§ Mr. D. GRENFELLasked the First Lord of the Admiralty on what grounds the additional expenditure of £50,200 for running His Majesty's Ship "Centurion" as a fleet target is justified on grounds of economy, seeing that heavy-calibre guns cannot be fired at her, and also, that throw-off firings enable guns of all calibres to be fired during high-speed practices?
Lord STANLEYBattle practice targets which are slow afford practice in observing the fall of salvoes, but do not afford much realism in gun control. Throw-off firings at other ships afford considerable realism in gun control, but have the disadvantage that no fall of shot can be observed from the firing ship. Centurion "offers the advantages of both the above, and the disadvantages of neither. She is the only target available to the Fleet for 'practices from which it is possible to draw those conclusions which are essential for the proper progress in tactics and training, and the money spent is considered to be fully justified. It is only the heaviest calibre of guns, such as are mounted in capital ships, that cannot be fired at "Centurion," and special arrangements are made so that these ships also get valuable experience by using smaller calibre guns.