§ Mr. MIDDLEMOREasked the First Lord of the Admiralty, how many destroyers having an original designed speed of 27 knots were now in full or nucleus commission; and on what dates full-power trials were last carried out by these vessels?
§ The FIRST LORD of the ADMIRALTY (Mr. McKenna)At present eight are in commission with full crews and twenty are in commission with nucleus crews, of which, however, nine are completed to full complement when attached to gunnery and torpedo establishments for training. The eight with full crews carried out full-power trials, four in 1909, four in 1910. Nucleus crew destroyers do not develop full power; they only develop half to three-quarter power on their trials, unless for special reasons a full-power trial is ordered. Under these conditions one destroyer (nucleus crew) last carried out trials in 1907, three in 1908, fifteen in 1909, one in 1910.