AUSTRALIA'S NAVY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 247, 8 March 1913, Page 4

AUSTRALIA'S NAVY.

The cruiser which is being built in Sydney for the Commonwealth fleet is by no means the first warship that has been constructed in Australia. Two torpedo boats were built in Sydney as far back as 1870. Their displacement was twelve tons and their speed was sixteen knots. At that time Victoria was cherishing naval ambitions. The southern State possessed the 3480-ton Cerberus, a coast defence battleship carrying four 10-inch muzzle-loading guns, and in 188.1 it gave orders in Mritain .for two gunboats of 350 ions each. A I year- later a third gunboat was purchased, and then the Elswiek firm were commissioned to build the Victoria, which was sold to Western Australia in 1890. This vessel displaced 530 tons and carried one 10-inch gun, which is described charitably to-day as "old." Victoria had also four torpedo-boats. About the same time Queensland bought two gunboats and a small torpedo-boat, which are still in existence, and Tasmania acquired a little 12-ton vessel armed with a spar torpedo. Perhaps it is just as well that these early Australian navies were never required to face an enemy.,