The British Navy.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 73, 29 March 1915, Page 2

The British Navy.

TEN NEW OCEAN TERRORS.

IRRESISTIBLE FLOATING FORTS.

(By au ex-Xaval Officer in the People’s Journal).

Germany keeps on informing us about the giant Zeppelins she is getting ready to fly across the North Sea ami strike terror into the hearts of the hated Britishers. On the other hand, it is the British custom to observe (strict silence as to what she is doing, !has done, or is about to do. While (this silence reigns, however, work is igoing on—wprk that some day the Germans may realise. Most people know that the hammers are ringing almost incessantly in our shipyards, that battleships are being hurriedly constructed, that guns and munitions of war are being hastily turned out in our great factories; but-the results are more or less kept secret. I am at liberty, however, to reveal something of the output of the shipyards, and I am sure it will be received in a welcome and hopeful spirit by the public. It is pleasing to know that within a few months the list of the Royal Navy will be augmented by six super-Dreadnoughts and eight battle cruisers from its'yards at Devonport and Plymouth alone. i-vV a*'’" ALL ROUND FIRE.

And that is not all. The number of super-Dreadnoughts completed since the war began and about to be completed totals no fewer than ten, to say nothing of numerous other vessels from the cruiser class down.

All super-Dreadnoughts have new arrangements of turrets, which will permit big calibre guns being fired broadside or straight ahead with equal facility. This arrangement of .turrets, combined with terrible new guns and other improvements, will render all existing Dreadnoughts obsolescent. Prior to the launching of Britain's new super-Dreadnoughts the Japanese battle cruiser Kongo was the 1 most i powerful ship afloat. Her displacement is 27,500 tons, her length 704 feet; she carries eight 14-inch guns, is protected by 10-inch armour, and can steam 750 miles in 24 hours.

TE-RRIBLE PROJECTILES. As against this Japanese giant, Britain’s most formidable ships were the battle cruisers of the • Queen Mary type, which are 50 per cent, heavier than the original Dreadnought-, 170 feet longer, and in a race to New York could give the battleship 24 hours' start and overtake her before reaching Sandy Hook. A simultaneous broadside from the eifht 13-sinch guns of the Queen Mary would weigh 12,0001b5., and would pierce 11-inch armour plate at six miles range. In fact, it would destroy three out of four of the biggest battleships afloat, to-d^y. Think, then, of the tremendous advantage which Britain will have with her ten super-Dreadnoughts, eacli far and away ahead 6f the Queen Mary type. The new ships have each eight 15-inch guns, which can be fired either forward or in a simultaneous broadside. The 13.5 inch guns of the Queen Mary type fire a projectile of 14001bs; the 15-ineh guns of the new ships fire a projectile /of 19101b5., or nearly a ton. At a range of 2000 yards such a projectile would pierce 50 inches of wrought iron, or over 16 inches of Erupp steel; while at a distance of eight miles it would pierce 27 inches of wrought iron. This means that 1 Britain’s new super-Dreadnoughts could put the most powerful ships that were in commission in any navy before, the outbreak of war out of action before the guns of these ships could fire a single effective shot. Their grins would be outranged by two miles.

INVULNERABLE TO SUBMARINES jiHlii'i''|iiii in ■ ■ At least one and a-half miles before the ships with 13.5 inch, guns could come into action one of Britain’s new ships would he pouring into them simultaneous broadsides aggregating a tptal of some 15 tons of metal, and each of these mighty 90-ton guns would be firing shells at the rate of 1.2 per minute.

Submarine attacks have not been lost sight of in the construction of these mighty ships. -All have triple armour plate, below the water-line, which makes them invulnerable to the deadly torpedo. Even if one did pierce the triple armour plate,which is very unlikely,the vessel would still keep afloat owing to the development of an entirely new idea in bulkhead arrangements. Not only power, but speed has been kept in view, and each of these terrors of the ocean, which Britain has ready, or which is fast approaching completion, is expected to steam at least 25 knots an hour.

So far as is known, Germany has only two ships on the stocks that will In any way compare with Britain’s new ships. These are of the Ersatz Woerth class. They also have eight 15-inch guns, but fire a projectile of 16531b5., as compared with Britain’s 1910 lbs. These two vessels are believed to be at least a year from completion.