§ SIR EDWARD REEDasked the Secretary to the Admiralty, Whether Her Majesty's ironclad ships "Rupert," "Audacious," "Bellerophon," and "Shannon," are lying at Her Majesty's Dockyards in need of repair; whether their repairs are being proceeded with; and, if not, whether, while they remain without repair, they are unavailable for the service of the Country abroad?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANSir, the Rupert, Audacious, and Bellerophon are now under repair at the Dockyards, and are to be completed during the current financial year. The Shannon has been paid off and stripped, but she is to be refitted during the present year. I need hardly add, in reply to the last part of my hon. Friend's Question, that until these repairs are completed the ships are not available for sea service.