Evening journal., 1914-12-28
IS DREADNOUCRTS
FOR ENGLAND soon
Four Contracted For This
Year May Be Finished
In Short Time
NO DANGER OF
LOSING SEA MASTERY
BY p. M. sARLE,

United Press Stan Correspondent.
LONDON. Dec. 10. (By Mail to New
York;. The claims of the First Lord
of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill
that England viii have fifteen more
dreadnoughts ready for action before
tine end of the next year is no idle
boast In fact, according to naval eN'
pcrts, it is understated 10y at least two
ships.
Since the outbreak OF the war the
British censor has figidly suppressed
the publication of anything concerning
the building, launching or commission
ing Of warships, but, without breach ot
confidence, il is possible TO compile a
fairly accurate list Of England's rein
forccmcnts from Admiralty data already
made public.
When war was declared England had
i'm commission % drcadnought battle
ships and battle cruisers not counting
the Lord Nelson and Agamemnon,
which although nearly rs powerful -
they mount four l2-inch and ten and
two-tcnth inch guns apicce-arc reck-
oncd as fe.dreadnoughts.
building or reftting, England had l3
/ ironclad monsters on August ., and an.
other four inst laid down. These vcs-
sells were reinforced 10y the purchase
of two battlcships building in England
for Chile and the forchlc acquisition of
1.-TWO building for turkey Work at ship.
yards Is preceding so fcyeri7lily that the
four hattleships of the 1914 program
may he completed before the end of the
/ war but Churchill does not reckon them
in his estimate of ships ready next year.
/ II viii be seen then. that hc has vcs-
sells including the Turkish and Chilean
acquisitions.
OF these. five, the Emperor of India,
, the Benhow, Queen Elizabeth, and War
spritc and the thirty thousand ton 30
knot battle cruiser Tiger, were launched
over year ago, and nave almost Ger
tanly been commissioned since the out
break of hostilitics. Two are known ia
have put 10 sea.
OF the others. the Valiant, Barham
| Malay. Royal Sovereign. Royal Oak
Resolution. Families and Revenge were
laid down just over year ago and
some it not an. must have been launch.
ed by now The ,samc applies TO the
! Turkish drcadnoughts Birinci Osman
and Roshadieh and the Chilean Amir.
ante iatorro now named Canadal
considerable progress has been made or
the Turkish vessels and 10 was only
Turkeys lack of money that hnderot
their completion. Once England took
them over this drawback disappeared
and during the -four months of the wal
the work of completion has been push
ed forward.
The five Queen Elzabcths and fv'
Royal Soyercigns are armed with eigh
of the new lj-inch guns and will b.
abN to fire the most tremendous broad
side of any vessels alloat
The Germans have a l5-nch gun. hu
according TO the Admiralty latest in
formation, they will hc unable 10 mount
any ON ships completing ncXt year. O
Germans eleycn dreadnouglts and bat
tie cruisers building at the outbreak o
hostilities. five, the kocnig. Markgrad
trosscr kurfucrst, Dcrillinger aud Iut
zoW were launchod in 1913 and the frs
four are almost certainly in commits
sion or nearing completion now. O
the others only the kronprinz launch
ed February. 1910 can be ready with
in reasonable time. Moreover al
those mentioned arc only armed will
l2-inch guns. unless last momen
change is made in their constructions
Austria has but two drcadnought
nearing completion while France ha
seven of which three arc probably il
commission now. or should be shortly
Japana, seven three probably ready fo
commissioning early ncNr year,, am,
Russia eleven.
The notorious slowncss of the Rus
sian shipyards however. will probable
: prevent the carly commissioning of am
: of the last mentioned.