1908-02-18 THE NAVAL SITUATION

London Times, 18 February 1908, p. 3: THE NAVAL SITUATION. Sub-heading: BUILDING PROGRAMMES OF THE SEA POWERS (Excerpt). The reconstruction of the Russian fleet is proceeding slowly; and although only two armoured cruisers were completed for service during the past year, there are six battleships and armoured cruisers at present completing afloat, and there is now none on the stocks of the older programmes. The armoured cruiser Admiral Makaroff has made her taking-over trials at Toulon satisfactorily, and the naval commission will witness similar trials of the Rurik on the Clyde shortly. One battleship and one armoured cruiser were launched in 1907. The battleship Imperator Pavel I, which was laid down in January, 1903, was put afloat on September 7, and the cruiser Bayan, a sister ship to the Pallada and Admiral Makaroff, was launched on August 16. All the three last-named ships are to be in commission by the end of 1908. It was announced in June that two projected battleships had been planned, and that these vessels will be of 19,900 tons, carry ten 12in. guns, and have 21 knots speed with turbine machinery, their armament and armour to be made in Russia. It is now stated that they will be laid down this year at the new Admiralty works and the Baltic works respectively. Two protected cruisers of about 5,000 tons displacement, and with a light armament, are reported to have been ordered from the Newsky Works, to be completed in three years.

The following table shows the ships in hand for the Russian navy:–

Dis- Date when Where built

Name Type place- begun, launched, or building

ment. or completed

Tons.

St. Eustace Battleship 12,840 Launched, 1906 Nikolaieff

Ioann Zlatoust “ 12,840 Launched, 1906 Sevastopol

Andre Pervoz-

vanni “ 17,200 Launched, 1906 St. Petersburg

Imperator

Pavel I “ 17,200 Launched, 1907 St. Petersburg

“A” “ 19,900 Projected __

“B” “ 19,900 Projected __

Rurik Ar. Cruiser 15,170 Completed, 1907 Barrow,

Vickers’ firm

Admiral Maka-

roff “ 7,887 Launched, 1906 La Seyne

Pallada “ 7,887 Launched, 1906 St. Petersburg

Bayan “ 7,887 Launched, 1907 St. Petersburg