THE BRITISH NAVY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVIII, Issue 11333, 29 July 1897, Page 5

THE BRITISH NAVY.

PROPOSED NEW VESSELS.

THE GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME. [Per Press Association.!

LONDON, July 28. Mr Goschen. proposes to commence the building o£ four battleships during tbe present year, one similar to tbe Oanopus, the others similar to the Majestic, hut with improvements, having a displacement of 14,900 tons and a speed of eighteen knots. He also proposes to build a new Eoyal yacht, with-a speed of twenty knots, and to cost a quarter of a million, and six light draught gunboats for river service.

Mr G-oscben, in Lis naval budget apeecb, further proposed to commence the building off our powerful armoured cruisers costing £700,000 each, with a speed of nineteen-and-a-half knots, increasable to twenty-one knots, to expend £50,000 in accelerating tbe building of the warship Vengeance, £130,000 on dock-yard labour, £40,000 upon materials, and £60,000 upon torpedo boat destroyers. [The Majestic is a first-class barbette battleship, launched in 1895. Her displacement is 14,900 tons, her indicated horse power 12,000, and her nominal speed eighteen knots. She carries four 29-ton, ten 6-inch quick-firing, eight 12-pounder, ten 6-pounder, and twelve 3-pounder quickfiring guns, and has five torpedo ejectors. The Canopus is also a barbette ship, and is of 12,950 tons displacement, hut her indicated horse-power is 15,000, and her nominal speed 18‘75 knots. Like the Majestic, she has five torpedo ejectors, and she carries four 12-inoh, twelve 6-inch quick-firiug, twelve 12-pounder quickfiring, and fourteen smaller quick-firing guns.]