NEW BATTLESHIPS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22618, 5 January 1937, Page 9

NEW BATTLESHIPS

NAVY OF BRITAIN DETAILS CLOSELY GUARDED PROBABLE MAIN FEATURES (Received January 4, 10.55 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 4 The naval correspondent of the Morning Post says the battleships King George V. and Prince of W ales already have become mystery ships to the world. Every naval Power is anxious to know their constructional details. The United States Government has deferred laying down new battleships until it has some knowledge of the British designs. The details are being closely guarded but probably the vessels will carry twelve 14-inch guns housed in four triple turrets, thus permitting a , high rate of fire, also 6-inch guns housed in six twin turrets as secondary armament. In addition there will be at least eight 4.7-inch guns supplemented by four eight-barrelled "pompoms" and a number of multi-barrelled machine-guns which will fire explosive bullets, as antiaircraft armament. Certainly the ships will carry aircraft, which are not likely to number less than four, says the writer. Probably they "will resemble aircraft-carriers either before or abaft the amament "citadel." Arrangements probably will be made to enable the ships to be "trimmed down" when in action by flooding the water ballast tanks by .which means they will be able to sink some feet, thus increasing the protection to the sides and also decreasing the size of th' 3 target. The correspondent says that both ships will be the most formidable units of any fleet and as nearly unsinkable as it is possible to make any ship.