The New Flagship.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXII, Issue XVI, 16 April 1904, Page 53

The New Flagship.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EURYALUS. A FORMIDABLE WARSHIP. The first-class twin-screw armoured cruiser Euryalus, which, under the new naval agreement, has replaced H.M.s. Royal Arthur as the flagship on the Australian station, has arrived at Sydney (says the “Herald”). Throughout the day of her arrival she was an object of great admiration by immense crowds. Country visitors were especially interested in the formidable - looking four-funnelled warship, and regarded the new flagship as one of the principal sights of show week. Vice-Admiral Fanshawe, who has been absent from Sydney since the beginning of the year, returned by the Euryalus, and was accompanied, by Mrs. Fanshawe, Miss Fanshawe, and by his staff. During the afternoon the Admiral and party landed, and for the rst time for the past three months the Vice-Admiral’s flag was hoisted at Admiralty House. The Euryalus, viewed from the shore, strongly resembles H.M.s. Diadem, which, it will be remembered, brought relief crews from England a few months ago, and was on several occasions thrown open for inspection by the public. The new flagship, however, is a much more modern vessel than the Diadem, and her guns are of the latest type. As already stated, the Euryalus is a new vessel, and finally left the dockyards last year. She is a distinct advance upon the Royal Arthur, and is half as large again. The displacement of the Euryalus is 12,000 tons, as compared with 7700 tons of the Royal Arthur, and her indicated horse-power is 21,000. The new flagship belongs to the Cressy class, her sister ships being the Cressy, Aboukir, Hogue, Sutlej, and Bacchante. She was built by Messrs. Vickers, Maxim, and Son, of Barrow, where she was launched in 1901. Early in her career she was damaged by fire while lying alongside the yard at Harrow, and subsequently slipped, off of the blocks while in dock at Messrs. Laird’s. The damage done to the ship on this last occasion was very great. The boilers had to be removed, and much of the bottom plating and many of the frames renewed. Her dimensions are as follow:—Length 440 ft; beam, 69-Jft; draught, 26ift. H.M.s. Euryalus is supplied with engines of the triple-expansion, surfacecondensing type, and she is fitted with 36 Belleville watertube boilers, the coal consumption of the furnaces being 120 tons daily. The Euryalus completed her series of trials on July 1 last, when she ran for eihgt hours under full power. The speed anticipated was 21 knots, but on the trial, with an indicated horse-power of 21,318, the actual speed over the measured mile course between Dodman and Rame Head was 21.635 knots. So uniform was the working of the engines that on the third and fourth run over the 23-knot course there was practically no variation in the revolutions, and the time taken was exactly the same —1 hour Smin and 18sec—equal to a speed of 21.817 knots. The following are the means results for the eight hours’ trial: —Steam pressure at the boilers, 2801 b; at the engines, 2251 b; mean vacuum, 24.2; revolutions of the starboard engine, 124.5; and of the port engine, 122.5; the mean being 123.5; Indicated horse-power of starboard engine, 10,711; port engine 10,607; giving a maximum of 21,318. The coal consumption was 1.981 b per indicated horsepower per hour; and the quantity of water lost owing to blowing off, leakage, etc., was 2.87 tons per 100 horsepower per day of 24 hours. The engines and boilers worked most satisfactorily during the trial. THE ARMAMENT. Upon boarding the Euryalus, the first objects to attract one’s attention are the two immense 9.2 in guns, one mounted on the quarter-deck, on the after part of the vessel, and the other on the forecastle forward. These guns, which are quite up to date, have not yet been tested, and will first be brought into operation when the Euryalus visits Jervis Bay in about a ’month’s time for firing practice. The Royal Arthur, it may be interesting to note, has one 9.2 in gun, but it is now eld-fashioned. The flagship is also

supplied with 12 flin guns, all in casemates, and of the most modern description. Eight of these are on the main deck—four on the port side and four on the starboard side. The remaining four are situated on the upper deck, two on each side. The armament of the Euryalus also includes 12 12-pounders, four in each battery, two under the forecastle, and two right aft under the Admiral’s cabin. In addition the new flagship is provided with 12 3-pounders and eight machine guns. There are two submerged broadside torpedo tubes, which discharge 18in torpedoes of the latest type. Her armour is as follows: —Belt, 6in; deck, 3.2 in; side below the belt, 2in. When completed, the cost of the Euryalus reached £804,259. THE OFFICERS. The following is a list of the officers of the Euryalus: Captain Charles I* Napier, Commander Thomas D. L. Sheppard (formerly of H.M.s. Royal Arthur), Commander E. Hyde Parker, Lieutenant Bertram S. Thesiger, Lieutenant Hon. Arthur L. O. Forbes-Sempell (formerly of H.M.s. Royal Arthur), Lieutenant George K- Chetwode, Lieutenant Charles A. Fremantle, Lieutenant Arthur T. Blackwood (formerly of H.M.s. Royal Arthur), Lieutenant Henry G. L. Oliphant, Lieutenant Robert H. B. HammondChambers; Engineer Commander James T. Willoughby, Engineer Lieutenant Richard B. Morison, Engineer Lieutenant Archibald H. Colins, Major Royal Marines Alfred E. Marchant, C 8., Lieutenant R. M. L. T. Hugt C. Atkinson (former, ly of H.M.s. Royal Arthur), Chaplain Rev. Octavious R. F. Hughes, M.A., Fleet Surgeon James O. B. Williams, M. Fleet Paymaster Stanley E. Elliott (formerly of H.M.s. Royal Arthur), Naval Instructor Edward W. Fitch, BA., Surgeon John E. H. Phillips, Surgeon N. Howard Mummery, Sub-Lieutenant Ernest G. H. Du Boulay (formerly of H.M.s. Royal Arthur), Sub-Lieutenant Francis S. MeGachan, Sub-Lieutenant Errol Manners, Engineer Sub Lieutenant Edward L. D. Aeland, Engineer Sub-Lieu-tenant Reginald E. Lee, Assistant Paymaster Bernard R. S. Bromley, Gunner William J. Geddes, Gunner Raymond F. Jay, Boatswain Thomas Stapleton, Boatswain Thomas B. Litton, Signal Boatswain Percy Johnson, Carpenter John L. Nicholson, Artificer Engineer John F. Barrett, Artificer Engineer John F. Watts, Artificer Engineer James Jones.

Midshipmen: H. T. Raikes, H. Lyttelton Haselwood, Lord Alastair M. Graham, Robert F. N. P. Fitzgerald, Godfrey C. Parsons, Edmund G. Hallewell, uthbert J. Hope, Francis N. Miles, Edward H. Heat, George K. Dickson, Eric C. Neligan, Harold R. W. Turner, Ronald C. Kinnear, and Marcus V. Cumberlege. Clerk William R. Scotland, Assistant Clerks: Reginald E. I. Crosse and Leslie H. Mosse-Robinson. The crew numbers 740.