SMOKELESS BATTLESHIPS OF THE FUTURE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 578, 21 June 1913, Page 2

SMOKELESS BATTLESHIPS OF THE FUTURE.

NO FUNNELS : BETTER GUNNERY. The possibility of the adoption oi internal combustion engines for the propulsion of battleships has been pro and con for the past two years by naval experts. Now, however, the internal combustion engine for such purposes has ceased to be only a possibility and has become a fact. Experiments in England, it is claimed, have been so successful that a huge battleship, 540 ft. long, 88ft. broad, and having a displacement oi 21,000 tons, has been designed, and will soon be laid down, if indeed the work has not already been secretly commenced. If the reports are correct, the vessel is designed for a speed of 29 miles an hour, and will carry an armament of 12 guns of 13.5 calibre, firing projectiles of 1,500-lb. weight, capable of piercing 32in. armour at a distance of 9,000 ft. Th ■ advantages o/ ths internal combustion engine over steam power are numerous. There will be no smoke to draw tha attention of the enemy, no funnels to obstruct the decks, the engines will be better protected, and oil tanks for fuel purposes will be easier filled both at sea and in harbour than bunkers with coal. It is the absence of funnels, however, that will cause the most radical cha".jvc in the exterior appearance of l.lv: v."::r dogs. Except for masts, bridges, and conning towers the dec' s will j>e practically clear, making possible the arranging of big guns for firing in any direction. The huge funnels now in use offer fine targets to the enemy, their injury may reduce the draught and so th'j speed of the vessel, and their fail wo'.ld probably put several guns out of action.