LARGEST CRUISER IN THE WORLD.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10963, 4 May 1907, Page 2 (Supplement)

LARGEST CRUISER IN THE WORLD.

INDOMITABLE LAUNCHED AT GLASGOW. *

NEW POLICY OF SECRECY.

LONDON, Mprch 15. '■* In the cruiser^ lndomitable, wliich wd? successfully launched- by the Fairfield Conipariy^pf; Glasgow ,isn Saturday u (I temoon, the British Navy, now possesses the largest cruiser m the world. The Indomitable belongs to the new class i which has been attracting the attention, of. naval experts m every covtntryjarid an official decree has been made that the details, ore to remain an Admiralty, secret. The vessel -has been built m an atiriosphere of secrecy, but while a full description of the latest addition to the Navy must necessarily be waating, it is known that she embodies the latest developments which naval warfare has taught besides many experiments.. She will be for fleet duty, and will have a greater gun power and a higher speed than any battleship afloat. The new cruiser is one of three, her sister ships now under construction being the Invincible at Elswick, Newcastle, and the Inflexible at Clydebank, Clyde All three_are identical. Their.turbiues will be alike fn details, so that they may be transferred from one" to the other. Tlie Indomitable was laid down m March of last year. She is of 17,250 tons displacement; hei* engines will devei.p 41,000-h.p., giving a speed of 25 knot-: and her; cost is approximately £ 1j7 44,0*- / . While - ostensibly a cruiserj .her naval stutus is , riot definitely' stated, but . sh . will be able to tackle. a battleship. '."""'- The flood tide was half an hour earlin* than had been expected, and the Indomitable was accordingly slipped into me water before most of the invited party ■had reached the launching stage. . The Marchioness of Breadalbane performed the christening ceremony, her grace ai riving on the scene m the very nick ol time.

Sir William Pearce, chairmau of the Fairfield Oomp my, speaking -at the luncheon held subsequently, said he way not permitted to give any information as to the details of the Indomitable. She must remain a mystery until her offic. _. trials, or at least until the Admiralty thought fit to inform the public as to hCr details. He was able to states however, that the Indomitable was an enormous advance^ on the last . armored cruiser, H.M.S. Cochrane, built and . enginea at Fairfield. The Indomitable was also tb _

largest cruiser m the world. Admiral .Bearcroft stated that the Indomitable was the first of her class, ami her two sistter ships would be launchod within the next fortnight. The publication of details of the Indomitable, said Lord Balfour of Burleigh, would have created some idle curi osity, harmless, perhaps, so far as tbe British public was concerned/but there were others who might have made a sinister use of the information. 'He :e-

joiced that the Admiralty was taking \lieed to guard these secrets, which were really the property of the Navy and should be applied only to the use of tlie defence of our country.