THE QUEEN ELIZABETH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1382, 6 April 1915, Page 4

THE QUEEN ELIZABETH.

Latest English papers contain fuller information about the Queen Elizabeth, the new super-Dread-nought which is now bombarding tbe Dardanelles forts. Her length is 630 ft over all, beam 94ft, and draught 27‘4ft, giving her a displacement of 27,500 tons. For watetline protection the new warships has a 13‘4 in thick belt of armour extending from the base of the foremast to just short of tbe aftermast, with 6in thick continuations to within about 6ft of bow and stem. Above is a toin strake along the lower deck side amidships, with an Sin thickness over tbe battery, the gun positions in the superstructures being similarly protected. Amidships the bull is covered with thin armour —probably ain or 361 down to the keel, and a most elaborate system of internal underwater protection reinforces this. She is also armoured against aerial attack, with special appliances for her smokestack tops. With Parsons turbines generating 58,000 noailual h.p., and driving four screws, she is designed to do 25 knots an hour. Her great speed has only been obtained by the substi lulion of oil for coal, aud a supply ol 4000 tons of the fluid, cau be carried. The estimated cost of this t craft was £2, 500,000, or an average of a ton. She had, in tbe Admiralty provisions, four sister ships, H.M.S’s. Valiant, Warspite, Barham aud Malaya, the last being the gift of the Federated Malay States, and recently it was mentioned .in Parliament that besides these five others of the same type were building, aud would soon be ready.