New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-17
Will Be Substituted for Coal in
BattIeShipS To Be Laid Down
After Christmas.
CAPACITY OF $500 TONS
Adoption Foreshadowed by
Winston Churchill in Navy
Estimates introduced
Last March.
IBy cable to The tribune

LOncOn, NOV. lo!-AlthOugh no ON
cial announcement has yet been made,
It is certain that the British Admiralty
intends substituting oil fuel for coal in
the new battleships to be laid down at
Portsmouth and Davenport at Christ
mas. 1t is stated that these vessels are
designed to carry liquid fuel only and
have a storage capacity of ? 500 tons.
The adoption of oil as the fuel for
the future warships of the British navy
was foreshadowed by Winston Church
III, First Lord of the Admiralty, who
in introducing his navy estimates in
Parliament in March last made the
significant statement that "oil as fuel
offers enormous advantages to ships
OF all kinds" Orders for the Construc-
ton Of marine oil engines have already
been placed by the Admiralty with
Messrs. Vickers, Limited. Of Barrow
in-Furness, and they will he fitted in a
vessel 4s0 feet long, built with oil tanks
TO carry 5000 tons, for the supply of
oil for warships at sea.
This fact alone lends color to the
statement that the exhaustive expert
ments recently made by the naval au
thorities have fully satisfied them OF
the question Of the general efficacy Of
oil. and II is unofficially stated that,
weight for weight, a man-of-war will
re 80 per cent further on oil fuel
ID on coal and at a higher speed,
varying from a knot to a knot and
half at full steam.
Saving Of Space and Labor.
Saving Of space, weight, stokehold
labor, ease of transshipment and alb
sence of smoke from the tunnels are
other advantages claimed for oil over
coal, and the only argument against
its adoption in battleships seems to be
that when the fully stocked coal bunk
ers on each side Of the ship are taken
away certain measure of protection
for the engine rooms against shell fire
is lost But the weight saved by sub
stitution of oil for coal is such that
heavier armor can be carried, and ii is
practically certain that in the new ships
part Of the weight so saved will be
used in the provision Of additional ar
NOR protection against shell fire and
against bombs dropped from air craft.
The substitution of oil for coal I'm
battleships is, of course, no departure.
AS a matter Of fact, Great Britain is
merely following the lead Of the United
States, who have the Nevada and the
Oklahoma running under oil. Italy. In
her new projected 30,000-ton vessels,
has decided to carry nothing but oil
fuel; Russias Gangoot class carry LOO
tons Of oil, in addition to coal; the
French Courbet class like the British
orlons, carry 1000 tons, and only Ger
many and Japan so far have neglected
oil fuel in their larger ships. The Ger
man latest class carry only 200 tons OF
LIQUID fuel, but they have storage capa-
city for oil for Diesel motor engines,
which are to be installed in conjunc-
ton with steam driven turbines.
The annual report of Lloyds' Reg
lister, in commenting upon the success
Of the first vessels fitted with the in
ternal combustion engines, states that
there are at present being built under
their supervision thirty-four vessels
with Diesel engines, of which twenty
three are vessels ranging from ZOO 10
1000 tons The owners of the motor
ship, Vucanus. one OF the largest OF
the cargo boats, have just placed or
ders in Amsterdam for the construction
Of FIVE other ships of considerably
larger size, and the Seland!a and the
Fionia, both j,1O0-ton vessels, have
given such complete satisfaction that
their owners now have under construc-
ton Diesel engines for six more YES
sels, two Of them being Of higher power
than the Seiandia. In the matter OF oil
engined cargo steamers Continental
shipowners are far in advance of Great
Britain, but few vessels OF moderate
tonnage are being built in the British
yards.
Oil in Stsamsr Furnaces.
In addition to internal combustion
engines Of the Diesel type. there is a
great DEVELOPMENT In the use of oil in