§ Lord C. BERESFORDasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he has observed that out of the ships of the "Dreadnought" type His Majesty's Ship "Invincible" only obtained 10.45 points in the 1911 battle practice as compared with His Majesty's Ship "Collingwood," which ship obtained 285.1 points; and whether this disparity in points obtained may be traced to the defective gun-mountings of His Majesty's Ship "Invincible," to which attention has been constantly directed?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLSir, the returns of the battle practice are not a very satisfactory guide to the gunnery standards of various ships, as chance enters so largely into the results. In this case I am assured that the weather conditions were altogether exceptional, and that the electric turrets and gun-mountings were not the cause.