The papers of Tuesday announced the appointment of Mr. E.
H. Tennyson d'Eyncourt to succeed Sir Philip Watts as Director of Naval Construction. Mr. Tennyson d'Eyncourt has been naval architect to the firm of Messrs. Armstrong, Whitworth and Co. The appointment as Director of Naval Construction of a man who has not been trained in the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors is not in accordance with the views on the subject lately expressed in the Times by such authorities as Sir William White, Sir Joseph Larmor, and Professor Biles. But it is to be remembered that Sir Philip Watts is to be retained as Adviser on Naval Con- struction. On the same day the constitution of the Committee to inquire into the question of oil fuel for the Navy was announced. The matter is most important. Probably the application of oil fuel to even the largest vessels will be possible before long, but the Committee will have to ascertain whether a supply can be guaranteed, whether a sufficient reserve can be stored, and whether such an easily destroyed material can be adequately protected from attack. These are very difficult questions to answer.
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