asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, on a comparable basis, the time occupied in building those British, German, Italian, and Austrian "Dreadnoughts" already completed; and if he will give, in addition, the date of laying down and the expected date of commissioning of such vessels as are not yet completed; and if he will state, where possible, how much they are late and the reasons for such lateness?
The following tables give the time occupied in building the ships of the "Dreadnought" type that have already been completed for Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary; also, where possible, the dates on which those building were laid down. As regards the expected dates of com-
| (a) GREAT BRITAIN. | |||||||||
| "Dreadnought" Type Ships—completed. | |||||||||
| Ship. | Programme Year. | Date of Ordering. | Date of Commencement (Laying of Keel). | Date of Completion. | Difference between (1)and (3). | Difference between (2) and (3). | |||
| (1) | (2) | (3) | |||||||
| Yrs. | mths. | Yrs. | mths. | ||||||
| "Dreadnought" | … | 1905–6 | July, 1905 | Oct., 1905 | Dec, 1906 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| "Invincible" | … | Nov., 1905 | Apl., 1906 | Mar., 1909 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 11 | |
| "Indomitable" | … | Nov., 1905 | Mar., 1906 | June, 1908 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 4 | |
| "Inflexible" | … | Nov., 1905 | Feb., 1906 | Oct., 1908 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 8 | |
| "Bellerophon" | … | 1906–7 | Oct., 1906 | Dec, 1906 | Feb., 1909 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| "Temeraire" | … | Oct., 1906 | Jan., 1907 | May, 1909 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 5 | |
| "Superb" | … | Dec, 1906 | Feb., 1907 | May., 1909 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | |
| "St. Vincent" | … | 1907–8 | Oct., 1907 | Dec, 1907 | May., 1910 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| "Collingwood" | … | Oct., 1907 | Feb., 1908 | Apl., 1910 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | |
| "Vanguard" | … | Feb., 1908 | Apl., 1908 | Feb., 1910 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
| "Neptune" | … | 1908–9 | Dec,1908 | Jan., 1909 | Jan., 1911 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| "Indefatigable" | … | Nov., 1908 | Feb., 1909 | Apl., 1911 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | |
| "Hercules" | … | 1909–10 | June, 1909 | July, 1909 | July, 1911 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| "Colossus" | … | June, 1909 | July, 1909 | Aug., 1911 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| "Orion" | … | Oct., 1909 | Nov., 1909 | Dec, 1911 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| "Lion" | … | Oct., 1909 | Nov., 1909 | June, 1912 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 7 | |
| "Monarch" | … | 1909–10 (Contingent ships) | Jan., 1910 | Apl., 1910 | Apl., 1912 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| "Conqueror" | … | Jan., 1910 | Apl., 1910 | Nov., 1912 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 7 | |
| "Thunderer" | … | Jan., 1910 | Apl., 1910 | June, 1912 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | |
| "Princess Royal" | … | Jan., 1910 | May, 1910 | Nov., 1912 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 6 | |
| "King George V." | … | 1910–11 | Nov., 1910 | Jan., 1911 | Nov., 1912 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| "New Zealand"* | … | Apl., 1910 | June, 1910 | Nov., 1912 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 5 | |
| * Built at the charge of the New Zealand Government. | |||||||||
| (b) "Dreadnought" Type Ships—Building. | |||
| Ship | Programme Year. | Date laid down. | |
| "Centurion" | … | 1910–11 | January, 1911 |
| "Ajax" | … | February, 1911 | |
| "Audacious" | … | March, 1911 | |
| "Queen Mary" | … | March, 1911 | |
| "Iron Duke" | … | 1911–12 | January, 1912 |
| "Marlborough" | … | January, 1912 | |
| "Benbow" | … | May, 1912 | |
| "Delhi" | … | May, 1912 | |
| "Tiger" | … | June, 1912 | |
| "Queen Elizabeth" | … | 1912–13 | October, 1912 |
| "Warspite" | … | October, 1912 | |
| "Valiant" | … | Not yet laid down | |
| "Barham" | … | ||
missioning, I would prefer not to attempt to give information which in so many cases must be merely conjectural. It is not possible to make the comparative statement asked for in the last part of the question as the information in the case of foreign vessels is not available.
