MANY NEW AND POWERFUL TYPES OF WARSHIPS BEING BUILT BY WORLD POWERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18940, 10 December 1929, Page 1

MANY NEW AND POWERFUL TYPES OF WARSHIPS BEING BUILT BY WORLD POWERS.

Japan and United States Making Rapid Strides in Naval Contsruction. (United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Received December 10, 10 a.m.) LONDON, December 9. “ No Power is spending so lavishly on battleships and other units and thp expansion of its naval air forces as the United States,” says a newspaper review of Jane's “ Fighting Ships.” " One is puzzled to account for the anxiety with which the ‘ big navy ’ spokesmen profess to view the situation. The personnel of the United States Navy exceeds the British by several thousands. Moreover, it has many more destroyers and submarines than Britain. In a few years the United States will have 1000 serviceable aircraft, and, lastly, at least £1,500,000 each is being spent in bringing ten ships up-to-date.”

The newspaper emphasises that the new types of vessels being constructed are tending to throw the Treaty cruisers into disfavour and to minimise the chances of their use ten years hence. Foremost among the new designs is the German Preussen, the most remarkable post-war warship, but there is evidence that the smaller Powers are showing remarkable ingenuity in invention, notably the Japanese cruiser Nachi, the first of a class with five turrets, each containing two eight-inch guns, six 4.7’s amidships and two sets of triple torpedo tubes. The castle-like bridgework presents a truly menacing appearance, and is a strange contrast to the primlooking British Kent and London classes. The Nachi also carries an aero-plane-launching catapult. Another novel warship is the Japanese net-layer Shirataka, wrich is designed to catch submarines. An example of the developing of llllllilllllilllillllllillltilllllinilllillillllllilllillliiiUiliniilillillllllllillilllllillllllllllllllllKllllllliniflmniinmiiiiiiaiiniHfiiiiiiHmiiimmiimniiitiimiii.iimmomi

peace-time war vessels, capable of quick multiplication when needed is the Japanese destroyer Fubiki, which has gasproof gun houses, instead of open shields, which must ultimately be incorporated in all such vessels. Other types show that the fetish of speed at the expense of protection is being questioned. Notably is this the case in the plans of the Italian cruiser Zara, while the Bandanare and her five sisters, instead of being glorified destroyers, will be reduced editions of the Zara, with six-inch guns, capable of steaming at thirty-seven knots an hour. With many possibilities for work with the fleet in the Mediterranean, the French aircraft tender Commandant Teste has undergone many modifications in armament. Her catapult equipment is like Australia’s Albatross, and belongs to the class required as a second line to the larger floating aerodromes.