Captain FABERasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state whether the British ships "Centurion" and "Barfleur" have been condemned since the issue of the White Paper by the 571 Admiralty last week; whether the ship "Renown," also in that Paper, has no guns and is not likely to have; whether eight battleships of the "Sovereign" class, also included in the Paper, have no reserve ammunition; and whether any similar deductions have to be made from foreign fleets?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe reply to the first two parts of the question is in the negative. The reserve of ammunition of the "Royal Sovereign" class has been used up for practice to avoid wholesale destruction of cordite when these vessels are placed on the sale list, but the total of this reserve bears so small a proportion to the total of our reserve of cordite that no difficulty would be found in providing such cordite for ships of this class as might be required in addition to the outfit if the ships are called upon for service. I do not quite follow the meaning of the hon. Member's expression "similar deductions," but all that we know about withdrawals of ships since the date of the Return referred to in the question is that the French Minister of Marine has announced the intended withdrawal from the effective list of four second-class cruisers, three third-class cruisers, one torpedo vessel, and two submarines.
§ Mr. ASHLEYIn reference to the "Renown," may I ask the right hon. Gentleman if it is not a fact that ten 6-inch guns have been landed, and have been on the dock at Portsmouth for the last three years?
§ Mr. McKENNAThey are kept in stock, and are ready to be put into the "Renown" at a moment's notice.