The Warship Under Steam 109 



objects made but poor targets. Mean- 

 while the two big guns followed every 

 movement of the Confederate craft, 

 plunging their shells home with such pur- 

 pose that the commander of the Merrimac 

 had either to make his way home or 

 perish. On the principle that it is better 

 * to run away to fight another day," he 

 chose the former course. 



The news of this historic fight reached 

 England and gave our Admiralty some- 

 thing of a shock. All their pre-conceived 

 notions of fighting were made obsolete, 

 and just as the Americans had given us 

 a lead in the building of fast sailing 

 frigates, so did they now with the turret 

 ship. 



The Admiralty decided to experiment 

 on an old vessel first, so they cut down 

 the wooden line-of-battleship, the Royal 

 Sovereign, a vessel resembling the Victory, 

 in many respects, plated her in armour, 

 and added four turrets. In each of these 

 turrets two 9-ton guns were fitted. 



