e 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 _Kent_, six of the same class
as the _Antrim_, six like the _Black Prince_, three of the same class as
the _Shannon_, together with seventeen heavily protected cruisers, of
which the _Edgar_ was the prototype. The rest of the British navy needs
no detailed consideration. It consisted at the outbreak of the war of 70
protected light cruisers, 134 destroyers, and a number of merchant ships
convertible into war vessels, together with submarines and other small
ships.

The navy of France stood fourth in the list of those of the world powers
at the time the war started. There were eighteen old vessels, built
between 1894 and 1909, including the _Carnot_ class (corresponding to
the British ship _Magnificent_), the _Charlemagne_, _Bouvet_, _Suffren_,
_Republique_, and _Democratie_ classes. The most modern of these types
displaced no more than 14,000 tons, made no more than 18 knots, and
carried primary batteries of 12-inch guns.

Some improvement was made in the six ships of the _Danton_ class which
were built in 1911 and 1912. They displaced 18,000 tons, had armor from
9 to 12 inches thick and carried guns of 12-inch caliber. They
correspond to the British ship _Temeraire_. In 1913 and 1914 were
launched the _Jean Bart_, _Courbet_, _Paris_, and _France_ of the
dreadnought type, but much slower and not so heavily armed as the
British ships of the same class. In eight ships which were incomplete
when war was declared the matter of speed received greater attention,
and they are consequently faster than the older vessels of the same
type. It is in the nineteen French armored cruisers--France has no