Sir JOHN JACKSONasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in the event of a naval fight in the North Sea and of our catching a ship of 90-ft. beam, there is any dock within several hundreds of miles that could take her in for the purpose of repairing the damage?
§ Mr. McKENNAThere are no docks on the East Coast capable of receiving a vessel of 90-ft. beam. There are docks at Southampton which are 90 ft. in breadth, and one at Portsmouth which exceeds 90ft. in breadth, but the possibility of docking any given vessel would depend on the form of the vessel as well as her extreme breadth.
Sir JOHN JACKSONasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will inform the House what are the outside dimensions, length, breadth, and draught of the largest British warships afloat or under construction for the British Navy; what dry docks there are capable of accommodating these vessels assuming they were maimed and so low down in the water as to be on the point of sinking; and what is the greatest beam of vessels these docks would be able to take in between Liverpool round the North of Scotland down the East and South Coast of England to Portsmouth, between Portsmouth along the South and up the West Coast to Liverpool, and under British control in the Mediterranean?
§ Mr. McKENNAIt is not desirable to give the dimensions of the latest British war vessels. With regard to the last two parts of the question, the question of the suitability or otherwise of docks is dependent on the form as well as on the extreme breadth of a vessel.