SUPER-DREADNOUGHT'S CAPACITY.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 January 1917, Page 7

SUPER-DREADNOUGHT'S CAPACITY.

The constant expenditure of fuel, ammunition, and other stores of a super--•dreadnought necessitates a vast organisation of supply ships. When a ship returns from a spell at sea, the first thing done is to fill up the oil-tanks or the coal-bunkers, as the case may be, to that if there is a sudden call to action she inay he able to proceed again lo sea at once. A super-Dreadnought is reputed to have storage capacity for 3500 tons of coal and 1000 tons of oil; and although oil can be taken on board easily enough by means of pipes and pumps, 250 tons . an hour is a very good rate for an entire crew to maintain when "coaling ship." Ammunition is, of course, no less important than fuel; and every ship has to be kept stored with shot ind shell of all sizes, ranging from the Mor-ris-tube ammunition used for practice in harbcr to the great 10501b projectiles of the ISin guns with their 4001b charges of cordite. There is the problem of food—no light one when there was perhaps 200,000 healthy seamen to be looked after. Of course, we do not know the actual number of men in the Grand Fleet and its attendant flotillas; but if we uake it to be 200,00 (ont of a total naval personnel of .<50,000), k daily food requirements in the ordinary \vay would be as follows:—200,0001b of bread, i 00,0001b of fresh meat, 200,0001b of fresh vegetables, 3125 gallons of rum, 50,0001b of sugar, 62501b of tea for 25.-

0001b of coffee), 62501b of chocolate, f'37slb of condensed milk, 12,5001b jam or pickles, with condiments as required.