Although recently news items were published that at the yards in North England 3 dreadnoughts were built published the newspaper The Standard apparently again the tiding that an important increase of the British fleet in the European waters was to be expected soon. The Admiralty intended for New Years Day to decommission 8 battleships 1st class and 4 armoured cruisers and to lay them up without a crew. Also were 8 battleships no longer in active service causing an decrease of 20 warships of the 1st class which was 25% of the complete fleet in active service. The Admiralty wanted to reduce the expenses by making the fleets excluded the Channel, Mediterranean and Atlantic forces while the paid off sailors of the ships no longer in sea service were used to strengthen the crews of the torpedo boats. Although the Standard expected denials she consisted in the reliability of her tiding.
