OUR NEWEST CRUISER.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5474, 31 December 1904, Page 15

OUR NEWEST CRUISER.

LAUNCH OF THE BLACK PRINCE, The craftsmen on the banks of the Thames have placed upon the waters another leviathan to assist in defending the Empire and its commerce. The smashing of a bottle of Australian wine upon the prow of the first-class armoured cruiser Black Prince by the Countess of Selbome, daughter of the late Marquis of Salisbury and wife of the) Earl of Selbome, First Lord of tho Admiralty, on , November Bth, was the signal for the mechanics employed in the yard of the Thames Ironworks at Blackwall to get in action the powerful hydraulic jacks which were to send the latest of the giant protectors of the nation’s trade into its proper element, on a career of usefulness in the national cause. There was great excitement in Canning Town. The launching meant a holiday to its population, whose welfare is closely bound up with the prosperity of the’ great works of tho Thames Ironworks, Shipbuilding and Engineering Company (Limited). The bow of the huge ship stood high upon the ways on which it has been built, and almost cast its shadow across the Great Eastern Railway line. The outside of dingy engineers’ shops had received embellishment in the shape of red and whit© colouring, a stage erected for the launching party and the specially-in-vited guests lent additional brightness to the blackness ot the; shipyard surroundings, and a gallant display of bunting flown from the masts of all sorts and conditions of craft- anchored and moving in and about the entrance to Bow Creek added to the picturesqueness of tho scene. The favoured few hundred® of spectators who crowded round the canopy under which Lady Selbome stood, prepared to hurl the 'christening bottle against the armour of the ship, although having pride of place, were hot more interested in the ceremony than tho thousands of perjsonfi, mechanics, and watermen and their families, assembled on all the piers and jetties which would afford an opportunity of witnessing the new cruiser leave its cradle and take to the water. One of the six powerfully-armoured cruisers of the Duke of Edinburgh typo, the Black Prince's first keel plate was laid at Blackwall in January, 1903, since when an enormous amount of metal has been built into the ship. The dimensions of the vessel are prodigious. With a length of 460 ft, a beam of 73ift, and a depth of 40Jft, she is designed to draw 26ft 6in forward, and 27ft Bin. aft, and will displace 13,660 tons of water. She will bo propelled by two seta of inverted four-cylinder triple expansion engines of 23,500 indicated horse power, which are expected to force her through the sea at a speed of 23 knots per hour. Along the water line tho armoured belt extends from stem to stem, varying in thickness from 6in amidships to 4in forward and 3in aft. The principal armament consists of six 9.2 in and eighteen 6in guns. The foremost and aftermost 9.2 in guns are so situate that they have an arc of fire of 310 degrees, while the otiher guns of the same calibre are mounted on the port and starboard' sides with a radius of fire of 180 degrees. Ten of the 6in guns are placed in the citadel, which is rectangular in shape, and is protected by 6in of armour. On the shelter deck there are quick-firers galore. The whole weight of the armour is about 1600 tons, exclusive of the protected decks, tho conning towel is constructed of steel lOin thick, and the 6in weapons are separated from each other by a splinter bulkhead 2in through. The torpedo tubes are three in number, one on each side and one astern, all under water. One of the features of the design of. the Duke of Edinburgh class is the placing of the shell rooms in the ammunition passages close to the hoists, so that time and labour may be saved in getting the shells to the guns. Tho hoists for the 6-in guns are worked by electrical motors, while those for the heavier ordnance are raised by hydraulic power. Jtyxw that advisability of using liquid fuel is frequently discussed, it is interesting to not© that provision is made for utilising oil as a steam raiser in the Black Prince. The double bottom of the cruiser is constructed so as to allow heavy oil to be carried, and plimps, pipes and filters have been fitted to enable the boilers to use the oil as fuel. The bunkers have been arranged for 2000 tens of coni. The Black Prince will have her

engines and armament put aboard while she remains in her builders’ hands, and it is interesting to note that she is the first ship the company have got ready for commission for the Government, although they have already built and handed over ships ready for active service for other nations, notably two of tho fine battleships now forming part of Admiral Togo's watchful squadron.