NEW DREADNOUGHTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 115, 8 October 1914, Page 5

NEW DREADNOUGHTS.

AGINOOURT AND ERIK. LONGEST BATTLESHIP IN THE { WORLD. | The British Navy in Homo waters is > receiving a powerful reinforcement by ! the addition of the super-Dreadnoughts i Agincoiirt and Erin (write# a London correspondent) t These two skips have a varied history. The Agincoiirt was originally built for the Brazilian navy at Jilswiok for the fiuned Armstrong fiim under the name of the Rio da Junlero. A year ago Brazil disposed of her to' Turkey, and she was renamed th« Sultan Osnhan 1., after Turkejj/s founder •md first Sultan, and now she becomes 11.M.5. Aginco\irt, a name recalling hiToic deeds both on land and sea. The Agincourfc measures• <J32ft. in ItngUi, which makes her the longest , battleship in the world, hag a beam of SOft. and displacement of 27/ WO tons, which is the heaviest displacement of any British Ibattlcship in commission. The wliick Is apparent!" 4 a e°i inasmuch as battleships are vtf/ Short for their displacement* in older .to enable thejn to turn rapidly in a small circle, enables, her main bajteiis to ,be carried on the centra line, wp mora than counterbalances any disdavantftge ler length entails. Not 1 only does the centre line arrangement,give* a wide ares of Are, but it filso adds to tho stability of the ship should any of the watertight compartments be pierced in action. Her main armament is grouped is stven turrets, each of which carries a ' pan- of 12in guns. The 12m gun, though not so powerful as our latest gun, is more than, equal to the tot German gun afloat, the heaviest.gun on the Kaiser's ships Ibeing the 12-inch. Th c 12-inch guns of the throw a projectile weighing 8701b to a range of fifteon males. The turrets—which are protected by 9-inch armor—are go placed that the entire fire of the fourteen guns—weighing ll,9ofltb—can iw directud on amy given target, whilst four guns can be :ftred ahead and astern t—eight ia all—simultaneously. The secondary batteries are armed with twenty 6-inch guns and twelve 3pounder quieklnws. Provision ia «bo n.ade against aerial attack. The main armour of the Agincourt is a 9-0-kkAi ibelt which traverses her water-line connecting with the 6-inch gun positions above the' water-line and ox tending eight feet below it, where it gradually tapers into the hall. The engines are of 45,000-h.p., and turbine driven, and the stipulated speed of 21 lraot« ia expected easily with at least a margin of a knot over.

The Agincourt was originally planned to be the heaviest ■battleship in tho ■world. The Brazilian Admiralty originally planned her to hare a displacement of 32,000 tons, and,an armament of H inei guns, and a contract to that effect was. signed with the ESa.wick firm, hut on thti Brazilian President coming r into office two year 6 ago, those upocifieatione;Were revised and a smaller battleship provided for "which will 1 not bo built, on exaggerated lines such) as have .] i'ot yet stood the tc-si of ciperioa:.!." to use Hie words of the Brazilian President in his (message to, the Qongrces. The Efini—so named, ao doubt, In compliment to Ireland's lojtdiyi in tho present crisis—is a smaller but mora 1 * heavily gamed ship than the A&inoourt. SI 10 may be classed as i 4 tL " Iron Duke %f»e. The 'Brio, wL!i« ii lacing completed %• the well-known Vick;«'B' firm; Dasrow-in-FumeSßj was originally ordered by the Turkish Government two yeara aga> and waa namei (Jho Beshodied. Shu- has a displacement of 23,000 tons, i« equipped with turbine ■siigihce of 31,600' h.p., froja which a 21•Jsnot speed is anticipated, and' is cxeeptionally well! armoured in her vital parte. Along- Her water-line runs an Hid belt of tiest armour, ending in armcured bulkhead&i. end above this Belt her lotteries, are protected by Bin. ermcuir.. The turrrfsi i n which the big guns are mounted numljer five —all;, too, ©a tie- centre line. Each turret m ousts a pair of 13.5 in. guns. The l&sin. grin throws a projectile of 18301b, from which it follows that the Erin can direct'a broadside of IS,BOOIb —nearly six tens —on any target; whilst there fa direct ahead im>! astern fire of four guns, giving a discharge. of nearly 50001b of 18.5 projectiles. The secondary batteries- are arnwd l with sixteen 6in guns and'a proportion of threc-pounder quickfirers.- Tho main gun turrets ar» protected by l'-iiro armour, and the (Sin gua positions by 81n; armwar.. £ik«. tkq Atgincourt, she is fitted with five 21in. torpedo tube* of the submerged type. It has long been- known that the two &nilt to the needs of the British ©jvernmcnt would never fly the Turkish flag. The Tlirkish Government wa« belt inid' in its- payments to the building Anns, and, as a matter of fact, both I ships llave-beou built under the supervision of British officers ostensibly i'lent' to the Turkish Government for ithat purpose, but really to havfe thorn , built' ta suit' the needs of the British Navy. The Agincourt will 'be manned by 900 *t all ranks, and the Erin by 850 <j/ all ranks, those being the eomple* inentSk for ba-tttehips of their respective tonnages.