SUCCEEDS PREUSSEN

Evening Star, Issue 20980, 19 December 1931, Page 1

SUCCEEDS PREUSSEN

GERMANY’S POCKET BATTLESHIP President Hindenburg launched at Kiel this year the German “ pocket battleship ” laid down in 1928 to replace the Preussen, which has already been scrapped. _ Seldom has a ship produced a more instantaneous effect upon naval; policy. To find a parallel it is necessary to go back a quarter of a century, to Lord Pisher’s revolutionary ideas as expressed in the Dreadnought and Invincible, writes the naval correspondent of the, ‘News Chronicle.’ Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany is not permitted to acquire battleships exceeding 10,000 tons standard displacement, or with guns above Hin calibre. But there is no financial limitation, and it is understood that the cost of the new ship will be at least £4,000,000, or double that of a typical modern cruiser of equal displacement. This lavish expenditure has enabled German naval constructors to produce a well-protected ship of twenty-six knots maximum speed with a main armament of six llin guns of exceptional range and power. At twenty knots her radius of action is no, less than 10,000 miles. WEIGHT SAVING. To secure such an exceptional mobility recourse has been had to doubleacting two-cycle Diesel engines of the M.A.N. type, developing 60,000 horsepower, in conjunction with quadruple screws. To reduce.weight, throughout the ship electric welding and special alloys have been used irrespective of expense, with a resultant saving reported as 550 tons. As the first motor warship of more than 2,000 tons displacement, she can be compared quite fairly with the Dreadnought, which was the first big turbine warship. Results of her trials will be awaited with the utmost interest, as it is uncertain to what extent electric welding has entered into the construction of her engines. It is known that they are exceptionally. light- developing, it is said, one unit of horse power for every 17Jib of weight. FRANCE FOLLOWS. To illustrate the far-reaching effects of her laying down, it is only necessary to recall that those countries which, under the influence of theAVashington Treatv, had gone in for fast 10',000-ton cruisers, with Sin guns and no protection worth mentioning, have decided almost unanimously to build no more vessels of this type. France has definitely insisted on providing herself with two capital ships of 23,000 tons, armed with 12in guns, with the avowed intention »f outweighing the German programme, which includes three more pocket battleships to be laid down in 1931, 1932, and 1934 respectively. Already the three ancient battleships which these are to replace are being advertised for sale. Unquestionably these facts afford strong support to the arguments of AUseount Cecil in favour of financial restrictions in . agreements for the limitation of armaments.