GIANT SUBMARINES.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 December 1923, Page 5

GIANT SUBMARINES.

BRITAIN’S LATEST CRAFT. THE LARGEST AFLOAT. SUCCESSFUL TRIALS. By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received Dec. 27, 11.30 p.m. London, Dec. 27. The giant British submarine XI successfully carried out prolonged trials in the channel. Full information about the vessel, which is the largest underwater craft afloat, has not yet been officially disclosed The Times learns the surface displacement is 2780 tons, compared with 2140 tons of the next largest British submarine, K 26, and 2114 tons of the largest American, VI. Submerged the three submarines are 3600, 2770 and 2520 tons respectively. Germany’s largest submarine, U 142, had a submerged displacement of 2200 tons. It is understood XI carries six five point five inch guns, compared with two four inch in the latest types built for ordinary service. Equally remarkable is the advance in speed. Compared with twenty-four knots attained on the surface by the latest K boats, XI is believed to be capable of doing thirty-five knots and has a cruising radius of six thousand miles. The American V type is reported to be good for twenty knots, with a radius of five thousand miles. The fact that XI has a crew of a hundred officers-and men is itself an indication of its size. The K boats carry fiftyfour and the L class thirty-eight, while the submarines mostly used in the war had thirty.