1894.] on the Making of a Modem Fleet. 213 



practice, although the advocates of moderate dimensions frequently 

 proceed on the hypothesis that only large ships are built. As a 

 matter of interest the ships built or building from my designs, since 

 I took office in 1885, have been classified. Out of a total of 131 ships, 

 only 15 are above 10,000 tons in displacement, 12 from 7000 to 9000 

 tons, 46 from 2500 to 5600 tons, 11 from 1000 to 2500 tons, and 47 

 are 1000 tons or under. 



War-ship dimensions and cost are not to be regulated by arbi- 

 trarily chosen limits. The proper procedure is obviously to decide 

 what qualities shall be possessed by each type, and to produce ships 

 possessing those qualities. No better guide under existing circum- 

 stances, and apart from actual experience in naval warfare, can be 

 found than in making provision for meeting the possible attacks of 

 foreign fleets, and securing superiority in numbers and in fighting 

 efficiency in each class. Since British ships are built for operating 

 on an enemy's coast, it is the practice to give them larger coal sup- 

 plies, more stores, equipment and ammunition. Hence they are, class 

 for class, of larger displacement than foreign ships. They are not, 

 however, of greater cost than foreign ships of less displacement. A 

 Boyal Sovereign can be produced in a Government dockyard for a net 

 cost, excluding armament, of about 760,000Z. The corresponding 

 cost for a French, Russian or American battle-ship of the first class 

 is from 900,000Z. to 1,000,000/. Consequently in the matter of 

 money value risked on each ship we have a distinct advantage, thanks 

 to our more economical construction. 



Taking armament and stores into account, one of the larger 

 battle-ships in the Naval Defence fleet represents in round figures a 

 million sterling when equipped for sea. It is a great responsibility 

 to command such a costly and complicated fighting machine. Naval 

 officers have, however, risen to the occasion, as it is their habit to do. 

 As regards manageability and manoeuvring power, the big ships have 

 proved most satisfactory, being as thoroughly under command as 

 much smaller ships. It is a very striking thing to see one or two 

 men steering a ship of 14,000 tons moving at high speed, with the aid 

 of a steam or hydraulic engine. The huge mass answers every motion 

 of the helm, and can be made to reverse its course at full speed in 3 

 to 3J minutes, and in a path whose diameter is about five times the 

 ship's length. 



A modern fleet requires large expenditure for its construction and 

 equipment. The seventy ships of the Naval Defence Programme 

 will cost about 22| millions, including armaments. Excluding 

 armaments, ammunition and reserves, the cost has been about 

 18 millions, or an average cost per ship of more than a quarter of a 

 million sterling. This average cost exceeds the cost of the largest 

 unarmoured screw three-deckers, carrying 121 guns, which were the 

 most powerful sMps in the Koyal Navy thirty-five years ago. It is 

 more than double the cost of the largest sailing three-deckers built 

 about eighty years ago. What has been said above furnishes the 



