COST OF WARSHIPS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2003, 15 July 1919, Page 4

COST OF WARSHIPS.

Some figures recently published on the cost of present-day shipbuilding are particularly interesting in view of the recent sinking of the German warships, and come as a reminder that the price of sea power expressed in terms of money has gone ixp by leaps and hounds in the past four years. In 1914, it appears, Britain was paying about £9O per ton for battleships; for example, the Queen Elizabeth class of 27,500 tons, averaged £2,500,000 per ship. Battle-cruisers came a little cheaper, the three of the Lion class averaging £73 10s .per ton. But if the cost of labour and material is a criterion, a new Queen Elizabeth would represent a bill of something like four and a-hal£ millions. In these circumstances the Admiralty’s decision . not to proceed with the Hood’s three sisters, Rodney Anson, and Howe, represents a saving of about fifteen millions. Besides the three battle-cruisers, work has been stopped on several light-cruis-ers, and many destroyers, sloops, submarines, etc., the whole probably representing a sum between thirty and thirty-five millions. It is possible that the tremendous cost of naval construction nowadays is partly responsible for America’s reluctance to proceed with the huge programme recently pased by Congress.