GROWING NAVIES

Timaru Herald, Volume CI, Issue 15456, 19 September 1914, Page 6

GROWING NAVIES

GERMANY'S SUDDEN RESOLVE. SURVEY OF NEW SHIPS. VESSELS NEARLY READY. (From the Wellingon "Evening Post.")

Among the items of cable news received recently was a statement that tin; German Reichstag was intent upon a programme of naval expansion, including the construction of three batiieihijvs, two crui-ers, and a largo number lui torpedo orait, other sinail vessels and ; airships. Appended to the cable when ■ it appeared in the ''Ponl was a footi note which indicated that the mes-age I probably meant very iiitlo after all. ; Jh' figures quoted represent simply vessels under construction, including : probacy thoso so near completion that ; they may bo considered as likely to be ; commissioned during the next few , months. _ in any case, it is interesting to examino the position of the navies of I; the belligerent Powers from this point ' o< view. I Iho term battleship is used hero to ! denote the " Dreadnought " type as distinct tio:n the "Dreadnought cruiser.'' or "hau'e-eruiseiv' as it is now officially named. In the early part of thos year Germany had under construction I and nearing completion the battleships' Kontg. the Markgraf, and tlio Grosser Kurfurst, al! ot winch were launched I between March and June last year. I hey wore duo under nomal conditions to have been completed by this time, nu'. the Koiiij» has been commissioned! It :s inipossib'o to say what stage the others have reached: but none of them wcr« yoeosrnved by iho London ''Times" a-' being included in the fleet in a survev ot the naral position at the end o; .Tnly. Another battleship, tlio Kron. priiis. was lautiehod in February, 1913. and can scarcely be completed for. say, mother six months at least. Tlicse are th" last of tho German ships to be fitted with 12in guns. Tho other under construction now are the x ''e Ersatz Worth, and the Ersatz .vaiser Friederich 111. (an "ersatz" name is a tentative one). Of these onlv the Kaiser Froidcrich is in th 0 1914 punching programme; and at most these aro the vessels contemplated in tho message.' j Of battle-oniiscrs. four worn in vari- | ous stages of construction or completion at tho beginning of the vear—tho'De-ff-liiiger, tho Liitsow. the Ers Hertha, and the Ersatz Victoria Luise. Tho DerffIniger was launched in Juno last year, and is in conimisvon. 'J he Lutzow was not launched till last November, and can scarcely bo expected to go-' into eo'iimission, cvou under war pressure, till say, February or March. The Ers rtoitha. is at un mdefin!to of uuuclinjr, and may not bo ready for launching yet. wliile tho Ers Victoria Lmso was only laid down tlv's year. La en considering the lanehed ships as "built," the projected ships under the naval expansion programme mentioned in tho cable coincide -with the vessels already laid down. Even if th 0 Reichj s:ag intends to go further and build jive more '"'apical ships, ■they cannot fight for at the very least two years.

| BRITAIN'S NEW WARSHIPS.

T\ o may now consider tlio possibilities of rapid additions to the British Herp, too, it is difficult to sa\ just which new ships have or have nob _ been made ready. The latest roll"'ji{, information shows that- wliereas at the beginning of 19U Germany had more uncompleted capital slup*. Britain had fifteen, intruding tile Mai; borough, now tiagship the- fust batt.e squadron, and°the Mieen .Alarv. which was in action off .Hi'. g„;aiul the othor day. Of the batti.sh.ps, iho Qiueu Elizabeth and the narvpitc, bout launched m Uetober and November i-.st year, aro the ear';est, and they are likely to be finished auout Decern ;br anil January next resp.ctively. Ino \ aiiaiit-, la tl down m January, 1013, and the B.iraam, comti.cneed in I'ebrua.y. 1913, may bo expected to be roady about the middle of next year if good speed is made with them. Ail the.e n.w ships cam- 1-j----n.ch guns. 'lhe Maiaya, too, .s under tvusli ucUon. In November .ast vear, the Beubow .and the Emperor of India (late Doili j were !ai nelied, and thev should be either completed bv now or very nearly so. Of vessels m earlier stages of construction, Britain has the Ramillies, Reso.utiun, and R.venge. a,I at or about rho iaundi ng stage, and the J\o\al Oak and Royal -Sovereign not so iat* auvaiiretl hy a ocupJr of iiionth.s. Hie only b..ttlo-iru:s.>r uncomm.s----s r.ned in the e.ul,- part of the year was tlio I .;/<•!■. She was hardiy i:koiy to be cenip cud by tin- end of tnc vear under or:!.nary eondirinns, but New Year's I)ay w.U proabb.y iind her crew com. lt.-rtabSv aboard and .settled down. In addit.oll t:>'these vessels, Britain ha>. as one might say, commandeered uv-> bg Dreadnoughts from Turkev—;h: Osiiian 1. and the RcsluuUh, the lurks called tlicm, whatever Br'tNi nc.ininators. may have dono in the matter <it nanu s. T/io Osnian I. (purchased rum Rraz.l in .December, 19131, was to have been in comni ss on for Tnrkev in Juiy. and the other shi.r> was launched .ast September, and may be completed .it any t me. Oonvcrse-y. Germanv reeins to have lost the batle-cruiseV Goeben, at all events as a lighting sh p l<»r -site :s hardiv likely to get out of Isle D.irtlaii-vles by anything short of a r.aval mrade.

