BRITAIN'S BIGGEST

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 133, 2 December 1944, Page 7

BRITAIN'S BIGGEST

NEW BATTLESHIP LAUNCHED Rec. 12.20 p.m. RUGBY, December 1. The. greatest battleship ever built in the British Isles—she is destined for the war against Japan—slid down a slipway at a northern shipyard after Princess Elizabeth had sent a bottle of Empire wine crashing against her side. It was the first launching ceremony the Princess had performed. On the platform with her were Mr. A. V. Alexander, First Lord of the Admiralty, Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, First Sea Lord, and many other representatives of the Navy. Before the ceremony the Princess had walked through the shipyard, where she was enthusiastically cheered by thousands of men and women who had worked On the construction of the ship. Flying on the mast under the bows of the battleship was the Princess's personal standard, which was broken for the first time. It had been made by sailors of the Chatham. Speaking at a shipyard luncheon, Mr. Alexander said: "This is a-great ship. She will" be the greatest battleship yet completed in the British Isles.- She will be a heavy ship, and she will sail tropical waters against an enemy we particularly want to beat. This ship is a challenge to the minds of those who thought, and who still think, that the role and the day of the battleship is ended. Experience, to naval minds, at any rate, has proved the contrary. The work of the battleship in the open sea, for coast bombardment, or under proper air protection in narrow waters, has been a revelation. lam persuaded that a ship of the calibre and equipment that this ship will have will be a formidable central factor in any naval task force which can be devised for the future."

The Princess said: "The men and women of this yard may indeed feel proud of the evidence of their patience, skill, and hard work through so many months. They must surely have put something into her which is part of the staunchness of our race."

The chairman of the shipping company said that, the new battleship would bear a name which was 'honoured in the Navy for great fighting qualities. Many great ships from the time of the Armada had borne the name which she would bear, but he thought she would be greater than any of her predecessors. He spoke of the many new devices and the great armament of the new battleship, and said she would have "electric eyes" to pierce the thickest fogs in darkness and to see and detect the enemy's position, speed, and course. He also hinted BO would P°ssess striking speed.