NEW BATTLESHIP.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 157, 15 October 1912, Page 5

NEW BATTLESHIP.

/ IRON DUKE LAUNCHED. '•By Telegraph—Press Association-Copyright London, October 13. The battleship Iron Duke, one of the five capital ships of the 19y-12 programme, hag been launched at Portsmouth. STILL BIGGER BATTLESHIPS. EARLY LAYING OP KEELS. Under the shipbuilding, programme of tho present year four battleships of the 011-big-gun to bo built, and the Admiralty have decided that the two which are to be built in Portsmouth and Dovonport Dookyards shall be laid down earlier than was originally intended. Orders have been issued, our naval correspondent-statas. that the Iron Duke and Marlborough which are on the stocks at these two establishments, instead of being }aunohed in November, shall bo put in the water in October. This will enable the slips to he prepared for an early start with the two now ships, »which are to be completed and in commission by October, 1914. It- 19 believed -that the two contractbuilt. ships will also be accelerated, and at an early date tho eight light armoured jor.ujsersj which also figure in the proframme, will be laid down. The twenty cstrDvers have been in hajid since the Bpriaij and ars now in advanced stagesof construction. 1 TJa of the new battleships have already been received at Portsmouth and DeypnEort' IJookyards, and give no support,:to the rumour that the naval authorities bad decided to check the growing displacement of the armoured ships of the fleet."- Indeed, the four new vessels will ,be th«. largest, tjie longest, and the broadest.Vtfettleships, yet designed Jn this country..','/This! development was indeed inleviable, in view of the'action of foreign Admiralties, .and there- is no indication that even now the growth has reached itg'olimax. '-I'he upward tendency of (displacement in' the jiast few years is I revealed in the following statement;— . Displace- .' / . • ment Speed Main Class. No. (tons), (knots), guns, tord Nelson ... • 2 16,500 18} Four 12in. , Ten 9.2 in. Dreadnought .... 1 ■ 17,900 214 Ten 12in. Bellerophon ...... 3 18,600 21} Tenl2in, Collingwood 3 19,900 21} Tenl2in. ■ Neptune 1 19,900 21} Tonl2in. Colossus 2 20,000 21} Tenl2in. Monarch .......... -1 22,500 21}Tenl3.5iu. King George V... 4 24,000 21i Ten 13.5 in. Iron Duka .4 25,000 21} Ten 13.5 in. The, arriiament will comprise ten of th"d ; new 14in. guns; with a strong secondary battery of Gin. guns. It is also regarded as certain that protection' will bs' provided against overhead attack by bomfrdropping from aeroplanes. For this purpose an armoured upper deck will be provided, and : some form of protection for the, furnaces., .. .. . The new ships will mark a further fidvance, and we shall soon have battle-

ships in commission twice as large as the Majestio olass, costing two -and a half /times as much, but with a far greater .'relative fighting strength,, an immeasurable'gain in protection against an enemy's fire, and an advance of. five or six knots in speed. , One of 'ttje most interesting features/of the;.new battleships, it is reported, will be,a, ourved upper deck of armour as a protection against bombs thrown from aerial craft.

i A rumour has been current; at Ports-, mouth that motor engines will provided for the next group of super-Dread-noughts, but in offioial circles that is jaemed, The. engines will'be on the tnrirnne principles, similar to'those of the vrton, ■