Flagship Sails

COMMONWEALTH (British Commonwealth of Nations)

To pay the salary* of the President of the U. S. in advance for 466 years would cost slightly less than the sum/- just spent by Great Britain to complete H. M. S. Nelson, most potent of post-War battleships which sailed complete, tested and primed last week, from the yards of her makers at New-castle-on-Tyne. Joyous sirens tooted all adown the Tyne, when the Nelson put to sea; and in British homes many a prideful comparison was made between the most powerful British, U. S., and Japanese battleships: The Nelson The Colorado The Mutsu (BRITAIN) (U.S.) (JAPAN)

Displacement

Tonnage .... 35,000 32,600 33,800

Length in

feet 702 600 695

Number of 16-inch guns.... 9 8 8

Year completed 1927 1923 1920

Naval observers recalled that the Nelson and her sister ship the Rodney both comply with the Washington Treaty of 1922 by which capital ships were limited to 35,000 tons and guns to 16-inch bore. Everyone knows that the U. S., Britain and Japan abandoned by this treaty their programs for a type of battle-cruiser of some 43,000 tons. The U. S. and Japan scrapped or converted into aircraft carriers several partially completed boats of this type; and the British were so fortuntate as to be allowed to keep their 41,200-ton battle-cruiser, H. M. S. Hood, a ship carrying eight 15-inch guns, and making a speed of 32 knots, as compared with somewhat over 21 for the Mutsu, Colorado & Nelson.

*$75,000. (But ' he also got $25,000 per year for traveling and "official entertainment purposes.") /--L-7,000,000 ($35,000,000).