Italian Ironclads.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume I, Issue 18, 6 November 1879, Page 4

Italian Ironclads.

Some further details have lately been published (says the Pall Mall Gazette) of the cost of the enormous ironclads which are being constructed for the Italian navy. The Duilio, of 10,570 tons displacement, and designed to carry four 100-ton guns in two turrets, —was launched at Cass tel la mare in 1877, and is now so far advanced that she wiilbe ready to receive her armament before the end of the present year. It ws origin illy estimated that she would cc.nl 17,000 000 (£680.000); but d is r ow found the- (he expense of her construcl ion w.ll e more than 18,000,0' JO lire (£720,000': The Danoolo, a siaror ship of the Duibn, was launched last y. :r at Spezzia, is now having her machine.y placed in her, and will he ready to v ■ ceive her guns towards the end of 1380 -r the beginning of 1881, and will cost very nearly as much as the Duilio, or a trifle under £720,000. The other two ships, the Italia and the Lepanto, which are even larger than the Duilio, being each of 13,700 tons displacement, or 2000 tons larger than the Inflexible, are at present still on the stocks, but will, it is hoped, be ready for lauching next year. The cost of each of these vessels was originally estimated at 17,000,000 lire (£080,000); but will, it is now calculated, amount to 10,720.000 lire (£783,800). The four ironclads will, therefore, together coat lire (£372,240) more than was at first anticidated ; but it must be added tint, there is some slight though by no means well founded hope entertained that it may be found possible to armour the Italia, and Lepanto with plates of cheaper manufacture than those placed on the Daudolo and Duilio whereby a saving of about 2,000,000 lire (£89,000) would be effected in the total cost of each ship.