The Warship Under Steam 117 



sunk with the loss of 339 officers and men. 

 All this despite the numerous watertight 

 compartments and the perfect discipline 

 which reigned aboard. 



Until the Titanic disaster, nineteen 

 years later, I cannot remember a loss 

 which so stirred our countrymen. In each 

 case it was the finest ship of the kind 

 involved, and in each case an error in 

 judgment resulted in the total loss of the 

 ships, and a great part of their comple- 

 ment. 



The loss of the Victoria showed how 

 extremely vulnerable was the modern 

 ship, and that however numerous were 

 the watertight compartments, if the hole 

 in the hull was sufficiently large, the 

 flooding of a few compartments would 

 probably cause the ship to turn turtle. 



The ram as a weapon of offence was 

 seen to be also of doubtful value, since 

 the Camper down could but just limp to 

 the nearest port, and was in imminent 

 danger of following her ill-fated consort. 



