This ship was not unlike the great dirigibles of the Twentieth Century in shape, except that it had no suspended control car nor gondolas, no propellers, and no rudders, aside from a permanently fixed double-fishtail stabilizer at the rear, and a number of "keels" so arranged as to make the most of the repeller ray airlift columns. Its width was probably twice as great as its depth, and its length about twice its width. That is to say, it was about 100 feet from the main keel to the top-deck at their maximum distance from each other, about 200 feet wide amidship, and between 400 and 500 feet long. It had in addition to the top-deck, three interior decks. In its general curvature the ship was a compromise between a true streamline design and a flattened cylinder. For a distance of probably 75 to 100 feet back of the nose there were no decks except that formed by the bottom of the hull. But from this point back the decks ran to within a few feet of the stern. At various spots on the hull curvature in this great "hollow nose" were platforms from which the crews of the _dis_ ray generators and the _electronoscope_ and _electronophone_ devices manipulated their apparatus. Into this space from the forward end of the center deck, projected the control room. The walls, ceiling and floor of this compartment were simply the surfaces of _viewplates_. There were no windows or other openings. The operation officers within the control room, so far as their vision was concerned, might have imagined themselves suspended in space, except for the transmitters, levers and other signalling devices around them. Five officers, I understand, had their posts in the control room; the captain, and the chiefs of _scopes_, _phones_, _dis rays_ and _navigation_. Each of these was in continuous interphone communication with his subordinates in other posts throughout the ship. Each _viewplate_ had its phone connecting with its "_eye machines_" on the hull, the crews of which would switch from telescopic to normal view at command. There were, of course, many other _viewplates_ at executive posts throughout the ship. * * * * * The Hans followed a peculiar system in the command of their ships. Each ship had a double complement of officers. Active Officers and Base Officers. The former were in actual, active charge of the ship and its apparatus. The latter remained at the ship base, at desks equipped with _viewplates_ and phones, in constant communication with their "correspondents," on the ship. They acted continuously as consultants, observers, recorders and advisors during the flight or action. Although not primarily accountable for the operation of the ship, they were senior to, and in a sense responsible for the training and efficiency of the Active Officers.