Show BRITISH CRISIS S I I V T THE SHIPBUILDERS GREAT G RACE By FREDERIC J HASKIN I LONDON July 9 Speed and ant gun bUni i I power will be the determining factors i In tho the next great naval battle whether er or that conflict shall be between Brit Britain ala ain and Germany or not The uni universal I versal recognition of o this primary I fact tact forced tho the naval authorities of or orthe the world Into a policy polley of or complete completo reconstruction of their fleets when I tho the British ship Dreadnought made mado Its appearance four years ago The Ih Dreadnought has hns a n tonnage of I a speed speet of knots J an hour and Is armed umed with ten guns capable of a gunfire of or pounds of metal Being tour four to six miles an au hour faster Caster than other othor modern battleships the Dreadnought when It first went I 1 Into commission would have been 1 able to engage the tho next most power powerful powerful I ful rul battleship afloat and to o sink it before beloro the other ship could coult get got with within in Iii J 1 range of the Dreadnought for the use lice of its KB complete armament The superiority of tho the range of oC the guns gnus the weight of metal they thor could throw the faster speed of the ship all these combined made mMe the new ship the most powerful and terrible engine of or war afloat 0 Immediately It became necessary for other nations naU nG to build ships able to grapple with this monster Tho German Empire nail and the United States wore were first to tako take up tho the I pace followed shortly by br Japan and at a slower pace bj by b tho the other marl i time nations of o the world Including I i Brazil and anti the Argentine Republic But Bul the original Dreadnought was not long to remain tho the biggest and strong strongest est ship for tor Its power was soon to tobo tobe bo he exceeded although it gave gUYO its name to the and tho ho th su BU classes of ot battle battleships battleShips battleshIps ships The British ship Neptune which will be Q e completed next year has a tonnage o of The ships now being built will be armed with guns bUns of Inches throwing shells each weighing 1 1250 50 pounds p und as compared to the pound shells shell of the guns of the Dreadnought Thus the race in the British navy alone The first ships to be completed outside of at the British navy were the American battleships Mich Michigan igan and anti South Carolina each of 16 I I tons of oC 18 IS knots speed and each j I having eight guns These I two ships are arc not s so o large lar e nor so eo j j swift a n the British Dreadnought i but they are Included in the Dread class lass by European naval ex cx experts because of their ar armament The North Dakota and the j Delaware nearing completion of 20 tons each bearing be rIng ten guns are arc of tho the true truo Dreadnought type as are also the Florida I and tho the Utah now nos building which have tho same Bame armament but which are aro 2000 tons lons heavier Tho The new Wyoming and fluid Arkansas will be of or the super Dreadnought class An English navy nav officer remarked that In his opinion tho the most terrible thing In all this fierce competition was the proposed new American Amerlean ship of oi tons armed with guns capable of ot throwing a broadside weighing 10 lP pounds as compared to the Dreadnoughts pounds During the year rear 1909 four new Dreadnoughts Dr were added to the Brit British ish ishi fleet bringing the total up to seven reen These were the tho three battle battleships battleships battleships ships and Superb and the tho Dreadnought cruiser Invincible The latter atter has a speed of 25 26 knots and is armed with eight guns As the navies of or the world stand today todar this cruiser is all that Its name Implies During the present year ear three now new no Dreadnoughts will be added to His navy the Ule battleships St Vincent CoIling wood and Vanguard all of at which are arc arenow arenow now almost ready rend to be placed In commission Each of or the these e has a tonnage of The nought Neptune and the cruiser Indefatigable have been launched and ant will bo ho ready read for Cor com corn sion SlOn early arl In 1911 Last year under the tho influence of the German war scare tho the British government ordered eight now ships The rhe Hercules and Colossus were laid down In July and August and tho the Orion Orlan and Lion In November The Th first throe three are battleships and the thelast thelast last Is a cruiser of tho the Invincible class The other four battleships were w re laid down In April All AU these will be completed and anti in commission by br the tho summer of or 1912 bringing the tho British Dreadnought fleet up UI to 20 In Ii the meantime there has been berm no lack ol or activity across the North Sea Sen The fhe German Emperor and tho the German nation are seemingly In en entire entire tire lire agreement on the subject of or the tho German navy naV They The believe that It should be large enough to protect Germanys great maritime that It should be powerful enough to maintain Germanys dignity d among amon the