THE NEW DREADNOUGHTS.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 29, Issue 33, 1 May 1917, Page 6

THE NEW DREADNOUGHTS.

WHY SBCEECY IS MAINTAINED. IMPROVED 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 sre exercising quite as much secrecy about the additions which are being made to this class of battleships as was displayed over the first of the group. At Devonport Dockyard, whqre a Dreadnought is on the eve of being laid down, the most extraordinary precautions have been adopted to prevent the disclosure of anyhiqg whatever relating to the ship. Constables patrol the building slip day and night, not because there i« any fears of angle-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 tl?e 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 double 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 the 12 inch guns to bo 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 whieh are being added to the French and German navies, as is shown by the. following comparisons :

Brit. Germ. French Displacement (tons) ... 18,000 18,000 18,320 Speed (knots) 3l 10 19-21 Armour (inches in thickness) 13 9.4 10 Guns ... 10 121 a. 16 Hin. 4 121 n. & 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—is that both the French and German ships are either on paper or in the preliminary stag® of construction. As a matter of fact not one of the German ships has . been laid down whilst the French naval authorities are simply "marking time." Meanwhile Great Britain has one Dreadnought in commission, one building, and two about to be commenced at nnco which will possess features of •rout value in their power of oflon,vht> and defensive, as well as In the .Means for repelling torpedo attack ,iot to 1)0 found ip the so-called Dreadnoughts of other naval Powers. All of' which gives a pronounced negative to the question. "Ar® w® downhearted 7"