BRITISH NAVAL FORCES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 18, 17 December 1938, Page 9

BRITISH NAVAL FORCES.

BIG ADDITIONS NEXT YEAR. A PEACE-TIME RECORD. LONDON, Dec. 16. The Daily Telegraph’s naval- correspondent, Mr Hector Bywater says that Britain in 1939 will launch 4o new warships with a total tonnage or 355,705, which is a peace-time record. The launchings will consist or J^ ve battleships, three aircraft-carriers, five large cruisers, seven small cruisers, 11 destroyers, nine submarines, and live sloops, also a considerable number ot auxiliary craft, including boom defence vessels, motor torpedo-boats, depot ships and tugs. ■ The battleships, each of 30,000 tons with a speed of 30 knots, ■ will be the largest, most strongly armoured and the fastest Britain has ever built. Each will carry 10 14-inch guns ■ot a new and most powerful type. ■ The aircraft-carriers will each be or 23,000 tons and the large cruisers of 8000 tons, with a speed ‘of 33 knots. They will mount 12 six-inch guns. Hie smaller cruisers will be of 5450 tons with a speed of 33 knots. Their mam armament will consist of 10 5.2-inch guns firing 14 rounds a minute. The submarines will ■ all be oceangoing. The sloops are mostly escort vessels, heavily armed with anti-air-craft guns.