IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 12864, 13 August 1914, Page 3

IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.

THE RIVAL FLEETS. * FAST AND POWERFUL BRITISH M EOR£E.. v The Mediterranean Fleet, which, we are told, cleared for action on Sunday, has been considerably strengthened dgrtfig the last twelve months. It consists of the Second BattleCruiser Squadron of» four Dreadnought cruisers} the First Cruiser Squadron of four large cruisers; four light cruisers, two torpedo gunboats, the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla of sixteen destroyers; three B. type submarines; and six small reserve torpedo boats. The Second Battle-Cruiser Squadron comprises the Inflexible, flagship of Admiral Sir A. Berkeley Milne, Bt., C.C.V.0., K.C.8., Commander-in-Chief; the Indefatigable, Indomitable, and Invincible. The Inflexible, Indomitable and Invincible are each 17,250 lons displacement, and 41,0.00 horse power. The Indefatigable is 18,750 tons displacement and 43,000 horse power, and is a sister ship to the New Zealand. Each of the four ships mounts eight 12-inch and sixteen 4* inch guns. They have a speed of 25 knots. The First Craiser Squadron comprises the Defence (flagship of RearAdmiral Sir E. C. T. Troubridge), 14,600 tons, 27,000 horse power, mounting four 9.2-inch, ten 7.5-inch, I and sixteen 12-pounder guns; Black Prince, 13.550 tons, 23.000 horse power, mounting six 9.2-inch, ten 6-inch, and twenty 3-pounder guns; Duke of Edinburgh, 13,500 tons, 23,000 horse power, mounting six 9,2-incJi, ten 6inch, and twenty 3-pounder guns; and the Warrior, 13,500 tons, 23,000 horse power, mounting six 9.2-inch, four 7.5inch, and twenty-four 3-pounder guns. The light cruisers arc the Chatham and Dublin, each of 5400 tons and 22,000 horse power, mounting eight 6inch, one and four Spounder guns; the Gloucester, 4800 tons, 22,000 horse power, two 6-inch, ten 4-inch, and four 3-pounder guns; and the Weymouth, 5250 tons, 22,000 horse power, mounting - eight 6-inch and four 3-pounder guns. Attached ships are the Hussar, torpedo gunboat, 1070 tons, 3500 horse power, mounting one 4.7-inch and two 6-pounder guns; and the Imbgene, special service vessel, 460 tons, 400 horse power. The Fifth Destroyer. Flotilla comririses the depot ship Blenheim, a I cruiser of 9000 tons and 20..000 horse

power, mounting four 6-inch, two 4- ' inch and six 12-pounder guns, and the torpedo boat destroyers Basilisk, Beagle, Bulldog, Foxhound, Grampus, Grasshopper, Haypy, Mosquito, Pincher, Racoon, Rattlesnake, Renard, Savage, Scorpion, Scourge and Wal | verin. These destroyers are of a uniI form type and speed and are all over i 900 tons displacement and 12,500 horse power. The submarines attached to the Mediterranean fleet are B 6, B 7, B 8, B 9, B 10, and B 11, the first three being based on Gibraltar, and the j others on Malta. Six torpedo boats are in reserve at Malta and eleven are | attached to Gibraltar. [ It is not certain how many German war vessels are in the Mediterranean at the present time. A few months ago there were only the battle cruiser Goeben and the light cruiser Breslau there, but a cruiser squadron was sent there shortly afterwards. Admiral Breusing, quoted above, had previously declared that the Goeben and another vessel had been sent to th>j Mediterranean to cut the communiea tions between France and her African possessions. France has the strongest divisions of her navy in the Mediterranean. The full strength is given as: — Dreadnoughts 4 Pre-Dreadnought battleships > * 21 Pre-Dreadnought armoured cruisers 18 Protected cruisers .. .. 12 Destroyers .. ,<B4 Submarines .. .. • » 55 Torpedo boat 3 159 The most modern battleships are collected in thie Mediterranean. Against the combined English and French fleets in the Mediterranean has to be set the Austrian fleet, and if Italy is drawn into the war, the Italian. The Austrian fleet, which has its headquarters at Pola, in the Adriatic, and is reported to be in a high state of efficiency, could muster two Dread 'noughts, 12 pre-Dreadnoughts, 10 cruisers, 15 destroyers, 54 torpedo boats ]&nd 6 submarines. The Italian navy consists of three Dreadnoughts, 11 pre-Dreadnoughts, 22 armoured and protected cruisers, and a large number of mosquito craft. Of all the navies of the great Powers the Italian has been most recently at war.