WEIGHT OF MATERIAL IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF IRON-CLAD SHIPS. 481 
and the dimensions and particulars of the new ship of the ‘ Minotaur ’ type become 
Length between perpendiculars = 509*7 feet. 
Breadth extreme = 75 '5 „ 
Displacement =15447 tons. 
Indicated horse-power =7550 H.P. 
Nominal horse-power =1078 „ 
Weight of hull =7100 tons. 
Weight of armour and backing=5190 „ 
Weight of engines and coals =2157 „ 
Putting the results into round numbers, writing them down for the two ships side by 
side and adding the tonnage, we shall have 
Length 
New ship of 
‘ Minotaur ’ 
type. 
510 feet. 
New ship of 
‘ Bellerophon ’ 
type. 
380 feet. 
Breadth 
75 ,, 
71 „ 
Tonnage 
. 13770 tons. 
8620 tons. 
Nominal horse-power . . . 
. 1080 H,P. 
1080 H.P. 
Indicated horse-power . 
. 7560 „ 
7560 „ 
Weight of hull 
. 7100 tons. 
4460 tons. 
Weight of armour and backing 
. 5190 „ 
3630 „ 
Weight of engines and coals . 
2160 „ 
2160 „ 
Weight of stores carried . . 
. 1000 „ 
700 „ 
Displacement . . 
. 15450 tons. 
10950 tons. 
Here, then, we find that with the same thickness of armour to be carried, and the 
speed of 14 knots to be attained, the differences resulting from the adoption of the 
‘ Bellerophon ’ type in preference to the £ Minotaur’ type would be a decrease in length 
of 130 feet, in breadth of 4 feet, in tonnage of 5150 tons, in quantity of armour and 
backing of 1560 tons, in hull of 2640 tons, and in total weight of ship, or displacement, 
of 4500 tons. The average cost of the hull of armour-plated ships is about £55 per ton 
of tonnage, so that the saving in the present ship would amount to £283,250, or consi- 
derably more than a quarter of a million sterling. 
The engines and coal would cost the same in both cases. 
When it is borne in mind that the dimensions of the ‘ Minotaur ’ and a tonnage of 
6643 tons were attained in that type of ship with almost the earliest armour backing 
and skin plating, while in the 4 Hercules ’ much greater weights per sq. ft. of surface 
are carried on a tonnage of 5226 tons (1417 tons less), it will be seen that there is 
nothing contrary to actual practice in the above estimate of a saving of more than a 
quarter of a million, large as it undoubtedly is for a single ship. And it must in 
fairness be added that the ship of the ‘ Bellerophon ’ type which would be thus econo- 
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