Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-11-28
England Has in New Ships
About Doubled Gernany'S
Additions
HAS COMPLETED FOUR
SUPERDREADNAUCHTS
Germany Has Nothing that
Can Cope with Them---Ex-
cept Her Submarines
,(By j. W. T. Mason, former London
Correspondent for United Press,O

(By J. w. T, Mason, former London
Correspondent for United Press.)
New York. Nov 2S.-British First
Lord of the Admiralty Winston Church.
i'll S statement in the house of com.
mons Friday that by the end of 1915
Great Britain will have added Is cap.
ital ships to its war fleet and Germany
only tnree requires some qualifications.
Instead Of three, if dreadnaught
cruisers are conted rs capital ships,
as they always have been in the past,
Germany will have added nine instead
Of three, within the period named by
the British navy head, assuming that
the kaiser can expedite work on the
superdreadnaughts he has now on tae
stocks.
1t is probable, in fact, that the Ger.
mans have already aided five of these
first line craft to their fleet.
One, the dreadnaught cruiser Derf.
finger, was being completed when war
was declared 1t is Of $4,000 tons dis.
placement, larger than any ship in the
British fleet, Its heavy guns, however,
are not Of record power weight having
been sacrificed to give tae vessel a
speed capacity oa 30 knots.
II is likely, too that the Derffinper S
sister ship, the Lutzow, which was to
have been finished In January, is now
also ready for service.
Germans Build Many.
A third ship of the same class the
Ersatz Hertha, laid down in July, 1913
certainly will be aflOat before the end
Of 1915.
Three German superdreadnaughts of
the KONG class were to have been com.
pleted last month and are today doubt.
less in commission fully manned. These
vessels are of 25,500 tons displacement
each and each mounts ten l2.inch guns.
Another Of the same class is to be ready
in July.
Two Of the kaiser latest superdread.
naughts, Of $4,000 tons displacement
each and each carrying eight l5.inch
guns, were to have peen finished in
April or May, 1915, three years after
their keels were laid. II is reasonable
to believe that work on them will be
rushed so that tuey will be ready for
battle by the end Of 1915.
Great Britain, however has greatly
outdistanced Germany In new ships
since war began.
The Agincourt and Erin, which were
taken over from the builders who were
completing them for Turkey, are of
immense fighting strength. The Agin.
court is far superior in armament 10
any German vessel afloat. 1t mounts
ten l3.5.inch guns. The Erin carries
Ia l2inch rifles.
-Four Sea Monsters
But Great Britain 8 most imposing
additions to It's naval strength were
its four new superdreadnaugnts Of the
Queen Elizabeth class. Two Of these
were to have been ready for service
last month and two in February. No
doubt work was hastened Of the two
latter and all four are now at sea.
Germany has as yet nothing to com.
pare with them. They are Of $4,000
tons displacement each, each carries
eight l5inch guns and either can steam
90 knots.
Two more Of the same class are still
to come, as are eight others Of smaller
displacement and less speed, but in,
tended to mount guns Of tde same
calibre.
BY rushing the work, all but one of
these vessels can be ready for service
before the end Of next year
A comparison Of the gun fire addi.
tions to the rival fleets since the war
began Is as follows
Grnnt BriInin- Mninht prn.