TO REPLACE CHATHAM

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11650, 15 October 1923, Page 7

TO REPLACE CHATHAM

CRUISER NEW ZEALAND SOME NOVEL FEATURES ON NEWCOMER. OIL BURNING VESSEL. H.M.S. New Zealand (ex Dunedin), which is to replace the Chatham earlynext year, is a light cruiser cf the D class of the war emergency programme. Originally eleven of this class were ordered, the first three being laid down in September, 1916, and finished just before the armistice. Eight others were then in hand, but as three of them were only in the initial stages of construction tho orders for them were cancelled and tho class reduced to the following:—Danae, Dauntless, Delhi, Despatch, Diomede, Dragon, Dunedin, and Durban. These ships are a development of the Cardiff type of the numerous C class, which they closely follow ill many respects, except that the hull has been lengthened about 20ft to give space for an extra Gin gun between the mast and the fore funnel, while tho torpedo tubes are triple instead of double. H.M.S, New Zealand (ex Dunedin) was built by Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitworth and Company, Ltd., at their Elswiek yard, being laid down in October. 1917. and completed in October, 1919. Her principal dimensions are:—Length 472 ft, beam 46ft, mean draught 14ft. 6in, giving her a nominal displacement of 4750 tons. Her propelling machinery consists of Brown-Curtis turbines geared to two shafts driving twin screws and developing 40,000 horse-power at a speed of 29 knots. Steam is supplied by six oilfired water-tube boilers, and the ship has a bunker capacity of 1050 tons of oil fuel. Arranged in tandem with her high-pressure turbine is a “cruising” turbine, which may be connected by means of a clutch to the high-pressure rotor, and is used when the total shaft horse-power does not exceed 6000, corresponding to a speed of about 18 knots. The armament of the ship comprises six Gin guns, two 3in anti-aircraft guns, sixteen machine-guns, and twelve torpedo tubes in four triple mountings. The protection consists of a belt of 3in armour plate for most of the length of the hull. The guns are protected by steel shields, with the exception of the foremost gun, which i 3 completely housed in. AEROPLANE PLATFORM. In general appearance the New Zealand differs very much from the Chatham. She has what is known as a “trawler bow,” much, splayed and with a big rise or sheer. The two forward guns are super-posed below the bridge. There is the usual tripod mast, with its director station on top, light wooden spars supporting the wireless aerials, which are carried to a light wooden mast abaft the searchlight position. The New Zealand has only two funnels, one double the diameter of the other, in place of the four carried by the Chatham. A novel feature is a revolving flying-off platform for aeroplanes just forward of the searchlight position, and the ship’s boats are swung beneath this platform. In general appearance the ship resembles a large destroyer. The following table enables a comparison to be drawn between the New Zealand and the Chatham. New Zealand. Chatham. Length 472 ft 430 ft Beam 4fift 43ft 6in. Displacement tons 4750 5250 Speed 23 25J Horse-power 40,000 25,000 Guns Six 6in Eight 6in Torpedoes 12 2 Complement 340 400 Fuel Oil Coal As the Dunedin, H.M.S. New Zealand was first commissioned on September 13th, 1919, in the Tyne service, with the first light cruiser squadron of the Atlantic Fleet, and the first months were spent in the Baltic. She is the third Bhip of thd Royal Navy to bear the name of New Zealand. Tho first was a battleship of 16,350 tons, launched at Portsmouth in February, 1904. The second and the famous New Zealand was laid down in June, 1910, launched in July, 1911, and commissioned by Captain (now Vice-Admiral Sir Lionel) Halsey on November 19th, 1912.