L\ OTHER NAVIES. Austria lias only one battleship under eonsirtiet.un —ilio Mient- iscva.i—and <■«•.* <-t le.r l;est pre- Dreadnoughts was | b:o\vn up a p\;\v nays ai;o. l'Yamv has tind'.'r completion. or com-I»v-1i'<J kuciv, tlic battesliips Jin.lague, and Lorraine, and two • ■U:cr s , tne l-Yaiice and I'aris am nroO. ■ ab.'y now in conun ssion. I is com p.. t.ng four batf.csh.ps the ! .i.tava, <.. ; .ngtit, .'.ml Sevastopol, and is bu.klm.' four j battie ei u tvr>, wh.ih w.U not, ° however, lie ready until 1016. , . As far as e.'m bj ji.u.ed. the posit on !is taus: Germany was bu Jtl.nr- th ; * i - vear °- t ; vo , u . sl"-ps. of wh.eh s.x . v.1.1 pi\jbab.y be ei.innleud bv the m.d----j '!),• u: ih-xi. year. .Vut tr.a, one, which . may a:sj lv ie.,dy then. 15r tain was ; 'iii.d.ng, exc.usve of those .s.nce delin.teiy cc mm.ss.niu d. thirteen ships t .f | w.i.eli at least and perhaps e "ht, | n:ay be com.;! cied bv the lindd.iT of , -i-sr year. besides having acquired two ■ I inisned lurk'sh flips. I'ranee was nil.lump; fi\v. a.'l of wh eh may be fiirhtab.e, and Itci-yii is completing four. Till-: SAfAU.En C'I'AFT. 1; is clear that whatovn,- p ) ans lho I.' :< Jisiag may cherish in regard to i ,;aV!,: ixp.ms.un. it cannot cover the j maru ti o. Br-t-sh tuper.or.tv ,n tli > | navy in i. to lap.tal sh p< , far as mji.i. r eralt aie concerned, tie"; p > j °" . - even iioiv pronounced. Xone it,1.1.' 1 <>•*ers i.< ik>w bui.<l.nji the ve< s ,s known as ••hist-elas,'' cni seis. of v h . n lir t.-. n has aS. France IS. Ocrmany !>. Jv.ssa G. and Austr.a I Hut ai thi* In - n\ th~ year Brita n u.e. bul.Mig 17 new Igln cruisers, . i:i:ii ii l; a t.,t.;«i l.st of W); Ciermanv I>1!. d Jig l.v. in:. 1c ng a l-utal of -I"/-l-ianee had I •_>: lius». ; , was buildin.'. •S. to mak- a ton! of b)- Austria had and w;;-, lui Id.ug , - i more. ()f .•■■v-ra. have ken tin shed. The Viv-ilik-m v.h.eh .1 m n»ii:sh.-d hoiseji" in -..1;,,, \ ~jrht . , v:ls uuc>>

'lho torpedo craft, built and buildiii"- are set out. as at iho beginning ol the yn;ir. in the list following. Owing to the comparatively short time reouircd tor making small craft and the great lacdities which exist l'or producing: them, there is no saying how ;ar a programme may he mod : fied under stress of war: hut it is obvious that a large margin exists between the rival Meets. Destroyers.— British, built 218.. building 20: projected 12; French, built S3, building 1; Russian, built 105. building 36; German, built 142. building 10, projected 12; Austrian' built, 10. Torpedo-boats.—British, built-, 70: French, built, 153; Russian, built, 25; German, built, 47: Austrian, built 58, budding 27. (None over 20 years old included.) Submarines.—British, built 76. bui'ding 20; French, built 70. building 23; Rvss : an, built 25, building IS; German' l.ui.H. 27. building 12; Austrian, built 10. building -1.