. of the largest battleship of the pre-Dreadnought period. Ibis addition- to length is a .consequenco of the determination of the Admiralty to ensure the maximum utility from all of the 12in. guns fitted on board to fire 8501b. projectiles at an unprecedented velocity. The GroY/th in Size. The Colossus embodies many other improvements in 'design, and hence, whereas the first Droadnouffht displaced 17,900 tons of water, the newer vessel, is of 22,500 tons. The tendency in-all fleets -is towards greater sise. The progress in the past 20 vears is revealed by the fact that tho Hoval Sovereigns were of 14,150 tons, the Foi-midables of 15,000 tons, tho King Edwards 10,350 tons, and the Lord Nelsons 1G,500 tons.' The stop to the Dreadnought, of 17,900 tons, cannot bo regarded as other than conforming to the law of progression. In the Bellerophons there was an advance to IS.OOO tons; in the next class—the St. Vincents—to 19,250 tons; in,the Neptune, to 19.900 tons; and now, in the Colossus, the Navy has'reached 22.500 tons. Even ■this.cannot be accepted as anything like the maximum. In addition to tho ton 12in. guns, which are mounted in the Colossus in nairs in barbettes, 'with revolving armoured hoods, thero are a largo number ■of 95-poundcr guns disposed throughout the ship for effectively repelling torpedo-boat attack. The guns and vital parts of the ship are protected by armour ranging from llin. in thickness downwards. Water-tube boilers and Parsons' turbine machinery to drive four shafts each will give the ship: a speed of 21 knots, corresponding to that of the Dreadnoughts, notwithstanding the greater tonnage. The St. Vincent, eng'.iied by the.Scotrs Company, made 21.9 knots, and a similar success may be looked for in tho Colossus.

The Hercules, of this class of 'battleship, has also been launched. The Fourteen-inch Gun. The biggest guns so far announced are the new li-inch weapons, which the United .States lias adopted for the two' 27,000-ton Dreadnoughts of. its 1910 programme. Those two vessels are to be armed with ten of the monsters, throwing a total weight of metal of U.0001b., on either broadside. These formidable weapons throw a projectile weighing 14001b., and are expected to compensate for a slightly reduced rapidity of ,firo by the extra weight and penetrating power. Tho ox- ' periments with these guns are said to have been perfectly satisfactory, and the lower muzzle velocity, which is -110 ft. per second less than the British 12-inch, is not considered a drawback. In fact, it is deliberately intended by the American Navy Board, who believe that the higher the muzzie velocity ;ho shorter the life of the gun. The Latest in Torpedos. - With regard to the range and spe.?d of the Orion's torpedoes, it is interesting to note that the 18-inch Whitehead torpedo, fitted with it superheater, has a speed of 28 knots for a range of 5000 yards. Recently it was claimed that an improved 21-inch Whitehead ' torpedo, with which Engineer-Lieutenant Hardcastle had' been experimenting, had attained a speed of 31 knots, antl on effective range of 7000 yards. The Williams tnpedo, now being manufactured in the United States, is said tD be cheaper than the AVhitehead. and to maintain a speed of -It) knots, with an effective range of 5000 yards. It is also claimed.that it carries an explosive greater than that of any other torpedo, and.in trials thus far it has been shown to be accurate almost to perfection.