THE BRITISH NAVY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13306, 12 October 1906, Page 5

THE BRITISH NAVY.

THREE NEW CRUISERS. ALMOST EQUAL TO THE .. ; DREADNOUGHT. By TeleJTTaph.-Press Association.— (Received October 11, 9.37 p.m.) London, October 11. The London Daily Telegraph says that three armoured cruisers are being built on the Clyde and on the Tyne, at Elswick, that will prove to be really 25 to 27-knot turbine battleships. They are of 17,250 tons displacement, and will have a broadside fire as heavy as that of the Dreadnought; but will be much faster and rather less heavily armoured. The seoret of these cruisers has been well kept. We assume them to be the Invincible, Inflexible, a.nd Indomitable, the orders for which were iesiuci last December. The only details on the records are that they were to be of 15,000 tons, and have a speed of 25 knots. An ordei was given for a cruiser each to Armstrong, WiTitworth, and Co., of Elswick; John Brown and Co., of Clydebank, and the Fairfield Shipbuilding Company. Another of the same class Was to be built in the Admiralty's yards. . It will be seen, therefore, that next year Great Britain will have five Dreadnoughts ready for service, with three more on the stocks. Last month the German newspapers were rejoicing at the prospect of their navy in 1908 being stronger in battleships of the Dreadnought type than the British navy, but they had not reckoned on Sir John Fisher and his colleagues stealing a march upon them.