H.M.S. RENOWN.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 January 1920, Page 5

H.M.S. RENOWN.

A POWERFUL WAR VESSEL. The warship Renown, which is being fitted out to bring the Prince of Wales to New Zealand, is the splendid battlecruiser in which the Prince of Wales made his recent memorable visit to Canada and the United States, where she attracted considerable attention. The Renown was the largest warship ever seen in New York Harbor. On board this great ship, on November 21, the Prince of Wales entertained 1000 New York school children from twentynine high schools. The children were selected by lot—fifteen boys and fifteen girls from each school. When a few hundred of the juvenile guests were assembled and cheering him on the quarter-deck under the awning, the Prince of Wales walked into a position amidships and, standing on the capstan, said:—

"I am delighted to welcome so many girls and boys of the New York schools on board the Eenown; and I thank you for the kindly welcome you have given me in New York and the friendly words which have been addressed to me. The Renown, as you see, us a very large ship, but she is not large enough to hold the many thousands of boys and girls of New York whom I would like to invite on hoard to-day. I have been having a very good time in this great city, aiid I hope you will have a good time here this afternoon, and I hope you will carry away a happy memory of my party. "I want you to have some small memento of this party, and I have therefore arranged for you to be given a. box of chocolates before leaving the ship. I thank you for coming."

In I{>H contracts were let for the construction of two battleships, to be named Repulse and Renown, but while they were in the very early stages of construction the Battle of Falkland Islands was fought, and the experience of that battle indicated the immense value of high speed, coupled with longrange, powerful gunfire, and large radius of action. It was therefore decided to cancel the contracts for the Repulse and Renown as battleships, and to have them built as battle-cruisers, of a new design, due to the initiative of Lord Fisher, then First Sea. Lord. The orders for the Repulse and the Renown were given to John Brown and Co., Clydebank, and the Fairfield Shipbuilding Co., of Govan, respectively.

The Renown was laid down on January 25, WIS, launched on March 4, 1916, left the yards on September 18,- carrying out gun trials on the following day, and a steam trial on the 20th, and joined the firand Fleet at Seapa Floiv next day. The main features of the Kenown are as follow:

Length (between perpendiculars) 750 ft. Length over all 704 ft, Beam o,oft. Mean draught 2iHft. Displacement 25,500 Shaft horse-power 120,000 Speed at load draught, knots 32 .The Renown is protected by an armor belt of G inches in thickness over the length occupied by machinery and magazines, with 4 inches forward, and 8 inches aft on the extensions, the depth of the belt being (I feet. With the experience gained at the Battle of Jutland, considerable alterations were made to the belt, deck, and underwater protection.

The main armament of the Renown consists of fix 15-inch guns, two pairs forward and one pair aft, besides secondary armament. There are also two 3in." anti-aircraft guns, and two 21in, Bubtoergsd torpedo tuhgjg