In spite of their size
they were comparatively fast, having an average speed of 18 knots;
they did not need, and were not equipped with heavier armor, having
plates as thin as 3 inches and as thick as 12. They were built to
"take punishment," and therefore they had no greater armament than
the vessels previously named. The naval program of 1903 and 1904
also included the _Duncan, Albemarle, Russell, Cornwallis_, and
_Exmouth_, each 1,000 tons lighter than the ships of the _Implacable_
type, but with the same equipment, defensive and offensive, and
of the same speed. And in the same program, as if to offset the
argument for heavier and stronger ships, there were included the
lighter and faster ships, _Swiftsure_ and _Triumph_, displacing
only 11,500 tons, but making 19 knots. Their speed permitted and
necessitated lighter armor--10 inches through at the thickest
points--and their armament was also of a lighter type, for their
four largest guns were capable of firing 10-inch shells.
Germany was becoming a naval rival worthy of notice, and the insular
position of England came to be a matter of serious concern by 1906.
Britain has never considered the building of land forts for her
protection--her strength has always been concentrated in floating
war machines. She now began to build veritable floating forts, ships
of 16,350 tons displacement. By the end of 1906 she had ready to give
battle eight ships of this class, the _King Edward VII, Commonwealth,
Dominion, Hindustan, Africa, Hibernia, Zealandia_, and _Britannia_.
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