THE DREADNOUGHT.

Northern Advocate, 8 May 1916, Page 2

THE DREADNOUGHT.

That the Dreadnought is only ten years old is a fact hard to realise, but February '10th last was the tenth anniversary of the advent of this type of war vessel. Enormous strides' hav e been made since then. Ktfi rrinp to this, phase of the matte:-, the "Naval and Military Re. \ cord" points out that in 1896, ten. years before the Dreadnought, we launched the last four battleships; of the Majestic class, and in com- ' parison with them the first "all-big- '. gun" ship represented an increase in displacement of 11000 tons, or a shade above 20 per cent., and in brcubide f :ro of 2SOO lb., or 70 per cent What capital ships we may \>r: launching ten years after the Drradncu7:t '■". c do net know; but we do ];\" r-w thr.t the Queen Eliza1k t; is by 960 0 tons, or over fiS ". -r cent., and has a broadside hca.7.- b.v RGOO lb., or 126 per cent. Remembering the furore which the Dreadnought caused on account of her size and gun-power, these facts are most striking; but the real truth is that the Dread- . nought was remarkable not so much I for 'her size or the weight of her I broadside as for the singleicalibre constitution of her main battery— which, curiously enough, was itself, but a reversion to earlier ideas. Tho principles upon which the Dreadnought was designed have gained in power with the passing years—high speed, thick armour, and battle guns of tho greatest available power. Where the process of "development" will end it is as yet impossible to foresee. In the fleets I of to-day there are to be found 135, 14 and 15-inch guns, and an American 16-inch is available if required. Heavier calibres are promised—the German 17-inch for instance; but it is not easy to see the advantages that are to be gained by the mount. ing of such guns, which, judging .from past experience, must be fewer in number than smaller weapons of eoual effective range, lower in velocity, higher, in trajectory, and slower in the rate of fire. However that may be, the apparent lessons of the war have confirmed every principle which the Dreadnought embodied, which is a splendid tribute to the far-sightedness of the committee over which Lord Fisher presided 11 years ago,