NAVAL WARFARE

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 August 1930, Page 9

NAVAL WARFARE

NEW FACTORS APPEAR. LONDON, August 6. Radical changes in naval design, tactics, and strategy by Germany. France, and Italy are likely to follow the development of three classes of vessels. These are, firstly, the Ersatz Preussen, Germany’s mystery pocket battleship, which will be launched at Kiel this month; secondly, Italy’s eight new cruisers, which, though displacing only 5250 tons, are swift, powerful, and heavily armed; and, thirdly, the great French submarine Surcouf, which is more heavily armed than any existing submarine and could not bo dealt with by ordinary anti-sub-marine measures. Although the vessels are somewhat experimental, each raises problems of vital importance in the future- development of naval defence. The “Daily Telegraph’s” well-informed naval correspondent, Mr H. C. Bywater, discusses details of the vessels in an article in that paper. Mr By water regards the Ersatz Preussen as the most important of the three new departures. She was laid down two years ago, and was built with great secrecy. She embodies many noveLfeatures, including a, new system of under-water defence, elaborate devices for protecting the crew from poison gas, a patent loading- gear for the big guns, enabling four rounds to be fired in a minute. Diesel engines weighing less than 181 b per horse- power, compared with 1501 b, which is the weight of the lightest Diesel machinery hitherto Installed in motor ships. The Ersatz Preussen stows enough fuel for a continuous voyage of 10,000 miles at a speed of 20 knots. The maximum speed is 26 knots, which, though lower than the latest light cruisers, is sufficiently high to place her in the battle cruiser class. With machinery running economically, she could traverse 18,000 miles without touching port. The newest British cruisers’ maximum endurance is 10,400 miles, but only when the speed is kept down to 13 knots. A British admiral, who is a strategy expert, confesses that the Ersatz Preussen introduces a new factor in naval warfare. She is too powerful to be tackled by a cruiser and too fast to be overhauled by a battleship. Once at large on the trade routes she would be able to defy anything except a battle cruiser. As the supply of the latter craft is limited, it seems that a squadron of pocket battleships would be supreme, and many naval experts agree that the Ersatz Preussen has killed the 10,000-ton, eight-inch cruiser. They argue that it is bad policy to build ships which Continental vessels, equal in tonnage, could easily blow out of the water. This point, so far as the British Empire is concerned, scarcely arises, as the London Treaty precludes the Empire laying down more 10,000-ton cruisers, but the United States, France, and Italy are still constructing these. France realises that these will be useless against a pocket battleship, and is planning to build a 23,000-ton battleship.

ITALY’S NEW CRUISERS. Italy has also sprung a surprise by the Condottieri class of light cruisers. Mr By water writes in regard to these: “Having seen the designs, 1 am impressed by the possibilities of these amazing little ships. They have the speed of a very fast destroyer, and armament heavy enough to engage any cruiser short of the British eight-inch type. Into a narrow streamlined hull, 597 feet long and 51 feet broad, is packed steam machinery developing 95,000 horse-power, or 20,000 more than tho Mauretania’s, which is nearly eight times, as large. Their contract speed is 37 knots. The designers are confident that a higher velocity can be attained. “There are eight ships of this class, and they are not only speedsters. Each carries eight six-inch guns in .armoured turrets, four four-inch anti-aircraft guns, also machine -guns and torpedo tubes. Her vital parts are protected by an armoured deck. These ships would be most formidable in the harrow seas such as the Mediterranean, and even in oceanic warfare. France is reported to be evolving a counter type, as these Italian ships have largely cancelled the value of large flotilla leaders to which the French Navy hitherto attached prime importance.” In building the Surcouf, France has opened up new vistas of commerce raiding and oversea defence. The Suruouf is a cruiser endowed with the power of submerging and coveringgreat distances without port facilities. She is 394 feet long and 29 feet in (he beam. The surface tonnage unfuelled is 3250, and submerged 4300. Diesel engines drive her at 18 knots, and she is able at lower speed to run 1200 miles without refuelling. “All the exposed portions when on the surface are sufficiently armoured to withstand direct hits from bombs and light projectiles, and it is difficult to damage the hull without depth charges. She is armed with four eight-inch-guns, tiring a 271 b shell 25,000 yards. No other submarine has guns of such power. She also carries 14 torpedo tubes all of which can be tired simultaneously. She is equipped with a small seaplane. The Surcouf is constructed to dive great depths and remain under water for 00 hours. The crew numbers 130.”

Mr By water declares: “The appearance of this formidable under-water type raises problems of importance second only to those which the advent of tho Ersatz Preussen lias brought into naval discussions,”