The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-11
WAR INCREASED
FRENCH NAVY BY
3 BATTLESHIPS
New Superdreadnoughts Are
Rushed to Completion
: and Launched.
NEWS APPARENTLY
STOPPED BY CENSOR

Three now supcrdrcadnouEhts OF the
most powerful type Of battleship in the
French navy have been launched dur
ing the last month in France without
any word thereof reaching the out
side world. No report of the launching
OF these warships has been received
by cable. the censor evidently having
withheld all information on the sub
Ject.
The new hattleships are the Nor
mande. the Gascogne and the t'landres.
Two other supcrdrcadnoughts of the
same class, tho Languedoc and the
Bearn. are now building and will he
launched ~ an early date.
Work has been rushed on these new
warshipS and despite the German in
vasion, which has called almost every
able bodied man in France to the
colors, no effort has been spared to
complete these powerful sea fighters
long before tho date fixed when their
keels were laid down. The Normandie
and the GascoEne were to be COM
plcted in 1916. while the Flandres was
no; scheduled before 1917.
The Normande. which has given her
name to this new class OF supcrdrcad-
roughts. WAS launched on october 10 at
tho Chantienq Of the Loire. at Saint Ma
zaire. The Flandres was launched on the
following d,y AT Brest in the presence Of
tho military and civil authorities and "A
great number of wounded soldiers. The
launching Of the GaSCoCuc was at Brest
in the early ptrt of last month. NJ
Auragnour. the French Minister of Ma
rlne. was present At all these events.
The displacement of these new battle
ships is 25.3S7 tons. while their com
PIGMENT IL l.2O0 men. Their length at
tho watorl!ne is 57t feet beam % feet
and maximum draught 2Sii feet. They
re equipped with four shaft Parsons tur-
hlnes of IS. 0O0 horsepower and are de-
signed for q maximum speed OF twenty
ono and a half knots.
The armimeut Of the now French SUI
rerd eadnoughts Is exceptionally heavy.
II includes twelve 1874 inch As calibre
guns. twenty-four 50 inch .45 calibre.
four three Founders and six submerged
81 inch torpedo tubes. The ammunition
carried Is 1900 for the big guns and
$500 for the 5.5 inch.
There are three turrcts 80 feet wide,
weighing each 1900 tons. The forward
furret guns are rs feet above low w1ter
level. the amidshp guns sea, feet ana
the aft guns 26i feet. The arcs OF fire
are 100 degrees on either beam In the
centre turrct md ESQ in the other tur-
rets
The artnor ~ II IL l. lH'UtS diilu-
ships and : inches at the bow and aft.
The main bet Is IL feet deep. feet of
1t above and . feet below low water level
The upper belt is 36l feet lonS and
feet deep. There are three protective
decks.
All the battleshirs OF this class carry
thirty mines and are equipped with the
Bullivant torpedo net defeNce.
These valuable additions TO the sra
forces of tho Allies are, however.
exceeded both in power and displace-
ment by several war vessels already
afoat. Great Britain claims the most
powerful In the great battle cruiser
Tiger. OF $4,000 tons and 100000
horsepower. capable Of a speed OF
twenty eight knots and carrying eight
l3.5-inrh and twelve 6-inch guns.
The new battleshlp queen Elizabeth is
1880 tons and Of the same speed as the
Tiger.
. The japanese battleship Kongo, re-
Gently reported in the Pacific Is another
We sci OF great power and speed. or the
same tonnage as the Queen Elizabeth
her horsepower Is 81 600 and she is ca
pable Of a speed OF twenty-five knots
The armament Of the Kongo includes
eight IA-inch and sixteen 6-inch guns
besides smaller pieces.
The most formidable warship which the
Austro- German Alliance can put against
these are the battleshtps or the kron'
rrinz class-of 26.675 tons, $4,000 horse
power and capable Of a speed Of twenty
three knots. Austria has no battleship'
approaching the size Of these monsters N
the sea. The Kronprinz carries ten IL
inch and fourteen 5.a-inch guns.
OF the neutral Powers the Urfted
states Possesses the New York. OF 81 500
. tons. $4,000 horse power and twenty -on-
knots speed. armed with ten 14-inch an6
twenty-one 5-inch guns while the Ar
gentne battleship Rivadavia Is of 27,60t
tons.
4