BRITISH AND RUSSIAN CRUISERS.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 17 June 1901, Page 4

BRITISH AND RUSSIAN CRUISERS.

The sailing of ihe new Russian cruiser Varyak, which has been built in Cramp's yard at Philadelphia, is interesting as a comparison with fast cruisers in the British Navy. The Varyak attained a speed of 25.7 knots during the course of her trials, and for twelve consecutive hours kept up a rate of 23.25 knots, working under natural draught conditions, and with her engines indicating 18,000 horsepower. For purposes of comparison there are given the leading particulars of this latest Russian cruiser. She is a steel, unsheathed, twin-screw vessel, 400 ft long by 52ft 6in beam, and displaces 6,500 tons on a maximum draught of 20ft Bin. Her protection is limited to a Krupp steel deck, varying from I.sin to 3in thick, with, in addition, coffer dams packed with cellulose. The heavy guns have 4£in to Sin shields. For arnament twelve Gin and 12 12-pounder quick-firers are carried. There are four torpedo tubes, only two of which are submerged. Normally the Varyak will carry 720 tons of coal, but this can be increased to 1,100 tons. There is no vessel in the British Navy which will compare with the Varyak. The (five) Edgars, perhaps, come nearest to her, but these are 7,350-ton vessels, going at twenty knots, with 12,000 horsepower. They are more heavily armored, and carry twm 9-2 in guns, in addition to ten Gin quick-firers. Viewed merely as fighting machines, they arc about 50 per cent more valuable than the Varyak, but they lack her speed, and thus for pnrely “ scouting ” purposes they would be inferior vessels to her. Their more liberal provision of armor—they have Gin coamings and 2in to Gin casemates—and their greater beam and draught would, however, enable them to cope with an antagonist that would be far beyond the powers of the speedier Russian vessel, whose only safety, if pitted against an Edgar, would lie in her ability to avoid an engagement.