§ Lord C. BERESFORDasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether our Navy possesses any floating cranes capable of lifting heavy guns out of the latest type of battleships without entailing any necessity for the ships to go into dock and unload ammunition for the purpose; if so, how many are there, and where are they stationed; whether Germany possesses any such floating cranes; and, if so, how many are there, and where are they stationed?
§ Mr. McKENNAThere are no floating cranes at present available for the purpose, but tenders for the supply of one each for Portsmouth and the Medway have been received, and are under consideration. The number of cranes possessed by Germany capable of lifting out heavy guns, is eleven, and they are severally in use in the yards at Wilhelmshaven, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Hamburg, Kiel, Stettin, and Danzig. It must, however, be observed that the depth of water at some of these yards will not always allow ships to proceed down the rivers with their heavy guns on board, and therefore necessitate floating cranes.