THE NEW BATTLESHIP

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24826, 28 January 1942, Page 6

THE NEW BATTLESHIP

H.M.S. DUKE OF YORK DETAILS OF BUILDING PROGRAMME The Duke of York, which took Mr Churchill to the United States recently, is Britain’s newest battleship. She is the third of the five battleships of the King George V class, of 35,000 tons, mounting 10 14-inch guns and 16 5.25-inch guns, and having a speed of over 30 knots. The King George V was the first to be completed, and she took Mr Churchill across the Atlantic for his first meeting with President Roosevelt. The Prince of Wales was the second ship of the class to be commissioned. She was sunk, together with the battlecruiser Repulse. off the east coast of Malaya on December 10 last.

The King George V and the Prince of Wales were laid down on January 1. 1937, and were launched on February 21 and May 3, 1939, respectively. The Duke of York and the other two ships of the class, the Jellicoe and the Beatty, were laid down between May 5 and July 20, 1937, and were launched as follows:—Duke of York, September 16, 1939; Beatty, November 13, 1939; Jellicoe, 1940.

Britain has also four more powerful battleships of about 40,000 tons building—the Lion, the Temeraire, the Anson and the Howe. It was reported in 1939 that they would be armed with nine 16-inch guns and would have a speed similar to that of the King George V class. All were laid down in 1939.