FASTEST BATTLESHIP AFLOAT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 115, 1 October 1912, Page 7

FASTEST BATTLESHIP AFLOAT.

PRINCESS ROYAL'S TRIAL RUNS

The super-Dreadnought cruiser Princess Royal, which did a 34-knot trial at Barrow last week, has made good her ; claim to be the speediest battleship cruiser in the world. In her preliminary trials she attained a speed of 32.7 knpts an hour, or a knot an bour faster than the record which previously stood to the credit of her sister-ship, the Lion. Both the Princess Royal and the Lion are super-Dreadnoughts. They are each of 25,000 tons displacement, and are armed with eight 13.5 in guns. The speed trial of the Princess Royal recalls that of the Lion in the beginning of the previous year. On the occasion of the latter vessel's full-power speed run the heat generated was so great that the flames shot 50ft above the funnels. Metal fittings on the bridge were twisted and the compasses rendered useless. It was estimated at the time that the alterations which would be necessary would cost £25,000. At her first trials, the Lion, with her engine working at something less than their full power, attained a speed of 31.7 knots an hour, the previous record of a battle cruiser being 29.5 knots by the German Moltke. The test was made during a run of eight hours in the te"eth of a fierce south-westerly gale in the English Channel, and the mean was 20.7 knots. The Parsons turbines worked smoothly, and the vibrations caused throughout the ship was moderate, having regard to the abnormal horse-power developed. A naval writer lias said: "The Lion's sea-speed, if required to make it, may be safely put at 25 knots. Her economical speed would be over 20. Twenty-five knots is fiOO miles in 2-t hours: that is to say. she can reach Gibraltar in "0 hours or less, the Cape or Good Hope in 10 days, Australia in about eight more, Hongkong in about 10 days from the Cape. Ifer coal supply of 3500 tons would permit her to make any of these voyages without refilling her bunkers, and, on arrival at the seat of trouble, she is powerful enough to engage the most formidable ship any enemy in the world could bring against her."