THE TURRET-SHIPS “ MONARCH ” AND “ CAPTAIN.” 
175 
deck is about 25 ft. wide, and on it are placed the bitts and 
other gear usually fixed on the upper deck of a sailing ship. 
In fact, the working of the ship will be conducted from this 
deck ; and on it will be stowed the boats, spare spars, and gear 
usually carried on the upper deck. The Monarch , as has been 
said, has a complete upper deck of the usual kind ; and the 
principal difference between her and broadside ships is, that the 
boats are carried on a small flying deck, extending from the 
foremast to the main-mast, in order to leave the deck free for 
the fire of the turret-guns, while the shrouds are arranged in 
an unusual manner for the same purpose. The Captain has 
tripods in the place of lower masts and shrouds. 
Passing on from this general description, it will be proper to 
compare more closely the dimensions and other particulars of 
the two ships. The Monarch is 330 ft. long, 57-J ft. broad, and 
has a deep-load draught of about 24 J ft. ; her burden being 
5,099 tons. The Captain is 320 ft. long, 53^ ft. broad, and has 
a burden of 4,272 tons ; her mean draught of water, when fully 
equipped, was intended to be 23 ft., but it will really be more 
than 25 ft. When tried on the measured mile recently, her 
actual draught exceeded the estimated load draught by 22 in.,, 
and as she then was only in the condition of a ship stored for a 
complement of 400 men and officers, while her actual com- 
plement is to be 500, she is likely to sink several inches more* 
thus decreasing her freeboard still further. This miscalcula- 
tion is very greatly to be regretted, as it is a serious feature, 
inasmuch as it reduces the ship’s fighting capabilities, and makes 
the work of propulsion so much the heavier. The causes of 
this increased immersion have been mainly due, without doubt, 
to the attempt to do more on the dimensions than could 
be done in combination with such structural arrangements 
as have been adopted on the hull ; and as the result,, 
we have the actual weight of the ship exceeding the esti- 
mated weight by not less than 800 or 900 tons — something 
near one-ninth or one-tenth of the total weight of the ship. We 
have heard more than once of the greater results obtained in 
the Captain , on smaller dimensions, as compared with the 
Monarch ; but it should be remembered, that though the 
tonnage of the Captain is 800 tons less than that of the 
Monarch , her load-displacement is only about 400 or 500 tons 
less, and her mean draught of water about a foot more. 
Keeping these facts in view, let us pass on to notice the 
armour and armaments of the two vessels. The Monarch's 
broadside is protected with 7-inch plates, 12-inch teak backing, 
and an inner skin of l^-inch iron, supported by strong vertical 
and longitudinal frames, or girders. The protection of the 
Captain is of about equal strength, except in the wake of the 