nations that It should be strong enough to know no fear foar Laughing at British panics and disclaiming any desire whatever to outstrip tho the Eng Ens lish hish navy na tho the shipbuilding yards arc aro busy and aut the tue Krupp gun cun factory is hard at work Tho The German naval progress Is not so easy to estimate tin as s the tho British The Tho British press and public c demand and ant receive complete information The German press and public do 10 not demand anything an and are arc content with what is vouchsafed from above Two German are alc completed and anti In commission the Nassau and the They Th y are arc each of tons havo Intro a speed of ot 20 knots and are arc armed with twelve guns suns They also have sup supplementary UJ batteries of or 39 59 5 Inch guna The was as built at Bremen and on the way vay to the sea went aground in sa tIle tho shallow water of o the river Weser The Tho ship was detained sometime v while tho th British smiled and the tho th hH i I gnashed their teeth It was another proof that Germany German needs new and raid better seAports Tho The battleships Posen and Just completed and flu ready read for commission are simi similar lar to the Nassau The battleships j I land and Thuringia were launched I last autumn Those These three will wili be ot of tons each und anti they the will carry armaments of twelve guns of a new design by Krupp possessing an nn extraordinary range and throwing shells weighing wel as com with the pounds hoUnds of tin the British guns Tho battleships Ersatz J was laid down In March 1909 and the tho battleships Er Ersatz Ersatz Hildebrand and aud Ersatz were begun In tho late lato autumn The armoured cruiser Von dor der Tann iann also al o I was launched In March It tho launching of this ship and the laying down of or the Erat Frithjof Frithjo w which brought to the attention of or Britain the acceleration of the Ger Ocr German German man naval program These events were ere not on ou the schedule of or Gorman German naval activity by b which England had bad been guided and ant when tho facts be became became came cumo known It created the great na rift val Ill panic In the House HouGe of oC Commons the beginning of or the present crisis In Britain Tho The cruiser Yon Von der tier Tann and two unnamed cruisers G and H are i according to the admission of or the I First Lord Lort of or Admiralty In the House of or Commons faster fauter fa ter r more power powerful powerful ful than thau the Invincible The Von Van Vonder Vaner tier der er Tann Tanu will be able ablo to steam 25 knots nots I an hour and anti will carry can ton 11 I inch guns The two t o later cruisers both of or which were laid down quiet quietly ly In December lOan 1905 are arc also wao near nearIng Ing lag completion They Ther will have havo ha YO a speed sliced of oC 28 knots an hour and will wiH carry curr twelve guns This means that thal they will be bo on M heavily armored as the Dreadnought able ablo to throw a greater weight of or metal In iii Ina Ina a broadside and that they thoy will be even oven fl tor than ne Those These German cruisers now stand at atthe atthe the tho very ver top of or the worlds naval fighting lighting machines In offensive strength and value All the 1 German ships now building and or ordered I dared dered so far as M Is known will be completed by b 1012 bringing the tho Ger German German German man Dreadnought strength up to thirteen Not least among the alarms which have agitated Groat Grent Britain In the thelast thelast last twelve months was the unwelcome unwelcome unwelcome come discovery that Germany was able D ble not only to construct ships of work worle could be carried curried on as rapidly as ns In England Until this time Ume Eng England England land had held not only the mastery of or the shipbuilding yards ards No other nation could coult construct naval vessels aa DB quickly Now Germany has demon demonstrated demonstrated demonstrated its ability to build ships of the most moat advanced types as quickly quick as they can be turned out In British yards ards The Tho Germans also alfo showed I that they the could coult build ships without telling the tho world of what was going on in tho the ship yards ards I Of or course couise Great Britain Is still far farand farand farand I and away tho the strongest sea power Its Ita navy nay is equal to those of o Ger Oar Germany many and the United States combined ed Tho The British naval principle of ot maintaining the fleet at atthe atthe atthe the standard as strong as the combined fleets of oC the two next strongest powers has not been vie vio violated lilted The German and American navies today toda are tied for second place and Japan ranks ran Its third But nevertheless the British security Is threatened Germany GenTIan will pass the United States next neot year ear and for three years will Increase Its relative strength more rapidly than any an na nation nation nation tion has ever vcr done tone before Great Britain knows and fears this fact Tomorrow THE BRITISH CRISIS I IVI VI His Britannic Army Arm |