SMALLER SHIPS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16837, 28 December 1928, Page 5

SMALLER SHIPS

10,000 TONNERS A FAILURE LONDON, England, Nov. 9. England's new 10,000-ton cruisers are considered a failure, artd thereby hangs the story. * It is becoming generally known that the design of the British 10,000-ton "Washington" cruisers, the first'of which now have entered the service after exhaustive trials, are far from satisfactory. The type "B," of 8400 tons, will be more' efficient all-round ships, and will cost the taxpayers only 75' per cent., as much as the larger ships, in experts' opinions. It has been definitely decided that no more of the 10,000-1 on class are to be built, and the ships which should have been laid down under the 1027-28 and 1928-20 estimates have been abandoned. There are now ill commission, or under construction, 13 ships of this type, as follows: "First group.—ll.M.S. Berwick, Cum-! berhind, Kent and Suffolk, now in service; Australia, Canberra ill Australian n:ivy, the latter now completing. Second group.—H.M.S. Devonshire, London and Sussex, completing; Shropshire, oft the stocks; Dorset-; shire, Norfolk, on the stocks. Details of the first seven ships have been made public, and it is real-' ised they are under-gunncd (eight 8-inch and four •4.7-iueh high angle), and far too slow, attaining only 81.5 knots.

The second group, designed by Sir William Berry, the new director of naval construction, are understood to embody many improvements. J a these shins the "bulgle" has been dispensed''with, and the adoption of higher pressure steam will increase the speed.