| "Dreadnought" Type Ships—Completed. | |||||||||
| Ship. | Programme Year. | Ordered. | Commissioned for Trials. | Completed Trials. | Difference between (1) and (2). | Difference between (1)and (3). | |||
| (1) | (2) | (3) | |||||||
| GERMANY. | Yrs. | mths. | Yrs. | mths. | |||||
| "Nassau" | … | 1906–7 | *Aug.,1907 | Oct., 1909 | May, 1910 | 2 | 2§ | 2 | 9§ |
| "Westfalen" | … | *Aug., 1907 | Nov., 1909 | May, 1910 | 2 | 3§ | 2 | 9§ | |
| "Rheinland" | … | 1907–8 | Apr., 1907 | Apr., 1910 | Aug., 1910 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| "Posen" | … | Apr., 1907 | May, 1910 | Aug., 1910 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| "Von der Tann" | … | *Mar.,1908 | Sept., 1910 | Feb., 1911 | 2 | 6§ | 2 | 11§ | |
| "Ostfriesland" | … | 1908–9 | Apr., 1908 | Aug., 1911 | Sept.,1911 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| "Helgoland" | … | June, 1908 | Aug., 1911 | Dec, 1911 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| "Thüringen" | … | June, 1908 | July, 1911 | Sept.,1911 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| "Moltke" | … | Sept., 1908 | Sept., 1911 | Mar., 1912 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |
| "Oldenburg" | … | 1909–10 | †Apr.,1909 | May, 1912 | July, 1912 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| "Kaiser" | … | ‡ | Aug., 1912 | Dec, 1912 | — | — | |||
| "Friediich der Grosse" | … | ‡ | Oct., 1912 | Trials not yet completed | — | — | |||
| "Goeben" | … | †Apr., 1909 | July, 1912 | Aug., 1912 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | |
| ITALY. | |||||||||
| "Dante Alighieri" | … | 1907–8 | June, 1909 | July, 1912 | ||Nov.,1912 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| AUSTIUA-HUNGARY. | |||||||||
| "Viribus Unitis" | … | 1911 | July, 1910 | — | Oct., 1912 | — | 2 | 3 | |
* Date keel was laid. | |||||||||
| † Promised to the firms in autumn, 1908. | |||||||||
| ‡ No official information. | |||||||||
| § From date keel was laid. | |||||||||
| || Press information. | |||||||||
| Building. | ||
| Ship. | Programme Year. | Date laid down. |
| GERMANY. | ||
| "Kaiserin" | 1910–11 | November, 1910* |
| "König Albert" | July, 1910* | |
| "Prinzregent Luitpold" | No information | |
| "Seydlitz" | February, 1911* | |
| "Ersatz Kurfurst Friedrich Wilhelm" | 1911–12 | |
| "Ersatz Wiessenburg" | No official information | |
| "S" | ||
| "K" | ||
| "Ersatz Brandenburg" | 1912–13 | No official information |
| "Ersatz Kaiserin Augusta" | ||
| ITALY. | ||
| "Giulio Cesare" | 1909–10 | June, 1910 |
| "Leonardo da Vinci" | 1909–10 | July, 1910 |
| "Conte di Cavour" | 1908–09 | August, 1910 |
| "Duilio" | 1911–12 | April, 1912 |
| "Andrea Doria" | 1911–12 | March, 1912 |
| AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. | ||
| "Tegetthoff" | 1911 | September, 1910 |
| "Prinz Eugen" | 1911 | January, 1912 |
| "VII" | 1911 | January, 1912 |
* Press information. | ||