THE NEW DREADNOUGHTS.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 29, Issue 32, 27 April 1917, Page 6

THE NEW DREADNOUGHTS.

; WHY SECRECY IS MAINTAINED. L_ IMPHOVED OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE QUALITIES. Although quite a mass of detail has become known of the characteristics of the Dreadnoughts, says the “Weekly Budget", the Admiralty pre exercising quite as much secrecy About the additions which are being made to this class of battleships as wa£ displayed over the first of the group. At Devonport Dockyard, where a Dreadnought is on the eve of Qfjng laid down, the most extraordinary precautions have been adopted to prevent the disclosure of anything whatever relating to the ship. Constables patrol the building slip day and night, not because there is any fears of angie-bars or bracket frames being "removed,” but in order to keep inquisitive eyes from observing the preliminaries for lying down this Dreadnought.. These precautions have only served to cause penetrative inquiries to be made into the reason for their adoption, and the cause appears to be that several important features are to be embodied in the later vessels of the Dreadnought class which do not find a place in the first ship of this group.

The most important innovation consists of special precautions against torpedo attack in the vicinity of the engine and boiler rooms. For this purpose the Dreadnoughts now building, will be fitted with additional armoured bulkheads, while the, outer bottom plating from the keel will bo of ddubtte thickness. In reality, therefore, the new Dreadnoughts will mark an important advance on their progenitor, both in defensive and offensive qualities, since it is known that tne 12 inch guns to be mounted in the new ships will be superior in range and penetrative power to those in the- Dreadnought already "in being.” In these two essentials, as also in speed, the British Dreadnoughts will have an advantage over their contemporaries which are being added to the French and German navies, as is shown by the following comparisonsj Brit. Germ. French Displacement (tons) ... 18.600 18,000 18,320 Speed (knots) dl 10 19-21 Armour (inches In thickness) 12 9.4 10 Guns ... 10 12ln; 16 llin. 4 12in. & 12 9.4 in.

What, however, it is of importance to remember in malting this comparison between British and foreign Dreadnoughts—the term which is now applied to all new battleships—if that both the French and German ships are either on paper or in the preliminary stage of construction, As a matter of fact not one of the German ships has been laid down whilst the French naval authorities are siipply “marking time." Meanwhile Great Britain has one Dreadnought in commission, one building, and two about to be commenced at onto which will possess features of ;ioat value in their power of oftenshe and defensive, as well as In the means for repelling torpedo attack not to bo found in the so-called Dreadnoughts of other naval Powers. All of which gives a pronounced negative to the question,' "Are we downhearted ?’’