H.M.S. RENOWN

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 84, 3 January 1920, Page 7

H.M.S. RENOWN

A POWERFUL WAil VESSEL. The warship Renown, which is being fitted out to bring the Prince ot\ Wales to New Zealand, _is tho splendid battle-cruiser in which the Prince ot Wales made his recent memorable visit to Cauada and the United States, where she attracted considerable attention. The ltenoiv.ii was thejargest warship ever seen in Now York iliirbour. On board this great ship/ on November 21, the l'rinso of Wales entertained iflCO New York school children from twenty-nine high schools. The' children wero selected by lot—fifteen boys and fifteen girls from each schools. When a few hundred of the juvenile guests were assembled and i.-heeriug him on the quarter-deck under tile awning; the Prince of Wales walked into a position amidships and, standing on tho capstan, saidi"l am delighted to welcome so many girls and bo>> ol' the New York scluola on board the Renown; and 1 thank you for the kindly, .welcome jou havo given mo in New York and tho friendly words which have been addressed to r ,e. Tho Renown, as you see, is a very iurge ship, but she is not largo enough to hold the many thqusunds of boys and girls of New York whom I would like-to invito on board today. 1 have been having a very good time in this groat city, and . 1 hope you will havo a good time hero this afternoon, and I hope you '' ; 11 cany away a happy memory of my party. "1.. want you to have somo small memento of this party, aiijj I havo therefore arranged i'or you to be given a box of chocolates t-eforc leaving tho ship. ' I thank you for coming.'' In 1311 contracts wero lot for tto construction of two battleships, to bo ltepulso and Eenown, but n'liilo they wero in the vory early stages of construction tho Battle Falkland Islands was fought, and " the exporionco of that battle indicated tho immense value of .high speed, coupled with longrange, powerful gunfire, and radius of action. It: wa6 therefore decided to cancel tho .contracts for tho Eepuleo and .Renown. as battleships, and to hare thorn built as battle-cruisers of a new design, due to tho initiative of Lord 'Fisher, then First Sea Lord. Tho orders for the Eopulse and the Renown noro given to .Tolin Brown' and Co., Clydebank, and the Fairfield Shipbuilding Co.. of Govan, respectively. The Renown was laid down on January 25, 1915.' launched ou March 4, 1918, left the yards on Sep torn ber IS, carrying out gun trials on tho following day, and a steam trial on tho 20(h, and joined the Grand Fleet nt Scapa Flow next day. The main features of the'E«nown arc at follow:— Length (lwtwccn perpendiculars) 750 ft. Length over all 791 ft. Beam ....'. 90ft. Mean draught 25jft. Di-placemcnt, tons 25,500 Shaft, horse-power 120,000. Speed at load draught, knots ... 32 The Renown is protected by an armour belt of 6 inches in thickness over th« length occupied by machinery arid magazines, with i inches forward, and 3 ineliM aft on the extensions, tho degth of the belt being 9 fret. With the experience gained at the Battlo of .-Jutland, considerable alterations were rnadi to tlie belt, deck, and underwater pro- t tection. The main armament of. tho Eonown consists of six 13-inch guns, two pain forward and one pair .iff. The secondary aimnment eon Hs of sevcntieii - :i in '■ T"n niii'intine?, and Iwo singly. There are also tw». Sin. anti-aircraft guns, and two 21 in, submerged torpedo tubea.