NEW DREADNOUGHTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 196, 18 August 1913, Page 5

NEW DREADNOUGHTS.

TH3.EE 3E08.E 03SEBEO. XSrCKEASING TEE SIZE. POBTY-TWO BY 1915. (By Cable.--Press Association.—CoprrJsht.l LONDON, August 10. The Admiralty has ordered from private yards, three battleships each heavier and more powerful than the Queen Mary. But for the decision of the Canadian Pennto not to provide throe ships for the British Navy, these vessels would not have been begun until next spring. Tsy the autumn of 1915. Britain will have ai ?en. 42 Dreadnoughts, including the Lord Nelson, the Agamemnon, and the New Zealand, and also including two about to be laid down at Portsmouth and Devonport. EYES OF TEE FLEET. ZOO AIRMEN WAIITES. • (Received 8.5 a.m.) LONDON, August 17. The naval authorities are so impressed with the utility of the watcrplancs at the recent manoeuvres that they have invited two hundred lieutenants to volun tcer for the flying corps. A new terror in maritime warfare la anticipated by Renr-Admiral BraiMi-y A. FiskP, commander of the First Division of the Atlantic Fleet in the I'nitcd States Xavy. Judging by the rapid evolution of the liydro-acri>plf"!O—the variety of aeroplane' that can settle on water like a gull and rU;> unassisted at will —'ho foresees the introduction in the near future of a. hydro-aeroplane capable ot carrying a torpedo and of firing it with accuracy from water level when within an effective range of its prey, lie has already invented a means for carrying, directing, and delivering a self-propelled torpedo from an aeroplane. Rear-Adruira! Fiske credits such a era f- with the ability to provide such day-time terrors for a battleship as are now provided a.t night-time by torpedo-boats and torpedo■boat destroyers. In an interview reported in "Popular Mechanics," an American technical journal, Rear-Admiral Kieke says: "At the present time the torpedo-boat has practically no chance to inllict disaster upon a battleship in the day time. To such an extent is this true that one never thinks of a destroyer attacking a battleship in the day time except in very peculiar circumstances. "It is the aim of my invention to attack the battleship in the day time with the sam? kind of torpedo that a destroyer carries, the approach being accomplished in such a manner that the guns -of the battleship would have very little chance." From further details given by Admiral Fiske it is apparent that he intends the torpedo-carrying aeroplane to carry out the initial stages of its attack at high altitudes. Having arrived within two or thr«e thousand feet of the enemy's ship the aircraft is to volplane or swoop with such rapidity as to drf-.-U the eU'orti of opposing gunners. Dirr-clly the hydroaeroplane reaches the water level ami ibrought into suitable alignment with the warships under observation, the torpedo ■will be released on its errand of destruction. The aviator will then endeavour to return to -his station or parent ship by rapidly soaring to a considerable altitude. "It is practically impossible." says Rear-Admiral Fiske, '"to hit an object swiftly falling from a height with the present guns, owing to the resulting rapid change in range and consequent cluinge of elevation of the guns.' , Rear-Admiral h'iske's proposals deserve resneel ami careful consideration, inasmuch as the United States nary has undertaken much pioneer work in th" use. of -torpedoes. The deadly Whitehead torpedo was lirst, introduces! to warfare by America, though the British Nary may have claimed the principal s-han* in its subsequent development. The idea of aeroplanes discharging torpedoes certainly produces a new problem for naval engineers and' tacticians. An aeroplane painted in a neutral tint would prove, an extremely difficult object to hit when lying low on the water, even with light quick-firing guns. Kveu if it were 'hit, the lo6s of life and capita.] loss would be negligible compared with the loss in similar circumstances of a modern tor-pedo-boat or destroyer.