Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/400

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THE BRITISH EMPIRE

-UNITED KINGDOM

Available for Sea Service —

For the Fleet (including Indian troop ships)

Officers and seamen. . ..

Boys

Coast Guard ......

Marines afloat and ashore. . ..

Other Services (training and various) —

Officers and seamen. . . ..

Boys .......

Royal Marines ......

Total of all ranks

1897-98

1898-99

67,072

72,009

3,400

3,700

4,200

4,200

16,841

17,807

2,373

2,476

6,000

6,000

164

198

100,050

106,390

The increase of 6,340 sanctioned includes 200 officers, 2,400 seamen, 284 engine-room artificers, 1,700 stokers, 1,000 marines, 456 miscellaneous ratings, and 300 boys under training.

The Naval Defence Act of 1889 provided for the construction of 70 vessels at a cost originally estimated at £21,500,000. The fleet resulting comprises 10 first-class battleships (the Royal Sovereign, Empress of India, Ramillies, Repulse, Resolution, Revenge, Royal Oak, Hood, Centurion, and Barjleur), 9 first-class cruisers, 29 second-class cruisers, 4 third-class cruisers, and 18 torpedo-gunboats. All of these have been completed, and are in commission or in the reserve.

After these come the battleships of the Spencer programme, the Majestic, Magnificent, Victorious, and Prince George, of 14,900 tons, with their later sisters, the Mars, Jupiter^ Illustrious, Ilannihal, and Goesar, of which the last three were delayed by the engineering dispute. The Renown is of a smaller type (12,350 tons), and six other vessels of somewhat greater displacement, 12,900 tons, are the Ganopus, Ocean, Goliath, Albion, Glory, and Vengeance. There was delay, through the engineer- ing dispute, in the advancement of the later ships of the Ganopus class, and their successors of the Formidable class, provided for in the estimates of 1897-98, were not laid down so soon as was expected. They are the Formidable at Portsmouth (launched November 17th, 1898), the Irresistible at Chatham, launched December 1898, and the Implacable at Devonport, and are improved Majesties of 14,700 tons. The estimates of 1898-99 provide for the laying down of three other battleships of the Formidable class — the London, Bulwark, and Ve7ierable — and the supplemental programme of July 1898 includes four other battleships of modified type (14,000 tons) now ordered.