The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-12-29
Seventeen New Vessels Com
plete or Nearing Completion
In Shipyards
SOME CARRY BIGGEST
GUNS EVER MOUNTED
Will Be Able To Fire Most Ire
mend0us BrOadside Ever
Known
BY p. M. sARL.


lStdn Correspondent United Press
LONDON. Dec. 15.-(By mail to
New York. THE claims of the first
lord or the admiralty, Winston
Churchill, that England will have 10
more dreadnaughts ready for action
before the end OF next year Is no Idle
boast. In fact, according TO naval eN-
perts. II Is an under statement by al
least two ships.
Since the outbreak OF the war the
British censor mas rigidly suppressed
the publication OF anything concern
ing the building, launching or com
missioning of warships, but, withou.
breach OF confidence, it Is possible L
compile fairly accurate list or Ems
lands reinforcements from admiralt.
data already made public.
When war was declared. Englan
had In commission % dreadnaugh
battleships and battle cruisers, no.
, counting the Lord Nelson and Aga
memnon, which, although nearly as
powerful--they mount four l2inch
and 10 nine and two tenths-inoh guns
apiece-are reckoned as pre-dread-
naughts.
Building or reftting, England had
IL ironclad monsters on Aug. A, ana
another four just laid down. These
vessels were reinforced by the pur-
chase or two batpeships building III
England for Chile and the forcible
acquisition of two building for Tur-
key. Work at the shipyards Is pro-
ceeding SO feverishly that the four
battleships of the 1914 program may
be completed before the end OF the
war, but Churchill does not reckon
them In his estimate of ships ready
next year. II will be seen then that
he has IL vessels, including the Turk
ish and Chilean acquisitions. or these
ive-the Emperor OF India, the Ben
bow, Queen Elizabeth and Warspite
and the 30.000-ton, 30-knot battle
cruiser Tiger, were launched over a
year ago and have almost certainly
been commissioned since the out
break 5of hostilities. Two are known
to have put to sea.
or the others the Valiant. Barham.
Malaga, Royal Sovereign, Royal Oak,
Resolution, Families and Revenge
were laid down just over year ago
and some, II not all. must have been
launched by now. The same applied
to the Turkish dreadnaughts Brine
Osman and Reshadieh and the Chilean
Almirante Latorre, now named Can
ada. Considerable progress had been
made on the Turkish vessels and IL
was only Turkeys lack OF money that
hindered their completion Once
England took them over, this draw
back disappeared and during the four
months OF the war the work OF COM
pletion has been pushed forward.
The five Queen Elizabeths and five
Royal Sovereigns are armed with
eight OF the new 15-inch guns and will
be able to fire the most tremendous
broadstde OF any vessels afioat The
Germans have 15-inch gun, but. &C
cording 10 the admiralty's latest in
formation they will be unable to
mount any on ships completing next
year. or Germany's IL dreadnaughts
and battle cruisers building at the
outbreak OF hostilities. five. the
Koenig. Markgrad Grosser Kurfurst
Derfflinger and LutZow were launched
in 1913 and the first four are almost
certainly In commission or nearing
completion now. OF the others only
The Kron Prinz Launched February,
1910 can be ready within reason
able time. Moreover, all those men
toned are only armed with Pinch
guns. unless a last moment change is
made In their construction.
Austria has but two dreadnaughts
nearing completion while France has
seven, OF which three are probably in
commission now, or should be short
~: Japan seven (three probably ready
for commissioning early next year,
and Russia IL. The notorious slow
ness OF the Russian shipyards, how
ever, will probably prevent the early
commissioning OF any oflthe last men
toned.