18 
THE WORLD’S WAR-SHIPS. 
commended as the handiest vessels for harbour defence ever built. We 
can be glad that as such, i.e., coast defenders, we can leave the attack¬ 
ing them to the Naval service. They were followed by the Hotspur, 
also for coast defence. She is provided with a ram and a single oval 
■fixed turret, with one 25-ton M.L.R. gun. The reason for this being 
that, as she was intended principally for ramming, it was thought the 
turret might otherwise suffer injury from the sudden shock of collision. 
She was fitted with small masts, and has an armoured breastwork extend¬ 
ing between them on which the turret is placed forward, and a flying 
deck aft. She has lately had a moving turret substituted for the fixed 
one, which contains two guns. Her armour is 11 inches on the water¬ 
line of the belt, eight inches on the breastwork and on the turret, new 
compound armour 2*75 inches steel and 5*75 inches of iron abaft the 
breastwork. 
A year later the Glatton was built, she is quite without masts, except 
a military one for signalling. Her sides are encased with iron plates of 
12 inches thickness at the top, decreasing in thickness as you descend 
below the water. The turret was from the first moveable, and con¬ 
tained two 12-inch M.L.R. guns. It is mounted on a breastwork 
which extends about a third of the length of the ship. Above this is 
an extensive flying deck which, if shot away, would not interfere with 
the working of the vessel. It is more for a look-out than for any 
other purpose. She has also a ram, but not a swan-breasted stem like 
the Hotspur, so that it is not observable; the armour on these latter 
parts varies from 14 inches to 12 inches. In one sense she was not a 
success; it was hoped that she would prove a sufficiently good sea- 
boat to be able to accompany the fleet. This it was thought she was 
not, while her deep draft of over 22 feet does not improve her use for 
coast defence; she, however, proved successful in another respect. 
When subjected to the trial of the Hotspur she came victoriously out 
of it. One shot struck the turret on the weakest spot, yet failed to 
prevent it working, let alone penetrating it. About the same time the 
Cyclops, Gorgon, Hecate, and Hydra were built. 
They were each 3400 displacement instead of 5000 like the Glatton, 
drew only 15 feet of water, had eight inches of armour instead of 12 
inches, and can only go 10 knots instead of 12. They have two 
turrets, each containing two 10-inch M.L.R, guns. They are all four 
yet in the service. The flying deck is of much smaller extent than in 
the Glatton, and is confined to the space between the turrets, some 
45 feet. 
While these last ships were being tried the Devastation was being 
built, and was from time to time being altered ; the loss of the Captain 
also influenced this. Thus the abandonment of sails was approved. 
It was pointed out that twin screws vitally affect this. As finally 
altered, her improvements over the Glatton were the following : the 
armoured breastwork did not extend the full breadth of the ship, this 
allowed an unarmoured superstructure to be carried round the ship to 
the height of the upper deck of the breastwork. This greatly increases 
the accommodation of the crew. The armament was four 35-ton guns 
(now 10-inch B.L.) She can steam 6000 knots at 10 knot speed. 
