Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/406

 66 THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — UNITED KINGDOM Their heavy armament, however, is less powerful, and their armour is reduced in thickness. The Renown, built at Pembroke, as part of the programme of 1892-93, is of another type. She is described as an improved Centurion, and has a greater displacement (12,350 tons) than that type. She is armed with four- 10-in. breechloading guns, carried in two barbettes and mounted similarly to those in the Centurion. Her secondary armament is extremely powerful, including ten 6 -in. quick-firing guns, eight 12-pounder quick-firers, and a considerable number of smaller quick-firing guns. In the protection of this secondary armament the arrangements in the Renown are more efficient than those in any preceding battleship. The hull armour is arranged on an entirely different principle from that which has been adopted in the Centurion, and associated with a different arrangement of the protective deck. 'iThe nine battleships of the Majestic type are the largest war- vessels yet afloat with the exception of the Italia and Lepanto. The following are their characteristics : length 390 feet, extreme beam 78 feet, mean draught 28 feet, displacement 14,900 tons. With natural draught on the eight hours' contractor's trial, there is a mean speed of 16 J knots ; and with moderate forced draught a maximiom speed of 174 to 17^ knots. The armament includes four 12-inch B.L. guns of new type mounted in pairs ; twelve 6-inch Q.F. ; sixteen 12:pounders Q.F. new type; and twelve 3-pounders Q.F. There are also five torpedo discharges for 18-inch torpedoes, four of these being submerged. In the general disposition of the armament the arrangement of the Royal Sovereign class has been followed. There are, however, certain important differences. The 12-inch guns mounted in strongly armoured barbettes have their mountings so arranged that they can be loaded in any position by manual power, while the proved advantages obtainable with hydraulic power and fixed loading stations are retained. Strong armoured shields are fitted to the turntables and revolve with the guns. The protection of the 6-inch Q.F. guns is carried out more thoroughly than in the Royal Sovereign class, involving considerable additional weight. The ships of the Canopus class are smaller, displacing only 12,900 tons, but they carry four 12-inch guns, and twelve 6-inch, and eighteen smaller quick-firers, and are intended for a speed of 18*75 knots. In all there are six of them built and building. The later battleships, of the Formidable class, are improvements upon the colossal Majesties. The speed of 18 knots is half a knot greater, and though the armament is the same in character it is more powerful, the new 6 -inch Vickers gun being used. The protection of Harveyed steel is very sufficient. The Formidahle has Belleville water-tube boilers. The four battleships of the supplemented progi'amme will have greater speed, less draught of water (being calculated specially for passing through the Suez Canal), and slightly thinner armouring. The six armoured cruisers of the Cressy class building and planned, will be exceedingly swift and powerful vessels of the class. They will displace 12,000 tons, with a length of 440 feet, beam 69 feet 6 inches, draught 26 feet 3 inches, and will have a natural draught speed of 21 knots with 21,000 1 H.P. Their guns will be of the new class and of great range and penetration. Four other armoured cruisers, since ordered, will even surpass them in size, speed and power, and the supplementary programme includes two more, of which the design is not yet complete. They will practically be armoured Poioerfuls. The Powerful and Terrible are formidable protected cruisers of about 14,000 tons. They are fitted with water-tube Belleville boilers.