SEVEN – MILLION BATTLESHIP.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 October 1927, Page 4

SEVEN - MILLION BATTLESHIP.

FIRST VOYAGE OF THE RODNEY LONDON, Aug. 18.

The Rodney, sister ship of 1-01.8. Nelson, and with it the second largest battleship in the British Navy, left tlie River Mersey on Saturday, whore she was built by Messrs Camphell, Laird and Co., at a cost of £7,000,001) and headed for Portsmouth. She emerged from the dock to the cheers of thousands assembled on tho piers and salutes from tlie sirens of every ship in tlie river. On lier voyage to Portsmouth, where she will undergo her speed and gunnery trials, she is manned by a crew of 850, 'hut when put into commission she will have a complement of 1200. Niue tugs were requisitioned to move her from her moorings in the dock, fhe keel of Rodney was laid im 1922. and .she was launched by Princes) Mary in 1925. She is 702 feet long, with a breadth of 100 feet, and a displacement of 35.00 Q tons.. In, ,'eneh of three turrets forward she carries three 16-inch guns; aft there are twelve 6-inch guns; and she carries a number of 4.7 and other smaller guns. She is fitted with oil-fired lioilers and driven by geared turbines. Her many special features include bomb-proof decks as a protection against aircraft attack, launching catapults for aeroplanes, which she is fitted to carry below the water line, and a specially strengthened base to resist the explosion of four torpedoes. The biggest vessel in the British Navy to-day is the Hood, which is also the largest warship in the world. She is not of the latest type, having been designed before the Rattle of Jutland, hut she displaces 41.200 tons. The only cnnital shijis built since the war are tlie battleships Nelson and Rodney, of 35.000 tons. They are certainly not beautiful to look at; their main armament consists of nine 16-inch guns mounted in three turrets, and for the first time in the Navy the triple turret has been introduced. The original design was for all tho nine big guns to fire straight ahead, and on either broadside, which would have made the ships more extraordinary looking still, hut this was abandoned, and now only six <d the guns fire ahead. The shell weighs over a ton, and the ■ big guns can he fired .every 43 sec'Mids. The new ‘battleship Nelson carried out her acceptance trials with much success in the North Sea last week pri‘|»aratory to taking up the duly ol llagshij) of the Atlantic Fleet. \\ bile nothing very definite has been officially intimated, it is known that the Nelson easily attained her estimated speed of 23 knots o:i an economical (Mill allowance, nhiili run her engines uji to 45,000 h.p., with the speed already mentioned and a lot

in hand for emergencies. In f:"‘, a speed of 25 knots is spoken of. The Nelson has returned to her heme ; ort to recommission for the service unhealed. The New Commnnder-ni-Chie 1 ' of the Atlantic Fleet, Vice-Admiral Sir Hubert Brand, hoisted his flcg on the Nelson yesterday in sue: es.-mn to Admiral Sir Henry Oliver.