Damn Vouk Coaling Stations; 



151 



Admiralty inspection of the motor-ship " Selandia." 



Admiral Sir A. Moore and Sir Henry Oram (Enginecr-Ln- 



Chicf of the Fleet) on board, inspecting the ship. 



given distance will weigh much less than 

 fonnerly. This means that a battleship can 

 be given a greatly enlarged cruising radius, 

 and th.it some of the weight which has here- 

 tofore been devoted to coal can now be gi\ en 

 up to armourand armament. It is e-stimaled 

 that the 4:10 tons of oil carried by the Dela- 

 ware will increase her steaming radius not less 

 than 1,000 miles. 



The result of installing motor-engines into 

 warships will he both important and startling. 

 The cru.\ of the whole matter — the eagerness 

 for the new motive power — is explained b\- 

 a recent statement of Dr. Diesel, the dis- 

 tinguished (lerman engineer and inventor of 

 the engine that bears his name. He said 

 that the radius of action of a man-o'-war 

 fitted with Diesel engines was such that " the 

 ship would sail all over the world, fight an\ 

 battle, and come home without having to 

 take in one pound ol fuel on the way." 



Such a claim, coming from so distinguished 

 a source. in\ ites thinking ; for the realisation 

 of the claim will revolutionise maritime war- 

 fare. At once England's superiority in tin 

 matter of coaling-stations vanishes. The task 

 of safeguarding our food becomes a hundreil 

 times more ditficult. All Powers will be on 

 their merits, and I'",ngland's superiority, b\ 

 rea.son of her worl<l-widc coaling-statiouN, 

 vanishes the moment a successful motor- 

 cruiser is evolved. 



MilTI'K WARSHIPS. 



Save in tin- adoption of the turbine enj,'ini 

 for warships i>( even the largest dinu-n.-ions, 

 there has been little in the wiiy of sudden an<i 



revolutionary changes in naval construction. The 

 armour has become steadily thicker or more resisting, 

 the guns have become heavier and the projectiles more 

 penetrating — in short, the endless battle between offence 

 and defence has been .steadily proceeding. Now, how- 

 e\er, comes a difference — and one fraught with vital 

 consequences. The use of coal on warships is doomed, 

 of that there is no (juestion — nor is there anv question 

 as to what is to replace it as fuel. But there are two 

 methods of utilising oil as fuel. One is to substitute 

 it for coal in raising steam — this undoubtedly offers 

 great ad\antages, econom\- in all directions, and a 

 tremendous saving of stokehold ratings, etc. But 

 there is another method, and one which in addition 

 to the foregoing advantages offers many more — that 

 is. the use of oil in internal-combustion propulsion 

 engines. In other words, there will be motor battle- 

 ships. The idea of internal-combustion engines has 

 become familiar, thanks to the motor-car. But in the 

 battleship the engine must be so immensely great, 

 so enormously powerful, that so far no invention has 

 \Tt been dc^•i^cci to stand the strain. For in an 



The present method of taking- on fuel on .1 Li.iUliship; The 

 maximum ot labour, diit, and delay. 



