LAUNCH OF A DREADNOUGHT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14629, 15 March 1911, Page 11

LAUNCH OF A DREADNOUGHT.

. FIRST BUILT ON THAMES. [FROM. OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] London, February 5. The first super-Dreadnought to be built on the banks of the Thames—the Thunderer— successfully launched from the Thames Ironworks at Canning Town on Wednesday amid a crash of cheering from thousands of enthusiastic onlookers and the roar of a 21-guns salute. Mrs. Randall Davidson, the Primate's wife, released the enormous mass of steel, weigh' ing 10,000 tons already. Without * mishap it glided into Bow Creek, whence it was towed to Dagenham. From here' the Thunderer will emerge within a year the most powerful warship in the world.

The Thames has long been ■ stranger to such an event as this, and Canning Town was on holiday. All its denizens crowded down to the creek to get a view of the huge hull whose, construction has meant wages and bread and butter and comfort for 3000 local craftsmen during many weeks.

The Thunderer, when complete, will carry 10 of the powerful new 13.5 in guns, mounted in pairs in five turrets arranged along the centre line of the ship. In this way, each gun firing a shell of 12501b, the Thunderer will have a broadside fire of 12,5001b. The second turret from forward and aft will be raised so as to fire above the turret at the end of the ship, no that four guns will bear both ahead and astern. The huge vessel is British throughout. She was laid down in April last, and will be ready for sea in April, 1912. She has averaged £3000 a. week in wages, and in some weeks £6000. By the time she is ready £300,000 will "have gone into the pockets of workmen, of -whom she will have employed about 5000 more or less continuously for two years. About 1500 of these have actually built her at the yard. Her material will cost half a million, and another million will be spent -on her armament and other requirements away from the Thames yard, where her creation involved £100,000 extra capital and almost as much in guarantees.