The Hattiesburg news., 1915-01-06
ENGLAND TO INCREASE
HER SEA SUPREMACY
ADMIRALTY PLANS is NOR E
DREADNAueHTs BEFORE END
OF NEXT YEAR.


London, Dec. 20.-(By mail to New
York )--The claim of the first lord
Of the admiralty, Winston Churchill,
that England will have fifteen more
dreadnaughts ready for action before
the. end of next year is no idle boast.
In fact, according to naval experts, 1t
is an understanding by at least two
ships
| Since the outbreak of the war the
British censor has rigidly suppressed
the publication of anything concern
ing the building, launching or COM
missioning of warships, but, without
breach of confidence, it is possible to
compile fairly accurate list of Eng
lands re-enforcements from admiralty
data already made public.
When war was declared England
bad in commission twenty-eight dread
naught battleships, and battle cruis-
ars, not counting the Lord Nelson and
Agamemnon, which, although nearly
as powerful, they mount four 12-inch
and ten 9 2-10-inch guns apiece, are
reckoned as pre-dreadnaughts.
Two Forcibly Acquired.
Building or refitting, England had
thirteen ironclad monsters on August
T. and another four just laid down.
These vessels were REINFORCED by the
purchase Of two battleships building
in 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. 1t will be seen then, that
he has seventeen vessels, including
the Turkish and Chilean acquisitions.
OF these five, the Emperor of India,
the Benbow, Queen Elizabeth, and
Warsprite and the 30,000-ton thirty
knot battle cruiser Tiger, were
launched over a year ago and have
almost certainly been commissioned
since the outbreak of hostilities. Two
are known to have put to sea.
Have Put To Sea.
OF the others, the Valiant, Barham,
Malaga, Royal Sovereign, Royal Oak,
Resolute. Families, and Revenge
were laid down just over year ago
and some, if not all, must have been
launched by now. The same applies
to the Turkish dreadnaughts Birinje
! osman and Reshadieh and the Chill
lean Almirante Latorre tnow named
ICanada) considerable progress has
been made on the Turkish vessels and
it was only Turkeys lack of money
that hindered their completion. Once
England took them over, this draw
dack disappeared and during the four
months of the war the work of COM
pletion has been pushed forward.
The five Queen Elizabeths and five
toyal Sovereigns are armed with eight
OF the new 15-inch guns and will be
able to fire the most tremendous broad
sides of any vessel afloat.
/ Germany's Naval Outlook.
The Germans have 15-inch gun
but, according to the admiralty's --latest
information, they will be unable to
mount any on ships completing mex,
year. OF Germany's eleven dread
naughts and battle cruisers building
at the outbreak of hostilities, five, the
} Koenig, Markgrad, Grosser Kurfurst
Derffiinger, and Lutzow. were launch
ed in 1913, and the first four are al
most certainly in commission OF near
ing completion now. On the others
only the KronprInz Launched Febrp
4 arv, 1914) can be ready within rea
I sonable time. Moreover all those
mentioned are only armed with IL
/ inch guns, unless a last momen
;hange Is made In their construction
II Austria has but two dreadnaught'
i nearing completion, while France ha
! seven. of which three are probably il
commission now. or should be shortly
/ Japan, seven (three probably read.
} for commissioning early next year,
and Russia eleven. The notorious
slowness of the Russian ship yards
however, will probably prevent tn
easlv commissioning Of any of the las
: menfioned