It is interesting to note that Italy, which in the seventies evolved in the _Duilio_ and _Dandolo_ the “Dreadnought” of that period, eventually developed a very similar idea in the _Italia_ and _Lepanto_, which had no side armour whatever. In later designs a thin belt was reverted to, and finally the old cycle was resumed. This result was brought about by the quickfirer, which appeared as a rival to the hitherto predominant monster gun. To-day the torpedo is becoming paramount and a danger to a fleet in close order at almost any range--hence the Bacon ideal. It remains to be seen whether the future will produce any analogy to the cycle of the quickfirer of the eighties. Details of the _Invincible_ type are:-- Displacement--17,250 tons. Length (over all)--562ft. (_p.p._, 530ft.). Beam--78½ft. Draught--29ft. Armament--Eight 12-inch, XI, 45 calibre, sixteen 4-inch (model 1907); three submerged tubes. Armour Belt--7-inch, reduced to 4-inch at the ends. Machinery--Parsons Turbine. Horse-power--41,000 = 25 knots. Boilers--(_Invincible_ and _Inflexible_) Yarrow, (_Indomitable_) Babcock. Coal--(normal) 1,000 tons; (maximum) 3,000 tons; oil fuel also. Builders--(_Invincible_) Elswick, (_Inflexible_) Clydebank, (_Indomitable_) Fairfield. Engined--(_Invincible_) Humphrys, (_Inflexible_) Clydebank, (_Indomitable_) Fairfield. As originally designed, the anti-torpedo guns of these ships would have been the same as the _Dreadnought’s_, but, having been completed nearly two years later and a new pattern 4-inch quickfirer having been invented in the interim, they were fitted with these guns. The trial results were as follows:--_Invincible_, 26.6 knots; _Inflexible_, 26.5 knots; and _Indomitable_, 26.1 knots; the designed horse power being considerably exceeded in every case. After they were commissioned and had shaken down, these trial speeds were considerably exceeded, and at one time and another they all did well over 28 knots; the _Indomitable_ having made a record of 28.7. The fuel consumption of these ships is naturally enormous. The _Indomitable_, in crossing the Atlantic at full speed, burned about 500 tons of coal a day, as well as about 120 tons of oil. As steamers they are to be considered remarkably successful. The average cost of construction was about £1,752,000, which works out at a little under £102 per ton. Towards the close of the year 1911 the official designation of “armoured cruiser” for them and similar ships was abandoned, and the term “battle cruiser” substituted. No further secret was made of the fairly obvious fact that they were designed as “fast battleships,” intended to engage and hold a retreating enemy till such time as the main squadron could come up.