418 



NAVY 



sailing frigates, the Cumberland and the CongrtM, 

 and three steam frigate*, whicli latter, however, 

 were unable to come up in timr to take part in the 

 action. The Cumberland was sunk Hrnl i 

 gnu had to arrender, the Merrimac herself 

 sustaining no injury, although she sunk the 

 first-named ship by 'ramming. Tlie next morn- 

 ing -lie came out to attack the remaining ship*, 

 but was met by an antagonist which, although 

 much smaller, proved more than a match for 

 her. This was the celebrated Monitor, built and 

 designed by Captain Ericsson (q.v.) ; and from 

 her nave sprung the monster turret-ships of the 

 picsent day. She was only 210 feet long, with an 

 extreme beam of 43 feet; her deck and low sides 

 were plat.nl. and she carried two 150-pounder 

 Dahlgren guns in a single turret amidships, which 

 was protected with eight 1-inch iron plates screwed 

 together, and was turned by steam ; she had no 

 bulwarks, and her deck was liarely two feet out of 

 the water, while besides the turret nothing showed 

 on deck except her funnel and an armoured pilot- 

 house at the stem. The result of the fight is well 

 known, and the Merrimac had to retreat before 

 her small opponent. tJreat was the excitement 

 caused when the news of this action reached 

 Europe, and nowhere more than in England, where 

 a demand immediately arose for the conversion of 

 the fleet into turret-ships. Captain Cowper Coles 

 (q.v.) had ever since the Crimean war leen urging 

 the Admiralty to build turret-ships in some 

 form or another, but no attention had been 



Fig. 5. Tumt-ihip, Royal Zovrrrign. 



paid to him; he now again came forward with 

 plans for converting some of the wooden ships 

 into Mnnilnrx, ami the Admiralty determined to 

 give his plan a trial. Accordingly a screw three- 

 decker, the Royal Sovereign, was cat down, 

 armour plated, and fitted with four turrets, each 

 carrying two 9-ton Kims. She had a freeboard of 

 six feet, thus making her a great deal more sea- 

 worthy than the American monitor; but, as the 

 ship hail not originally lieen destined for such 

 heavy work, she laboured under some disadvan- 

 tages. Nevertheless she was considered for a time 

 the most formidable ship in the navy. When once 

 fairly tried the advantages of the turret over the 

 broadside system wax evident; the turrets are 

 placed in the centre of the ship, so the weight of 

 tin- guns and the armour of the ship is more 

 svsteinatically and evenly distributed, anil it has 

 become possible to mount the heaviest guns in 

 turrets and barbel t** guns of a size and weight 

 which by no possibility could ever lie rariied on the 

 broadside. Another advantage which turrets offer 

 is the much greater protection all'iinlcd to the guns 

 in them and to their rre\v-. not only from the in- 

 creased thickness of the armour which can lie carried 

 on them, hut also from the probability that many 

 projectiles will glance off the rounded surface of the 

 turret intead of penetrating, while, owing to the 

 low freel>oard, the mark offered to an enemy is much 

 mailer than in a high freelxwird broadside ship. 



Turret-ships did not, however, immediately 

 ede broadside ships, and the controversy 

 the respective merits of the two systems raged for 

 sometime, (inns and armour were in the m.-.m 



as to 



. 



time growing. In 1S86 the Helli-rnjilinii was com 

 pleted, a line broadside ship with a li inch belt at 

 the water line and 5-inch over her battery, in 

 which she can ied twelve 12 ton guns. 



To Hear- Admiral Scott the country is indebted 

 for the iron carriages and slides, with' their patent 

 compressors for checking the recoil, which made 

 the mounting of heavy guns on the broadside 

 possible. Itut now a new danger to lie guarded 

 against hod arisen in the shape of that dangerous 

 weapon the torpedo. The word was first applied 

 to everything, no matter what its nature, which 

 was exploded under water against ships ; but of 

 late years the word torpedo releis solely to mobile 

 under-water weapons of ollence, and more particu- 

 larly to the fish or \Vhitehead torpedo, whilst the 

 fixed or stationary tor|>edoes are now called sub- 

 marine mines (see TORPEDOES and MINKS). To 

 afford as much protection as possible from these 

 enemies, and also to make a ship as nnsink- 

 able as possible, not only has a system of 

 building ships with an inner as well as an 

 outer bottom been adopted, but by means of 

 transverse and other bulkheads the Whole hull 

 below the water-line is subdivided into a num- 

 ber of watertight compartments, so that if a. 

 ship is injured the damage and water admitted is 

 confined to as small a section as possible. '!'> 

 complete sets of engines, driving each a separate 

 screw, also took the place of the old single screw . 

 This not only gives ships greater turning pov 

 but if one engine is disabled they are not left quite 

 helpless. In 1869 three large liw freeUuird mast 

 less turret-ships were laid down, the lifnixtntinn, 

 Thunderer, and Dreadnought ; the first-named ship 

 was commissioned at the end of 1872, and they 

 have all done good service, and still remain amongst 

 our most formidable shi]*. They are protected T>y 

 a belt of 14-inch armour at the water-line ; above 



Fig. 6. The Devastation. 



this, running alHiut two thirds of the length of the 

 ship, is an armoured breastwork with I'J inch armour 

 which protects the base of the turrets, loading- 

 gear. tc. An armoured deck resting on the top 

 of the belt covers in the whole ship outside the 

 casement, Ihe turrets Ix-ing placed t each end of 

 this breastwork. The freeboard fore and aft of 

 thes-e -hip- is estTemcly low, the deck being barely 

 four feet out of the water, thus necessitating at sea 

 the closing of all apertures by watertight hatches, 

 as the deck is continually under water. A super- 

 structure or hurricane deck is erected in the space 

 between and slightly alx>ve the turret*, where 



