Because the new ships are to mount 14in. instead of 16in. guns, it does not follow that their armament will be inferior to that of foreign vessels mounting heavier weapons.
The modern British 14in. gun is an _exceptionally powerful model, surpassing in range and accuracy the 15in. gun now mounted in the majority of our capital ships.
'Its' shell of nearly 1,600Ib, weight is only 400lb. to 500lb, lighter than the 16in. projectile. Not only can it pierce stow armour at battle ranges, but the explosive power of the new type 14in. shell ensures the maximum destructive effect from every hit.
Furthermore, the l14in. gun, complete with mounting, is so much lighter than the 16in, gun that by adopting the former calibre a saving of more than 60 per cent. may be effected in the total weight of the armament, This makes it possible to give infinitely better protection to a 35,000-ton vessel than would be feasible if she were armed with 16in. guns.
So great has been the increase in the power of projectiles, torpedoes, mines and aircraft bombs since the war that only those ships with exceptionally strong protection could hope to survive in a future naval campaign.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.