§ Lord CHARLES BERESFORDasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is now in a position to state what was the reason for keeping the battleship "London" out of dry dock for three months over the time beyond which it is considered by the Admiralty to be inadvisable for a battleship to remain out of dock; whether any other battleships now in commision 1857 have been out of dock for more than twelve months; if so, what are their names; and whether a battleship which has a foul bottom, owing to being twelve months out of dock, requires approximately as much coal for a speed of ten knots as she would require for twelve or thirteen knots with a clean bottom?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe reply to the first part of the Noble Lord's question is that it was considered advisable to wait for the period of the ship's refit before docking her. The reply to the second part of the question is in the affirmative. The names of the ships are the "Queen" and "Prince of Wales," and they are to be docked during the present month and in April respectively. With regard to the last part of the question, a battleship with a foul bottom, owing to being twelve months out of dock, requires approximately as much coal per hour for a speed of ten knots as for a speed of 11.8 knots with a clean bottom.