NAVIES FOR AUSTRALASIA AND NEW ZEALAND.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1742, 4 September 1883, Page 2

NA VIES FOR A USTRALASIA AND NEW ZEALAND.

£Uk colonies of Australasia A and New, Zealand are making energetic/ efforts to provide for the naval and military defence :>f their shores. With the aid of, batteries, i mounted with modern artillery, and torpedoes they have already rendered the < approaches to their chief ports safe figaiust surprise ; their land forces are in; process of re-organisation, and their naval forces are now being strengthened,, by the addition of quite a small fleet of powerful gun and torpedo boats. The gun-boats are being constructed at New castle-updn-Tyne by Messrs. W. G. Arm-;! strong, Mitchell & Co!, and the torpedo' boats by Messrs. J. I. Thornycrof t & Co., of Chiswick, Victoria has ordered two gunboats, Queensland two, and "South" Australia one* The " yictorian boat)?, which are named respectively the Victoria and Albert, have already beenDlaunched, and will be com pleted^ before the close of ( ,the yeir. The Victoria "is 145 feet ia length/ 27, feet inib,eam, with a,displacement of 530 tpns,,and a speed of 12 knots, The dimensions of the' Albert are* smaller, being 120 feet in length, 25 feet in beam, displacement 850 tons, ,' speed' knots. , The larger 'vessel Will carry a 10-inch 25-ton gun in the bow, two 12-ponndefs' or possibly two of the'Elswiek rapid-firing f guns, in the stern, and two improved' Gatlings. The 10-knot gun-boat will be > armed with an 8-inch 12-ton gnn in the bow, two lighter, , guns in the, . stern and, two machine guns. Acting on the advice of his Excellency Sir William Jcrvois,' South Australia has ordered from Messrs W. G. Armstrong, Mitchell &^ Co 1 , a vessel named the Protector, which ia rather more of the cruiser than the gunboat type. In length she will be 185 feet, in beam 30 feet,' with a displacement of 900 tons,and a speed of 14 knots. With nn 8-inch gu:V in her bows, four broadside 6 incb guns, and a' similar gun in the stern, and five machine guns, she will -be -for her size an unusually heavily) armed vessel. Queensland has -ordered' 1 two gunboats identical in pattern and, armament with the smallest Victorian boat. Messrs Thornycrpft < & ,Co. ' are constructing at Chiswick quite a fleet of, the formidable little 1 vessels with which 1 their name is so intimately associated. For Victoria they are building ,threetorpedo boats, one " firat-class " arid twoj •'second class ;" for 'New 1 Zealand^' four ' ' second class j" for , Queensland, two and for Tasmania, one of the same pattern. The "first class" torpedo-boat will soon beready for launching. t It ia 4 larger th4n : the same class of boats' built for the* Admiralty. Indeed, with the exception of a boa T t just completed by> ithe 1 firm for the Russian , Government, of , exactly similar 1 dimension's; it is the largest 7 vessel of the kind yet constructed, in this country... It is 113 feet long,. \2 feet 6 r inches beam, extreme draught 6 feet 1 '^disp'laeei ment 5S^ tons, speed lfr' knots per hour. It wUI be fitted with Whi,tehead J s,dj>uble ejecting apparatus for the^ discharge of Whiteheads - 14-inch ' torpedoes, and it will, carry four of these formidable weap. ons 1 . It will also, be armed r \yith, ,fewp J Hodgkiss machine' gims. ' The torpedoes'' will be ejected upoji the compressed^ air princible and not by steam ''irap'ulse. The , •' second class " ; Victorian v torpedov boats will also be armed with "tVhikfiead' torpedoes, but it"' is ' doiibtfnl whether tliey will be discharged- by air or steam. These boats willibe 63 ieet in length, 7 feet 6 inches in beam, draught 3 feet 2 inches, displacement I2JI tons/ and speett^ lO^nqta. The four New Zealand- boat* ! will be about the same dimensions,' bat yill be armed with Capt. McEvoy's spar torpedo., .They mayupossiblybctrryJthel Whitehead torpedo as an auxiliary armament, in which case/tlie, weapons;, will .b^; discharged, by, means: of Thornycroftfn .apparatus.; The Tftsmanian boat $11 b? built Q^t^e^ame lines as the ]^e t w, Zealand, a^dii,si?-'»details .oi.the, Que'england 4 boats are not yet decided.: It is possible,that New- Zealand,. .having 4 large nu&^faf^r^^rp^'iw find it necessary tp order. 1 a larger number Of poaU. iiUp.ro th^r^aßent^New.Sbnifch,