NEW BATTLESHIPS

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 51, 1 March 1901, Page 2

NEW BATTLESHIPS

TO.BE THE LARGEST AFLOAT.

LON DON, January &:

The British Admiralty has decided.W, build two battleships'which are'intended/ to be the largest in the Alorld. The distinction of having the largest warship? has hitherto been held by Italy, with tl»e: Lepanto and her sister-snip, the Itallam; Great Britain's two projected large war-, ships, to be respectively the Queen and the Prince of Wales, will be 2000 tons heavier. than the Italian ships mentioned, having the displacement of 18,000 tons,; which is 3500 tons heavier than America 4: biggest armour-clad vessel. """ These tremendous British vessels WM carry nothing larger than twelve-lncU guns. Their batteries will chiefly be composed of these gains and 7.5-inch and'sixinch guns. The determination to increase the bulk of the battleships was only a*" rived at after much discussion, for sli\c? : the days of the Royal Sovereign (of Ufflffiß tons) the Admiralty has been inclined .■»,«; favour battleships of smaller displacement, of which the*Canopus (of 12,950 tons? is the best type. In the meantime P«|j||| France, the United States and Japan navo all been increasing their displaeemenji until Great Britain has almost been mm behind. Now she steps in, taking the iea?|. with the Queen and the Prince of 31|S| to say nothing- of the London and the *<» . midable, both of 15,000 tons, now n^rtw completion. -jßi The Admiralty apparently has as gr?* confidence in Georgo W. Watson as. »*, Thomas Lipton, for it has called oa^f yacht designer to give advice in regard w... the new royal yacht, now better known as the "Royal Naval farce." Though the ep tire -force of draughtsmen at the For^ mouth dockyard had been persistently, working in the endeavour to» patch M>/ this unlucky boat, the authorities nayo been unable to effect anythinghoped Watson will be able to save ,tp» enormous amount of money expended on her. ' V' j . '.'"', .::'.. ■•?■/