DIFFERENT KINDS OF SHIPS. 79 



bomb-ketches each carry 8 light guns aft of the main-mast. The English 

 also have three-masted bomb-ships and the so called kits for the same 

 purpose, with a main-mast and mizen-mast, yard sails and stay-sails, and 

 also gaff sails and jibs. 



The Jire ships, which are used to burn the vessels of an enemy, have no 

 peculiar construction, but are old vessels no longer fit for sailing, which are 

 entirely filled inside with pitch, sulphur, gunpowder, and other combustible 

 materials, the rigging being also covered with tar, or sulphur and pitch 

 united together. Everything is connected by trains of gunpowder, so that 

 as soon as the priming is kindled the whole vessel is instantly on fire. 

 When a fire-ship is to be attached to a vessel, it is brought to the wind- 

 ward side ; grappling-irons are fastened on the yards in order to catch into 

 the enemy's rigging ; they are also thrown upon his decks and their chains 

 drawn tight ; the priming is then kindled, and the men make their escape. 

 Instead of fire-ships, Congreve rockets are now generally used. (See Mili- 

 tary Pyrotechny.) 



Amon^ ships of war are also included war steamers, which we will pass 

 over for the present, as we shall devote a section to steam-vessels, in which 

 we shall recur to the use of the steam-engine in men-of-war. We must 

 here, however, consider one or two other kinds of vessels, which are not, 

 indeed, directly ships of war, as they carry no guns, but are still made use 

 of in naval warfare. 



Among these are transport ships, used for carrying troops, horses, and 

 other munitions of war from one port to another, or to the stations of 

 men-of-war. Every fleet has a number of these ships attached to it, which 

 carry a supply of sails, rigging, powder and ball, provisions, (fee, in order 

 to make good any deficiency. Transports are built frigate-fashion, but 

 are not equipped as men-of-war. During an action they are stationed in 

 the rear of the line, at a distance. They, however, sometimes have a 

 certain number of guns and men, so that at least they can defend them- 

 selves if attacked by smaller vessels. The interiors of these vessels are 

 constructed in different modes, according to the purposes for which they 

 are intended, either to transport troops, horses, luggage, freight, artillery, or 

 provisions. 



Hospital-ships are generally old frigates or ships of the line past service, 

 the decks of which are converted into wards of different sizes for the sick, 

 and rooms for the physicians, surgeons, and nurses, together with an apothe- 

 cary's shop. Each division of the fleet has one or more hospital-ships, as 

 only patients with a slight sickness are kept on board the man-of-war and 

 the wounded only receive their first dressings in the cock-pit. 



Prison-ships have the same general arrangement, though the rooms used 

 for the confinement of prisoners are smaller and stronger, and there are 

 also rooms for work and for religious service. The overseers and officers 

 have their quarters in the cabin. There are also prison-ships in harbors, 

 and these are entirely unrigged and covered in. PL 14, Jig. 6, is an English 

 ship of the line of the first class, unrigged, and converted into a prison-ship. 

 It might also be used as an hospital-ship. 



