614 



NAVY, UNITED STATES. 



with the immense propeller screw,, will be pro- 

 tected by a strongly built overhang at the 

 stern, its length about 17 ft., its width on either 

 side of the propeller shaft, 12 ft., while, as a 

 further protection, the sides of the overhang 

 also curve or project downward. The solid 

 bow, with its plating, will constitute the vessel 

 a very powerful ram, the destructive force of 

 which will be greatly augmented by the high 

 speed, of 15 knots an hour, she is intended to 

 possess ; while, on the other hand, the hip will 

 afford protection by first receiving the shock 

 of a ram that may attempt to run her down. 

 The Dunderberg is expected to be a highly 

 efficient sea-going vessel. She will, probably, 

 not be completed until about the beginning of 

 the year 1864. 



The Italian iron-clad frigates, Re fT Italia and 

 Clotilda the first-named already built and the 

 last in process of construction are also built 

 by Mr. Webb, and at his shipyard. The Re 

 d' Italia, now being armored with 4|-inch plates 

 at the Novelty Iron Works, is a 40-gun propel- 

 ler frigate, 294 feet long, and furnished with a 

 ram. Five other Italian iron-clad frigates are 

 building in France and England. 



The Benton, Gunboat. This is one of the 

 fleet of gunboats hastily improvised for service 

 upon the Mississippi and its affluents, in the 

 early period of the Avar. She was con- 

 structed of two hulls joined side by side, 

 length 186 ft., total breadth 74 ft. these hulls 

 being sealed up between with 4-inch oak 

 plank. The entire upper part of the hu.ll, to 

 several feet below water line, was then plated 

 with !-inch iron, securely bolted on. The 

 Benton draws 4 ft. of water, and, besides hav- 

 ing a bomb-proof bow, she is divided into 40 

 water-tight compartments, so that if her bow 

 were shot away she would still float, and her 

 gunners and men would be protected as before. 

 The wheels are between the two single hulls, 

 toward the stern, the wheel houses being, for 

 ordinary missiles, shot proof. The sides, above 

 water, slope inward at an angle of 45. Her 

 armament consists of 18 8 and 9-inch guns. 

 In operations on the Western rivers, this and 

 other gunboats of its class have, in a general 

 way, performed satisfactorily, their fire being 

 very efficient, and themselves, in but rare in- 

 stances, thus far, disabled or sunk. 



The Essex, Gunboat. This iron-clad, which 

 has figured quite conspicuously in river opera- 

 tions at the West, has a length of 205 ft., beam 

 60 ft., depth of hold 4 ft. 6 in. Her hull is 

 nearly submerged, and her casemates have the 

 unusual height of 17 ft. 6 in. The wood-work 

 of her forward casemate is 39 in. thick ; of 

 the side casemates, 16 in., and of the pilot- 

 house 18 in. thick. Over all these parts is a 

 continuous layer of rubber, 1 inch thick. The 

 iron plating bolted on over this is, upon the 

 forward casemate and pilothouse, If inches 

 thick, that upon the side casemates inch 

 thick. This vessel is also divided into 40 

 water-tight compartments, and upon her sides 



are hips, or false sides, intended first to 

 receive and break the blow of an enemy's 

 ram. Her armament consists of 3 9-inch Dahl- 

 gren guns, 1 10-inch shell gun, 2 50-pdr. rifles, 

 1 long 32-pdr., and 1 24-pdr. boat howitzer. 



The Tuscumbia, Gunboat. This vessel, re- 

 cently completed, is one of the largest of 

 the Western fleet. Her length is 182 feet, 

 beam 70 feet, depth of hold 8 feet, draught, 

 when laden, 5| ft., tonnage 980. The sides 

 of this vessel are plated with 3-inch, and 

 the deck with 1-inch wrought iron ; the 

 plates over the batteries or gun rooms will be 

 6 inches thick forward, and 4 aft. Her tim- 

 bers are very strong, her build staunch, and 

 outfit complete. A bulwark of iron, loopholed 

 for musketry, is placed around her guards. 

 Her engines and machinery Avere made by 

 Messrs. McCord & Co., St. Louis. The main 

 engines, two in number, with 30-inch cylin- 

 ders, of 6 ft. stroke, impel 2 pOAverful side 

 wheels ; while 2 other engines, with 20-inch 

 cylinders and 20-inch stroke, work the two 

 screws. Her armament is 3 11-inch Dahlgren 

 guns, in battery, forward, and 2 100-pdr. rifled 

 guns, in battery, aft. The magazines, or the 

 hold, can, by the pumps, be completely flooded 

 in a very brief time ; while, as an addition to 

 her armament, she has an apparatus for throw- 

 ing, to a distance of 200 ft., a stream of scald- 

 ing water. 



Other Gunboats and Rams. Certain iron- 

 clads building at Pittsburg will have a length 

 of 175 ft., beam 50 ft., depth of hold 7 ft. ; the 

 bottoms will be flat, the hull rising considera- 

 bly out of water Avill present someAvhat the 

 form of a coal barge, though Avith sides less 

 vertical, and greater sharpness toward the 

 bow. The hull Avill be plated with 4-inch iron 

 to 2 ft. below the water line. There will be 

 1 turret, its sides of 6 inches of plates. Each 

 boat will be propelled by 4 engines, and will 

 carry 2 large guns, her draught, loaded, being 

 about 5 ft. These boats are intended solely 

 for river service. 



The Indianola is one of a new class, of gun- 

 boat and ram combined, intended for river 

 service, and to have a light draught and high 

 speed. Her wooden sides are 3 ft. thick, and 

 her armor, OA T er this, three inches of iron. 

 The wheel, wheel house, and roof are bomb 

 proof. The Choctaw, in many respects of 

 similar construction, though of different form 

 above water, will carry a heavy armament, 

 and, Avith her high speed, Avill constitute a 

 formidable craft. 



Recent English and French Armored Vessels. 

 The French navires cuirasses thus far com- 

 pleted having, with the exception of the iron 

 frigate La Oouronne, wooden hulls over which 

 the armor is applied, are like some of the Ameri- 

 can armored vessels correctly described as being 

 "iron clad ;" but a large proportion of the Eng- 

 lish vessels of the class under consideration 

 being really iron ships with armor in addition, 

 these are more properly described as "armored 



