British Battleship Series.

Progress, Volume VI, Issue 4, 1 February 1911, Page 542

British Battleship Series.

(By “E.”)

II. — Duncan Class. The example this week is of the Cornwallis, one of the “Duncan” class. This is a class now consisting of five vessels. They did not immediately succeed the “Majestic” class, but may be taken as a good type of the kind of ship laid down about 1900. The displacement is 14,000 tons, a slight falling off from that of the “Majestic.” The main armament is almost exactly the same, consisting of four 12-ineh and twelve 6-ineh, disposed as in the “Majestic.” The only difference in the armament, indeed, is that the guns of the later vessel are of an improved type. The “ Duncan speed is 19 knots, which represents an advance of 1y 2 knots on the speed of the “Majestic.” This speed is obtained at a sacrifice of two inches of broadside armour, but in the later vessel the armour is Krupp. All the ships in the class are splendid steamers, and can be relied on for their 19 knots for a long time. It is very dangerous to attempt to gauge the fighting efficiency of any ship of war simply by reference to her speed, the number of her guns' and the thickness of her armour. One of the most important considerations is her age. An old ship is, ipso facto, inferior to a new one of apparently equal power in a hundred and one ways. Not merely has she probably fallen off considerably in speed, not merely are her guns probably more or less worn, but in a host of other ways she is less up to date. Improvements are constantly being made (they are made with almost every class, and even with the later steps of a single class) in such things as ammunition hoists, fire control, torpedoes, boilers, etc., and these improvements greatly add to the efficiency of a ship. The policy of the British Admiralty is against reconstruction. When the French will clean out an old ship, substitute new guns for her old, and fill her generally with the latest appliances, the British, as a general rule, prefer to build a new ship altogether. We have to remember, therefore, that the “Majestic” is not a more powerful vessel than the “Duncan” because she has the same armament and two inches more armour.

In appearance the main difference between the two classes is that whereas the "Majestic" has her funnels abreast, the "Duncan" has hers fore and aft, to which fashion the British Navy has ever since adhered. The "Majestic" has two tops on each mast; the "Duncan" has only one. There is no difference in the shape of the hull.

j-ne i-iiuexciiigaoie, armoured cruiser, has just been completed. She is an extremely powerful ship, carrying eight 12in. guns, all firing on the broadside, and designed to steam 26 knots. Twenty-eight knots is confidently expected of her, She displaces 18,000 tons. She is said, in.addi-