TURKISH DREADNOUGHTS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2272, 5 October 1914, Page 7

TURKISH DREADNOUGHTS

MR. CHURCHILL'S COUP.

One of the very first things Mr. Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, did on the outbreak of war was take over the two battleships, one completed and tho other shortly dne for completion; which had been ordered in England by the Turkish Government, and the two destroyer-leaders ordered by the Goverrinient ol Chili. Tho two battleships have received the names of Agincourt and Erin, and tie destroyer-leaders the names of Faulkner and Broke, after two famous naval ofiicers. The. sum paid for the two battleships amounts to nearly £5,000,000, and the destroyer-leaders represent an outlay of about £300,000. ■On previous occasions, in times of crisis the British Admiralty has exercised arbitrary powers of purchase. The most famous 'instance of such action occurred in 1870, when the British Government foreclosed upon the two Turkish battleships which afterwards came to be known as tho Superb and the Orion. It has happened once again that Turkey has in Britain's ship-build-ing establishments two of tho most powerful battleships in the world, ready for sea when war not meroly threatens, but is inevitable. One, the Eeshadioh, now to bo called His Majesty's ship Agincourt, has been under construction in Barrow for the past three years, and recently carried out her gunnery, steam, and other trials in the Channel with completely satisfactory results. She is a vessel of 23,000 tons , mounts ten 13.5 in. guns, with an anti-torpedo armament of sixteen Gin. weapons. She has five submerged torpedo tubes, and a speed of ovor"21 knots. The Agincourt is heavily armoured, possessing a main belt of 12 inches of armour. She was built strictly to Admiralty specifications. Tho second vessel, hithorto known as the Osman I, -has, curiously enough, only been in the possession of Turkey for a short time. Slio was ordered by tho Argentine Republic, and was on the point of completion at tho Elswick yard, when slio was purchased by Turkey during tho Balkan troubles. The ship is now practically completed for sea. Like hov sister ship, she is heavily armoured and well armed. She mounts 14 12in. guns, 26 Gin., and 10 tlirce-pouutliers, and displaces 27,500 tens. Tho two destroyer-leaders purchased from Chili liavo been constructed by Messrs. J. S. White and Co., at East Cowes. They displace 1850 tons, and liavo a speed of about 32 knots. Armed with six • 4in. guns each, and fitted with threo torpedo tubes, they aro very formidaolo high-sea torpedo craft.