E.M.S. AURORA.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1905, 13 November 1913, Page 7

E.M.S. AURORA.

FIRST VESSEL OF A NEW TYPE, There Was launched recently at DeVcnport tie Aurora; tho first of. _ thi> now class of light armoured cruisers whose construction was begun jji 1913. Tho vessel has been eleven months en the 'St4cks f the first rivet ill her keel having been driven by Mrs. Wihstcn Churchill on October .24, 1912. It is more than ton years ' since a vessel similar in sige to the Aurora was built at Davonport. Since the Encounter was launched there in June, 1902, it has net been the practice of the Admiralty to construct light cruiscrs, as they are now called, in tho two principal dockyards, although somo of tho "City" class we.ro allotted to tho yards at Chatham and Pembroke. In' the ' new class, of which the Aurora is the first, there are eight ships, of Which all but two were. ordered from private firms. The second to be put afloat will bo tbe Arethusa, which is to take the water a.t- Chatham 'on October 25, These new light armoured cruisers wcro described by Mr. Churchill in the House of Commons as the smallest, cheapest, and fastest vessels, protected by vertical armour, over projected for tho British Navy. Ho said that tho Board., in considering tho cruiser problem as a wlwle, had observed that tho "City" class grew larger each ■ year, which was not only aii expensive development, but one which they were by no means satisfied was based on a sound appreciation of naval tactics. It was therefore decided to revert to smaller cruisers, and increase the utimhcr to eight. The new vessels would bo designed, said the First Lord, for attendance on the battle fleet, to be its eyes and ears by night and day, and to wateji ■ over it in movement ami at rest. They will bo able to overhaul and cut down any destroyer afloat, and in one aspectmay, therefore, be regarded as destroyers. It is because the light cruiser on tho one hand, and submarine on,tlio other, are usurping the function!! of the destroyer that the latter is regarded by many authorities as a doomed type, and fewer vessels appear in the current shi> building programme.

The two most interesting elements in the Aurora class are probably the use of oil fuel only and the provision of vertical amour. In his speech on the Shipbuilding Vote in July Mr. Churchill stud that the light nrmonroil cruisers simply eoxt'ld Hot ho constructed on a coal-burning basis, while, jji regard to the armour, ho said on a previous occasion that this Would be heavy, considering tho small size of the vessels. So far only unofficial details aro available concerning the design. It is understood that the displacement will be 8700 tons; the length, 410 ft. r tho horsepower, 30,000; the speed, 29 knots; and the side armour belt, 4in. thick.