PENETRATION OF IRON PLATES BY STEEL SHOT. 423 



The following are the scantlings : — |-incli iron skin laid on the 18-inch 

 iron ribs of the ship ; 18-inch teak backing composed of timbers 9" x 9", the 

 inner tier being laid horizontally, the outer tier vertically ; 4|-inch iron 

 armour plates. The whole supported by strong diagonal braces. 



The iron armour plates were tongued and grooved. 



Minotaur. — This target consisted of 3 plates, 5-5 inches in thickness. 



The backing consisted of 9 inches of teak, and the inner skin similar to 

 ' Warrior.' 



Each plate was fastened by three rows of bolts, the upper and lower rows 

 being 1-75 inch diameter, and the centre row 1'5 inch. The majoritj' of 

 the bolts went completely through, having double nuts on the inside ; but 

 some of them were screwed into the teak backing, being in fact only large 

 wood screws. Strips of iron, 1-25 inch thick, were placed in rear, at the 

 junction of the plates, the upper strip being 16 inches wide, the lower strip 

 10 inches wide. 



The supports in rear were similar to that of the ' Warrior ' target. It 

 appears, therefore, that this target differs from the ' Warrior ' by the sub- 

 stitution of 1 inch of armour plate for 9 inches of teak backing. 



BelleropJion. — Each frame of the target was made of an angle-ii-on lU" 

 X 3|" X I", and two angle-irons 3i" X 3|" X f ", rivetted together. To the 

 double angle-irons of this frame, the skin, which was composed of two thick- 

 nesses of I" plating, making together Ig", with a layer of painted canvas 

 between, was rivetted. 



On the outside of the skin plating four horizontal angle-iron stringers were 

 attached, two under the upper armour plate, 9i" X 3|" x |", the broad 

 flange being square to the skin, and not reaching out to the armour by half 

 an inch ; the other two were j)laccd behind the lower plate, 10" x 3|" x i". 

 The breadth of the broader flange being thus equal to the backing, it rests 

 against the armour. The wood backing, 10" thick, was worked longitudinally 

 on the skin plating, and between the angle-iron stringers, and bolted with 

 nut-and-screw bolts through the skin plating. The armour consisted of 

 two rolled plates, 6" thick, weighing upwards of 9 tons each. The upper 

 armour plate was bolted with 2|-iiich bolts, the lower plate with 2|" bolts. 

 The bolts ran through, and were secured by nuts and washers. In erecting 

 the target, care was taken to support it behind with beam ends, &g. ; so that 

 the actual condition of the proposed slap's side was approximated to as closely 

 as possible*. 



Lord Warden. — This target represents the ordinary construction of a 

 wooden ship, armour-plated, with the addition of a thick iron skin worked 

 outside of the frame-timbers of the ship. 



The following are the scantlings :— Frame -timbers moulded, 12|" ; iron 

 diagonal riders connecting the frame-timbers, 6" by 1|" ; inner planking 

 8" thick; ii'on skin 1|" thick; outside planking 10" thick ; rolled armour 

 plates 4-5 inch thick. 



Armour-plate bolts 2|" diameter. 



Iron washers were placed under the bolt-heads, and rested on india- 

 rubber washers, the latter being let into the timber. 



// II 



Deck-beams, lower 15 by 12 



„ upper 16 by 16 



Waterway, lower 15 by 15 



„ upper 13 by 14 



* Transactions and Eeports of the Special Committee on Iron, page 195, 1863. 



