Shipbuilding Works, Yangtszepoo, on Saturday afternoon, in the presence of a large gathering of panese, ese and foreign residents (official and otherwise), the new Japanese gunboat Seta (338 tons) was launched.
After a brief religious service, the launching ceremony was performed by Mrs. T. Funatsu, wife of the local Japanese—Consul-who cut the cord with a axe. The usual bottle of "ne was sin s the vessel slid down the into the water. Suddenly and white hollow ball, suspended fom a pole ai the bow of the shi opened and, in a shower of fette, a number of pigeons flew out, these denoting probably that the vessel would have a peaceful career, Commander Sugisaka, the local Naval Agent, read a congratula-of Navy, Admiral Takarabe, aft which Mr. One, of the Eastern Engineering Shipbuilding Wo the builders of the vessel, delivered a__ brief address in the course of which he eta was the first and had been built jointly: by gunboat built in China
Chinese and Japanese workmen.
Referring to the new vessel and th ug the management on behalf of the guests, Mr. Funatsu, said that the vessels of this type were indispensable in the—present state of China. The Japanese people were determined not to build any more war vessels and suffer the burden of heavy armaments but, in view of the chaos in China and the anti-Japanese moventent, gunboats were necessary. The boats in this instance, he said, were constructed for the protection of Japanese lives and property on the Yangtze. Mr. Funatsu expressed the hope that the disorderly condition prevailing in China would be ended in the near future, and that the lives and property of foreigners would he protected by the Chinese themselves, and not by the foreign powers. Then, said the speaker, these ships may be dispensed with.
The new ship, which was launched from slips alongside another vessel of the same type nearing completion, is a second class gunboat. Her overall length is 181 ft: moulded breadth -27 ft.; normal draft 3 ft. 4 in: displacement 3 tons: full speed 16 knots. The vessel has tne vertical triple expansion engines and two boilers and has two propellers. She will have a crew of Lo be made for his expulsion Thoth Chapei.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.