MYSTERY SHIPS OF WORLD

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 325, 5 January 1937, Page 5

MYSTERY SHIPS OF WORLD

NEW NAVAL VESSELS. FORMIDABLE UNITS. Other Nations Anxious To Know Details. Press Association—Copyright. London, January 4. The battleships King George and the Prince of Wales have already become the mystery ships of the world, says the naval correspondent of the Morning Post. Every naval Power Is anxious to know constructional detai la. The United States has deferred laying down new battleships until it has some knowledge-of the British designs. The details are closely guarded, but the ships will probably carry 12 14Ineh guns, housed in four triple turrets and permitting a high rate ot fire. There will also be 6-inch guns housed in six twin turrets as secondary armament. In addition the warships will have at least eight 4.7-lueh. guns, supplemented by four eight-bar-relled a number of multi-barrelled machine-guns firing explosive bullets as anti-aircraft armament. The ships will certainly carry aircraft, which are unlikely to number fewer than four. The design will probably resemble that of aircraftcarriers either before or abaft the armament “citadel.” ’’ “• *' Arrangements will probably be made to enable the ships to be “trimmed down” when in action by flooding water ballast tanks, which will cause them to be sunk some feet, increasing the protection to the sides and decreasing the size of the target. .. The King George V and the Prince nf Wales will be the most formidable units in any fleet, for they will be as nearly unsinkable as it is possible to make any ship.