NAVY, UNITED STATES. 



G15 



iron," than as iron-clad vessels. In fact, a strict 

 classification of the new vessels, based on mate- 

 rials employed and mode of combination in the 

 construction of their hulls, has not yet been at- 

 tempted ; and while the (American) Roanoke 

 and Dunderberg are strictly iron-clad v. 

 in the Keokuk and some others, the character 

 of hull is more nearly or exactly entitled to the 

 description of " composite." 



The only English counterparts, thus far, of 

 the Warrior (described last yean, are the Black 

 Prince, also of 6,039 tons, and the Defence and 

 Resistance, each of 3,668 tons burden. Their 

 armor is, briefly, that of the sides only through 

 about one half the length amidships, and from 

 the upper deck to 5 ft. below the water line. 

 In the Achilles, also of 6.039 tons, the same ex- 

 tent of armor is applied, along with the im- 

 portant addition of a belt of armor extended, 

 for a space reaching a little above and below 

 the load water line, entirely about the re- 

 maining portions at bow and stern ; the pur- 

 pose of this being to guard against the unfa- 

 vorable accident of penetration " between wind 

 and water." The Defence and Resistance carry 

 each 14 casemate guns: their speed is slow. 

 The Achilles has a casemate 200 ft. long, car- 

 rying 26 guns. The Northumberland, Mino- 

 taur, and Agincourt, each of 6.621 tons, and 

 390 ft. length, are to be protected over their 

 iron shell, from stem to stern and from the 

 upper deck to 5 ft. below water line, with a 

 9-inch wood backing and 5i inches of armor, 

 forming a casemate the whole length of 

 the vessel, and carrying 40 broadside guns. 

 All these are iron ships. The Prince Consort, 

 Royal Oak, Royal Alfred, Ocean Triumph, 

 Caledonia, each of 4.045 tons, and 277 ft. long, 

 are wooden frigates previously in part con- 

 structed, and now being converted into iron 

 clads ; the extent of their armor will be the 

 same as in the preceding (Northumberland) 

 class, and their armament 32 68-pdrs. The 

 Hector and Valiant, each of 4.063 tons, and 

 275 ft. long, and armored to the same extent, 

 with the singular deficiency of a short distance 

 at the water line near the bow and stern, will 

 carry each 30 casemate guns. It may be added 

 that many, if not all, of the vessels here 

 described will carry in addition 2 or more 

 Armstrong swivel guns, fore and aft. 



The vessels of the three last-named classes 

 are thus very heavily laden with armor: and to 

 avoid this condition, it appears, Mr. E. J. Reed, 

 Secretary of the Institution of Naval Archi- 

 tects, was first to suggest the plan of confining 

 the armor to a short casemate amidships, with 

 shot-proof bulkheads at its terminations fore 

 and aft, and with this additionally a belt of 

 armor a few feet wide carried round the re- 

 mainder of the vessel at the water line. The 

 ships recently, if not now, building expressly 

 upon his plans, are the Enterprise and Favor- 

 ite; the former of 990 tons, 180 ft. lone, with 

 four guns ; the latter of 2.168 tons. 220 ft. long, 

 with 8 guns. In the Enterprise, the hull below 



the base of the central battery is of wood, 

 but protected by plating with iron the deck 

 situated at level of the top of the water-line 

 belt of armor. The remaining upper works of 

 the ship are of iron : while from the square cen- 

 tral armored portion or tower the guns can be 

 fired both athwartships, and fore and aft. Of 

 the Favorite, the entire hull is of wood ; and to 

 protect it from being fired by shells, the por- 

 tion of the sides above the armor belt and 

 before and abaft the central battery are plated, 

 but more thinly, with iron. 



Besides the English vessels now described, 

 there are three or more clas-es furnished with 

 Capt. Coles' revolving ''shields" or ''cupolas," 

 which correspond in purpose with the turrets 

 of our iron-clad vessels, with the peculiarity, 

 however, that (like those of the Dunderberg) 

 they have sloping sides. The Royal Sovereign, 

 three-decked line-of-battle ship, cut down to 

 her lower deck, and completely plated with 

 iron, her length being 330 ft., has 5 of these 

 cupolas, each intended for 2 110-pdr. breech- 

 loading Armstrong guns. The Prince Albert, 

 also a razeed ship and of the same length, has 

 6 cupolas, each to receive two similar guns. 

 These formidable batteries are intended for 

 coast defence. The class of iron vessels carry- 

 ing two of Coles' cupolas have a length of 175 

 ft., beam 42 ft., depth 24 ft., draught 17 ft. 

 All the vessels with cupolas, though not as 

 high out of water as the casemate vessels, stifl 

 rise above the water line higher than do those 

 of the Monitor classes. Like the American 

 turret-carrying vessels, they have no masts, and 

 a mainly clear deck. Very recently, Capt. 

 Coles urges that vessels of this sort should be 

 masted : and he has prepared a model of such 

 a ship with 4 masts, having a lengthened hull, 

 and with one shield removed. To obviate the 

 objection arising from risk of shooting away 

 rigging, he proposes to make the masts of iron 

 tubes rigid enough to bear the strain of the 

 canvas, when standing entirely alone, i. e., 

 without shrouds or stays. 



Of French armored ships, the original La 

 Gloire class, 4 in number, and built of wood, 

 have a length of 255 ft., and are completely 

 clad with 4^-inch solid armor. There are 10 

 other French vessels of similar construction 

 but of somewhat larger dimensions. The Sol- 

 ferino and Magenta, also of wood, and about 

 270 ft. in length, are plated on the same gen- 

 eral plan with the American New Ironsides, and 

 the English Enterprise, namely, with a central 

 battery or casemate amidships at which the 

 plating extends from the upper deck to a few 

 feet below the water line, and a belt of armor 

 a few feet in width at this line about the rest 

 of the ship. They will carry each 26 guns. 



The Manufacture and Application of Armor 

 Platen. Since it is for the present admitted 

 that the armor must possess qualities to be 

 found only in a good wrought or malleable 

 iron, its production has thus far been confined 

 to the two modes of rolling and hammering. 



