STILL WEATHERBOUND

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22164, 18 January 1934, Page 10

STILL WEATHERBOUND

THE BATTLESHIP NELSON LONDON, January 17. (Received Jan. 17, at 3 p.m.) Admiral Sir William Boyle has transferred his flag from the Nelson to the Rodney, which sailed from Plymouth, because the Nelson is still weatherbound at Portsmouth.

With her sister ship, the .Rodney, the Nelson is one of the two biggest battleships which Britain has completed since tile war, and has retained in active service. She is of 33,500 tons, displacement, 710 feet long, 106 feet beam, and her nominal draught is 30 feet. Pier horse-power is 45,000, and she is heavily armoured. She carries nine 10in, twelve Gin, and six 4.7 in anti-aircraft guns, besides 25 lighter guns. She was launched in 1925, and completed in 1927 at New-castle-on-Tync. At the time of the completion of the Nelson “Brassey’s Naval Annual” described the Nelson and Rodney as “the largest battleships in the world, and the only two post-Jutland ships of the Royal Navv.” Their salient feature is the mounting of the nine lOin guns (a new weapon in the British Navy) in three triple turrets placed in the fore-part of the ship, while the propelling machinery and the single funnel are placed in the after-part. The lOin guns are thus incapable of firing astern, but can fire on the broadside, and those in the foremost turrets can fire ahead.

The triple turret was a now departure in British ships, but had been experimented with in a monitor built and was adopted before the war in the American, Italian and Russian navies. The Oin guns are mounted astern in twin turrets, firing six on either broadside.

The annual cost of upkeep of the ship was £432,000 all told, when she was built.

In appearance the Nelson differs from any previous battleship. The single funnel, placed far aft, has about threequarters of the ship in front of it. There is a single tripod mast abaft the funnel. Forward of the funnel, between it and the throe heavy gun turrets, is a huge structure, almost rectangular in profile, termed “ Queen Anne's Mansions ” by the ship’s company.