e
ships of this class were the _King George V, Ajax, Audacious_,
and _Centurion_.

The year 1914 saw even more terrible machines of death launched.
Two types were put into the water, the first that of the _Iron
Duke_ class, of which the other members were the _Benbow, Emperor
of India_, and _Marlborough_. They showed great improvement in every
point; their speed was 22.5 knots, their displacement 25,000 tons,
and their torpedo tubes five. Like their immediate predecessors,
they carried a primary battery of ten 13.5-inch guns, along with
the smaller ones, and their armor measured from 8 to 12 inches
in thickness. The second type of the year was that of the _Queen
Elizabeth_ and _Warspite_ class. They surpassed all the warships
when they were built. Their speed for their size was the greatest--25
knots. They had the largest displacement among warships--27,500
tons; they had the thickest armor, ranging from 8 to 13.5 inches;
they had the most improved form of engines--oil burners, developing
58,000 horsepower; and most marvelous of all was their primary
battery, which consisted of eight 15-inch guns. The largest gun
yet made had been the 16-inch gun, for use in permanent position
in land forts, and, with the German army, for a mobile force. It
now was shown that the modern warship could carry a gun as heavy
as any on land. There were in the course of construction when the
war broke out eight more such monsters, the _Malaya, Valiant_, and
_Barham_, sister ships of the _Queen Elizabeth_, and the _Royal
Oak, Resolution, Royal Monarch, Ramillies_, and _Renown_, each
of 29,000 tons displacement, but having the same armament as the
_Queen Elizabeth_. All of these were hastened to completion as
soon as war was declared.

At the time of the declaration of war England had, in addition
to these greatest ships, a number of supporting ships such as the
ten battle cruisers, _Indomitable, Invincible, Indefatigable,
Inflexible, Australia, New Zealand, Queen Mary, Princess Royal,
Lion_, and the _Tiger_. Their displacements ranged from 17,250
to 28,000 tons, and their speeds from 25 to 30 knots, the last
being that of the _Tiger_. Their speed is their greatest feature,
for their armament and batteries are much lighter than those of
the first-line ships.

Next, there were ready thirty-four high-speed cruisers of quite
light armament and armor. There were six of the _Cressy_ type,
four of the _Drake_ type, nine of the same type as the