NAVAL AND MILITARY.

Progress, Volume II, Issue 6, 1 April 1907, Page 210

NAVAL AND MILITARY.

The most important naval event of the year as affecting naval construction was the series of trials of the battleship Dreadnought. The wjrid's attention was riveted upon this vessel mainly because she was the first battleship to be built embodying the lessons of the Russo-Japanese war, and also because the British government had avowed its intention of establishing a record in rapid construction. The Dreadnought is notable for the facts — that she was built in less than eighteen months ; that she is armed as to her main battery exclusively with 12-inch guns ; and that she is driven by turbine engines. The ship developed a speed of 2i£ knots, and in her gun trials stood the simultaneous discharge of her 12-inch guns without structural injury. That the turbine engines have given great satisfaction is proved by the official announcement that henceforth all the larger Brit-sh warships will be driven by this tjpe. Other nations must now follow suit ; for even Germany, which has always discredited the turbine, is reported on good authority to have decided upon its adoption. The Japanese have launched their own Dreadnought in the Satsunia, a 19,200 ton ship, carrying four j 2-inch and twelve 10-inch guns in the main battery, and twelve 4-7-inch in broadside for repelling torpedo boat attack. Germany has planned a 19,000 ton vessel, which is to carry fourteen 11 -inch 50-calibre guns of high velocity, «nd a penetrating power approximately equal to that of the 12-mch piece carried by other powers. Our own government contemplates an even larger ship of 20,000 tons displacement, carrying ten 12-inch guns, which, being all arranged on the centre line of the ship will be all available on either broadside. In the weight and distribution of her armour, and in the provision of internal bulkhead defences, this vessel will be superior to anything built or planned by other navies. Progress in the United States has been exceedingly satisfactory during the past year. There have been completed or put in commission all the powerful battleships of the Connecticut and Georgia classes, and the equally effective cruisers of the California class, and in these vessels we possess homogeneous righting ships, which are equal, if not superior, to the best squadrons that could be brought up against them by foreign navies. If we except the Dreadnought, and possibly the ships of the Lord Nelson class, the latter, armed with four 12-inch and ten 9 2-inch guns, there is, indeed, no squadron of foreign ships to match the five vessels of the Georgia class, and certainly there are no individual ships of the allround excellency of the Connecticut and Louisiana. Two ships of the new Dreadnought type have been commenced, namely, the South Catolina and Michigan, which on 16,000 tons displacement will carry eight 8-inch guns, all available on either broadside. As things are now tending among the navies, the future types will resolve themselves into battleships of 20,000 tons displacement or over ; fast scouts of 3000 tons of 25 knot speed ; and torpedo boat destroyers of 25 to 35 knots — the British have a 36-knot turbine driven destroyer now under construction. A notable event of the year was the towing of the large floating drydock Dewey from Hampton Roads to Cavite in the Philippine Islands. There have been no developments in guns and armour during the past year that call for special mention. In the matter of guns the tendency is to reduce the velocities, as reduction has been found to be necessary to pro-

long the lives of the guns, the army 12-inch guns (U.S.A.) having been so injured after firing 60 rounds as to lose their accuracy entirely.