ANOTHER DREADNOUGHT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1054, 18 February 1911, Page 14

ANOTHER DREADNOUGHT.

H.M.S. THUNDERER, H.M.S. Thunderer, built by tho Thames Iron Works, and launched tho other day, is tho twentieth ship of tho Dreadnought class and sister' ship to" tho; Conqueror and Monarch. Her. displacement is 22,680 tons, witlr a designed i.h.p. of 27,000, and an expected speed of 21 knots. Hoi- armament will likely consist of 10 13in. breechloading and 20 ■lin. quick-firing Runs. Sho was laid down in April, 1910, and is contracted to be completed in March, 1912, under tho naval'programme of 1909, and is tho fifth British warship to bear tho name Thunderer. Her immediate predecessor, broken up last July, was an ironclad turret ship, launched ut l'ernbroko in March, 1872, and finished in June, 187 G. .Her.first cruise brought disaster. When, on a trial spin in July 1876, ono of her boilers burst, killing 38 officers and men and injuring 77 others. On January 2, 1879, whilo in the -Mediterranean ono of her 88 ton turret guns burst, killing 12 ' men and wounding 35 of tho crew.' This accident was caused by misadventure, a double charge having been loaded, and tho blunder was not discovered. From 1880 till 1883 the Thunderer was kept' out of commission at Malta for, as somo' said, tho Admiralty thinking her unlucky. In the nineties sho was used as a coastguard ship aud went to her end, as beforo indicated, as ono of tho earliest ships scrapped by Sir John Fisher,