GERMANY'S NAVY.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXVI, Issue 13334, 24 March 1911, Page 5

GERMANY'S NAVY.

THE KAISER’S GUNS. Press Association,—Telegraph.—Copyright. Eeceived March 24, 8.5 a.m. LONDON, March 23. The Daily Mail’s Berlin correspondent states that the battleship Kaiser will be armed with fourteen-inch guns. GUNS. A recent London cable stated that it was reported that the Admiralty was experimenting with a 15-inch gun. The largest gun now being used on British warships is the 13-5-inch; 78-ton, 1300-pounder gun. This was officially called 12-in A up till recently, but its true calibre was pretty widely known,, and that some radical change was afoot was certain, as during thk summer of 1909 the battleship Revenge had her old 13-srinoh guns taken out and new ones put in, whereupon she was used as gunnery ship in connection with the gun drill for the new pattern 13.5-inch weapon. In April last the Brazilian Government decided to 'have its third Dreadnought, the Rio de Janiero—32,ooo tons, twelve 14-inch guns, 22.5 knots—in order to counteract the two new Argentine 20,000 ton ships, armed with twelve 12-inch guns. The latest German gun is the so-called 12inch, but it is either 12.2 or 12.6 inch. The so-called 14-inch gun is really of 13.68 inch calibre, throwing a- projectile reported to bo 20001b.. Krupp is so far the only German maker of. big guns, but the Government is now. encouraging Erhardt to put down plant. In England, Armstrong, Tickers, the Coventry Ordinance Co. and Beardmore can all turn out guns up to 16.5 to 17 inch calibre.