QUEEN ELIZABETHS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144670, 3 May 1915, Page 3

QUEEN ELIZABETHS.

FIFTEEN NO AT BEING BUILT.

So far the British Admiralty have fifteen Queen Elizabeths afioa't or under construction. AH mount eight' 15-inch and sixteen 6-inch guns. Six of them will have u speed of 25 knots, and the balance between 22 and 23 knots. There arc, possibly, two, the TVarspite and Valiant, now in the North Sea with Sir John Mellicoe. The other two, the Barham and Malaya, of this class may bo undergoing trials how, and the sixth, an unnamed ship, will be ready at tho end of -the year. In classes tho ships arc grouped as follows: 27.C00 tons, 25 knots, eight 10-inch sixteen 6-inch guns. Queen Elizabeth ’ 1915 AVai'vSpite 1915 Valiant 1915 Barham 1915 Malaya ... 1015 24,500 tons. 22.5 knots, eight 15-inch sixteen 6-inrh guns. Royal Sovereign 1916 Royal Oak 1916 Resolution (early) 1916 Homilies (early) 1916 Revenge (early) 1916 25,000 tons, 22 to 23 knots, eight 16inch, sixteen 6-inch guns. Renown 1916 Resistance 1916 Repulse 1916 Ship unnamed 1916 The 15-inch guns to be 'mounted in the four last ships may be an improvement on the gun now in the Queen Elizabeth, or it may be a. 16-inch, weapon. Details are. of course, very tardily given out by the naval authorities. but there are sufficient of these huge vessels now on the way to give Great Britain absolute sea supremacy when the war ends.