"A BACK-NUMBER."

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 88, 7 January 1908, Page 7

"A BACK-NUMBER."

' — ' IS THE DREADNOUGHT BEHIND THE > TIMES' , BRITISH EXPERTS ST^TEI^ENT. Writing m tho Londoii' .Eor-> cival ■ Ilaslam, -a nayalc oxppjt, i says: fyFqr[ moro than twolvo >months rafter... ..the -vibe*: ginning of the Dreadnought not a,single bat-i . tlcslnp.was laid downi of tho European naval Powers. ;, It - was - universally realised from the first-that tho.oirect'of tho; new ship upon tho: ship-building-policies-of" ' tho world must: bo , revolutionary ,'.and'-t!hoi ' hands of our-rivals wofo- stayjpdwhile. jihpy . awaited, the details -of ,£,fc]ie ;,ship„ ai^r,lior; ' achiovemonts, and racked thou - . brains, for: a design which,-if. it did not eurpasi the pioAeer vessol, should, nt'any ;i'ate place U.em in a'position to moot-:heiy gun fojf,gun;i'jhey.; iiiive. suxcQoded, :.j'., , The temporary 1 'para]^»|^o^niavajLoopstruor*. tion abroad ha4/Deeu,pHtdi^iTo3f^V"pps;; imespectcd results. i; •" l'i;>hting Ships," the navaFencyclbpffidia;ofi Fred T. Janej; proves it-to-Imvo-becii. nothing! but the liillrprf.cudlhg.thiistorm—aystonnof! now , battleship dosigns; ; .which- leayu, i.thp Dreadnought, as 'far.-behiud"ai..^ of those .ships 'she, obsolete. Compared iwft'h. ing for foreign , Powers?-thc it l)roftd'no\ij&V ,: M! - a back number. - iil When tho. Dreadnought .Wirfts - .complpted i there,were many- bettej,'. shifjH-:.afloat. t|ian.,j;h,o; German Deutsclilandj^hutn-for.;present*-pur-: poses she will :do very- well; for-comparison).! Tho most .'important itejiuiri..a.lbaUleiup- -is! tho armament, -and tho;Dreadnought has.ten'. 12-inch guns, .firing,'roughly,- 25;500 pounds of .metal .in: two minutes,- to the Doutschland's four 11-inch and- fourteen 0-7-mch, firing about 23,000 pounds ill;'tliej.samo. time. The', Dreadnought's. guns have ■ tho.' gnjatjsr"! ponotrating power, but; .the quick-firing weapons )of tho Deuljsohlan'd would ihave-a far' greater demoralising! effect on., an. .enejiiy ■ If gun fire is a rpliablexcrltorioiv:: or. a i battleship's" strength,,' t-hoDreadnou'ght'is; about sevon- times inferior'to"tho'-ii'ew .vessels, •building, for the Japanese navy as tha'Deutschland is to the Dreadnought. The Japanese hayo only recently taken! 10 building their own .armoured ships,' tho Tsuk'ubiv,; which;• visited England in, Junbj.vb'emg.-'tho.firstf to, be turned out of - tho native yards. SKe is 'a : bettor vessel than any- Britishtship of.tho samo class afloat, and!, .iff,: tho'battleship? "N" and "B" (tliey are as yet unnamed) are any. guide, Japaneso designs* aro,,in ..future going to loud .the: world. .. - Tho following: comparison: of "N" with.' the, jatost'British 1 . ship is an. interesting and significant cbramontary on tho' widely held and officially fostered belief that all .the information/obtained by- tho Japanoso in the lata' war Has; been placed at. the, disposal of tho Gpvjjrnment :— Y I-.-V. :.'.,-..y". 1 Bcllerophon.. "N;" Displacement (tons) ; -15,600' -20,700 Speed- (knots) -20.75 ■..'2O- " 1 Armament.... Ten 12in. Twelve: 12in. ' ; 'Twonty-seven' (?) 2d p.ndrs.. Ten 6in:;"- ; '-. :'; ! . ■ Twelve 4.7 in. ; It is absurd to suggest that, these''ships are the product'of tho\: same ...knowledge'-.;of . the - esigojicios of war. . - " ' Tho Bellerophony .whose .anti-torpedo armament is bettor thaii. the Dreadnought's, caii fire 28,000 >pounda metalVih; two minutes. Tho Japanese shipj.'with;'practic-' ally tho : satiie; speed':.and^' , 48,840 pounds. -.-' These' are.,startling";figures. If tho .Dreadnought,' with ;a - guhfirij; super-, iority of II per cent. made that ship, obsolete,";'^ with a superiority of 74 peiv cent.'/'do '.with the Bellerophon? ->. ri-.5,--. Tho newest battleships of tho French Russian,' and 'United no special features. They- aro all copies of and/ of course, improvements 1 our—vthe, British Dreadnought and Lord- Nelson ' de-: signs; but. it is. interesting to.lioto thai the • latest German annoured cruiser is reputed to be- armed ,'with) twelve eleven-inch' guns to'otir ' Infloxible's -..eight'- twelv'friii'ch,'' v all r on either ship being' 'f'capablo'-' : of''. ! 'bbariiig on either broadside. '. '.The : Inflexibles' :aro known-as ''cruiser; 6ditiohs" ofi't-H# ; ' Dreadnought, and lib' ono who 'periiscs ".Pightiiig Ships", can avoid tho conclusion' that when the 'Droadnought was laid' dowii/a '.hornet's nest was .Jjut iii' incubation for l our; disooii-: fort. '- ' :,'s- ■: Perhaps, the most Bigriificaht'p'agb:'in. iho whole book is, that ofiVwhich- 'fire given tho "Programmes ,of Nfew 1, " Cohstruction.',\iVrmourod Ships)": of for' tho iaft four, years. They sfifiw, that, since tho chief naval powoi'fe- liaivb. begun tho billowing armoured ships I :'' Great Britain, 15 ; United States, 13; Japan, 13';. Germany, 12 ; Franco, 8. -"