BRITAIN v. GERMANY.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IV, Issue 241, 25 September 1914, Page 3

BRITAIN v. GERMANY.

TORPEDO CRAFT. RELATIVE STRENGTH OF THE FLOTILLAS. (By a Naval Correspondent in the ‘•London Express.”) ; Although then* have been innmner- I s>ble comparisons between the naval ■ iorees of the Bowers which are now at war. there has been a remarkable | lack oi attention given to Miluuv torpedo cra.t anil submarines. Ihe ruilouing summary oi our destioie.- programmes tor 191’5 and suec'C'.ing veals will convey an id-a ot our strength in | modern •’oceaii-go-ug ve.sse.s: - ] Pro- No. ot ■ gramme. Boats. Remarks. I 1905-6 3 to 8-5 tons. Spoo l 33 kn. Armament. -> 12-pis ; 2 torpedo-tubes. P.HMi-7 2 970-ftsi) tons; :t3 kn. : - 4-in guns ; 2 torp “Io tubes. 1907-8 5 1027 to lO'.Hi ton-; 33 kn . 2 4-iti guns: 2 itirped-e tidies. J9OS-!) it) >97 to 973 ton-: 27 kn. ; 1 4-in and 3 12-pr. gnus; 2 torp-il.’-tnres. j 1909- 23 720 to 780 tons ; 27 kn. : 2 4-in. 2 12 pr. :;a<l 2 | torpedo-tubes. | 1910- 23 715 to 810 tons ;27t0 32 kn. : guns as former. 1911- 2) ‘W* tto 964 tons; 29 to 32 kn. ; 3 4-in and 1 machine gun ; 2 tubes. 1912- 29 985 tons; 29 kn. ; 3 4-tn and 1 machine gun : amt two double torpedo tidies. PRESENT DISTRIBUTION. 'The above 111 boats are all in service, with the exception of two ot the 1912-13 programme, which nr<> being hurried forward, as are also the sixteen Imats provided for in 1913. All of them are turbine driven, and with the exception of the 190* boats burn oil inei exclusively. The coal-burners oi 1.108 form the* Mediterranean flotilla; anil of the remainder the first twelve are in the Second Fleet, while the 190. boats form the Second Flotilla, tae IJI l»oats the First Flotilla, the 1911 boats the Fourth Flotilla, and 1912 boats the Third Flotilla, all being attached to the First Fleet and in lull conimission. t .. . . In addition to these we have •>* boats of the “River” class (named after rivers), which were provided tor between 1901 and 1903. They displace from 540 to 590 tons and steam .o, knots, their armament consisting of four 12-pr. guns and two torpedo tubes. Finally, there are 71 older <rllh ‘ launched between 1894 and 1902. aveta<ring about 350 tons and. steaming knots when they were built. Progress in the interval has rendered them rather unfit for modern torpedo-craft work, but they are still exceedingly useful for coastal work, and lorm with the River class boats the Patrol Flotillas of the Second Fleet. SPECIALLY FOR COASTAL WORK. Besides these destrovers we have 36 mixleru torpedo-boats (launched 1906-9), which were designed specially fm coastal work. They displace 244 to 30* tons, carrv two 12-poiinders and three torpedo-tubes, and steam 2b knots w itn turbines and oil mol. Germanv has never admitted the ne-i-essitv for the “destroyer as we know it. and her vessels classed as such in British publications are merely large torpedo-boats" in Germany lh»y au ns arule faster than their British iontemporaries. hut being also ably smaller, would be more like > to lose their speed at sea. ’ e ' l * • ‘ much less powerful equipment ot g«ns. but make up for tin* by the extra niimW Ge O An t a O nv Pt h^ U, '3l completed destroyers. all save one .890. being; i» home waters. The folloumg is a sumWrv of them ; — ~ , Fo. Launched. Remarks. 42 I**9-1905 391-480 tons; speed. - kn. ; 3 4-pr. and - machine guns ; and 3 toi I t-w* : kn. * 4-pr. : 2 machine ; 3 1 tons; *lO kn. ; Lpr.; 2 l-pr -2 machine "uns : 0 tnbpi.

1-3 1906-7 520-560 tons; 30 kn. ; 1 24-pr., 3 4-pr.. ano 2 machine guns; 3 tubes. 12 1907-8 545 tons; 32 kn. ; 2 24pr. ; 2 machine guns ; 3 . tubes. 7 1909-11 605 tons; 32) kn. : 2 15pr.. 2 niiiciiine guns ; 3 tubes. 52 1909-13 555-613 tons: 32) kn. ; 2 15-pr., 2 macaiue guns: 4 tubes. it will be seen that the latest German destroyers carry practically the same armament as our coastal torpedoboats. though the former are mi.ch taste". Germany has m> modern torpe-do-boats whatever. Our aggregate (’iimerical siiperio; itv in d?stro,iers is 216 to 131. and the following is a statem -nt of the armameiit of t;ie two liotillas: - British. Geomin. 3-in ' 3!-;,) 2.0 2'-|>r‘ 38 15-prs 12* 12-prs 364 6-prs 310 4-prs 2i K> Machine guns 10 261 J'o-pi-.10 nd”-. !7l» I 18 In torperlo-lioats tin- t’»»» fo’-ces are mor ■ or less -qua’, but in less Is for attii’king torp-dn-eval l there is a great ad-aetag - on the Bi iti.-l: side. FRANCES DE-TROYERS. Franc:- has >1 emai-'etcd destroyers, of which the majority, displacing under 400 tons, are arineil with one 9-poun<.ler aml six 3-poiftal-r gnus and two torpe-do-tubes. The lato-t boats, eighteen in numibor. tire of about 7-50 tons, and carry rwo 3.9iu and tour 9-p<>in’<h‘r guns, and three or lour torpedo-tubes, (here is also a largo number of (airly modern torpedo-boat* distributed between Dunkirk. Calais. Cherboip-g, Brest, tint) the Me’literraneean ports. In tiie Baltic Russia has 68 modern il-'trovers, and (liere i* not the least d-'iubt that th-’ whole of the Black Sett fleet will come into the Mediterranean to assist the forces of the Triple Entente there. Neither Italy nor Austria is very ‘■trong in torpedo-craft, the former having 33 ai:<l the latter 15 completed ’left rover*. As regards submarines, the superiority of Great Britain over Germany, and of the Triple Entente over Germany and Austria is enormous. Germany has not more than 36 ships of this type in service, and a very small personnel trained to man them: while (1 teat-Bri-tain has 72 boats and a fully-trained nersonnel of over 3500 officers and men. Franco backs this un with 50 complete boats, and Russia with 13 in the Baltic; while Austria has only eight boats. Britain and France together have 122 submarines, or about four times as many as Germany and Austria.