THE WORLD’S WAR-SHIPS. 
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Her thickness of armour at the sides was increased from eight inches to 
12 inches, but it was no longer of the same depth for the whole length of 
the ship, thus it was carried down to 12 feet below the water-line so as 
to impart additional strength to the stem. To protect the stern against 
a raking fire a traverse bulkhead was constructed, plated with six inches 
of armour, and extending to a depth of six inches below the water- 
line. She is full-masted and will steam some 15 knots. The Alexandra 
has as nearly a perfect all-round fire as a central battery ship can have. 
She can fire her four heaviest guns almost ahead ; while for her broad¬ 
side fire she has on either side two of these, together with four 18-ton 
guns, while she can use two of the latter as stern chasers. She is 
easily distinguished by her high masts and the bow recessed ports (in 
double tier) of her central battery. It is well to remember that the 
fore funnel stands outside the upper battery and the aft in its very 
centre. These batteries are only armoured with eight inches and six 
inches of iron, so that, though the water-line is well protected, there 
is much left to fire at even from small guns, especially when it is 
remembered that the upper battery—whose sides, by-the-bye, do not 
overhang—has to serve as the conning tower. 
The Temeraire quickly followed the Alexandra, She is 1000 tons 
less in displacement, being 285 feet long only, in place of 325, a foot 
less in beam, and having 11 inches of armour in place of 12 inches. 
The feature that distinguishes her fundamentally from other ships is 
that she carries the upper deck armament in two barbettes, instead of 
in the central battery. In each of these she has a 25-ton gun, and in 
her battery, which resembles the lower tier of the Alexandra though 
smaller, she carries four 10-inch guns, and two 11-inch. These two 
latter pieces are divided from the other four by a bulkhead somewhat 
similar to that of the Alexandra, only there it is formed by the walls 
of the upper battery being carried down through the lower. The 
Temeraire is probably the easiest ship in our Navy to know, as owing 
to her barbettes she is rigged as a brig, and, I believe, is the heaviest 
masted ship we possess. The barbette guns are mounted on disappear¬ 
ing hydraulic carriages. 
About the time these ships were being tried, the Superb and the 
sister ships, Belleisle and Orion were bought by purchase, having been 
originally built for other Governments, 
The first is a full-rigged ship much of the same type as the Hercules, 
only with a longer central battery. She carries 16 18-ton guns, and 
six 4-inch B.L. She has recessed ports both fore and aft. The belt 
varies from 12 inches to seven inches, and is carried down some depth 
below the water-line, and is raised only a little above what appears to 
be the main deck, but is in reality only a spar deck of unarmoured 
timber ; it being assumed that in action the crew will be in the armoured 
enclosure, the unarmoured deck above being left to its fate. The 
conning tower is formed above the fore bulkhead of the battery. She 
has two funnels, while the Hercules, Penelope, and Audacious class 
have but one. The recessed ports, too, also mark the length of her 
central battery. She might, however, be confused with a few of the 
cruisers. 
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