BRITAIN'S LARGEST BATTLESHIP

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 156, 30 December 1911, Page 10 (Supplement)

BRITAIN'S LARGEST BATTLESHIP

MOST POWERFUL FLOATING BATTERY IN THE WORLD. Recently Princess Christian of Schles-wig-Holstein launched at Portsmouth the latest addition to the British Navy, H.M.S. King George V. The vessel is the first ui the Coronation Dreadnoughts, and is a sister ship to the Orion, now being prepared for service, but 1500 tons bigger. After a religious service conducted by the Bishop of Southampton, the Princess named the ship by dashing against the bows a bottle of Australian wine. Next came the actual launch. Striking with a silver mallet a chisel held against a white hempen cord stretched across the bows, the Princess cut it through. Dull thuds from the depths beneath indicated that the fall of two half-ton weights had knocked away the hull's only support, the two dog-shores. The vessel was free, and drew away lazily at lirst, with a slight tremor. Then the distance widened, and. faster and faster, steadily and majestically the King George went seaward amid a roar of cheers and the hooting of steam syrens. At slow speed the new ship reached mid-channel, and there her anchors splashed into the water with a dull rattle <>f chains through bawse-holes. and came tn anchor, to be later towed to the dockvatd, where she will complete for sea. TKe King George V. will be armed with 10 13.0 in guns in five centre-line turrets, and 20 4in quick-firers for repelling torpedo attivk. She will be the largest British battleship afloat. There are, however, several foreign ships which are larger, though none that are more powerful.

Thus in the United States there are completing the Wyoming and Arkansas, of 30,000 tons; and, for the Argentine navy, the Moreno and Kivadavia, of 27.940 tons; while the German battleships Kaiser and Fricdricli der Crosse are understood to be of about the same tonnage as the King George. All these foreign vessels, however, will bo armed only with 12in guns, and so will compare not at all well with the British ship, with her 13.3 in guns. The King George V. was laid down on January It) last, and is due for completion on the same day in 101,3. She has been on the stocks eight months and 23 days, as compared with an average (for ships built under the two-year rule) of nine months five days. ' The Orion, which will die in service well within the two years, was on the stocks only two days less than the King George; while the Vanguard, completed in a month under two years, was not launched until 10 months and 19 days after the laying of the keel-plate.