VESSELS FOR THE CHINESE NAVY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1741, 16 January 1888, Page 2

VESSELS FOR THE CHINESE NAVY

A squadron of eight war vessels, built la Erglmd and Germany for the Chinese Na y, was recently Jying In Splthaad before tailing for Chin*. Two, the Obih Yaau aDd Ching Yuan, of the swift, protected cruiser class, have been built at Rlnwick. Thiy were designed by order of tho Mat quit Tie ig by Mr W. H. Whi ta, but their construction has been mainly carried out under the aoperintendance of Lin TaJ9n, the present Chinese Minister. Their displacement is 2300 tons, their length 268 , feet, breadth 38 feet, depth from main deck to the keel molded 21 feet. Their speed on trial trips averaged 18 536 knots. The vessels are built of steel and are doubled-battomed, while additional protection to the extant of 8 feet m thickness is afforded by the method of carrying coal. The armament consists of three 21 centimeter Krupp guvs, and two 6-looh Armstrongs, eight 6 pounder rapid-firing Hotchklea guns and six Gatlioga. Two of the vessels were built m ;Garmany, at Stettin, by the Vuloan Shipbuilding Company, and are of the class of armed cruisers. They are armed with two 21-centimeter Krapp guns m the bows mounted en barbette, and oiroled by an armor-plated breastwork, These have also two 6 inch Krupps, so that, although larger than the Armstrong vessels, they have one 21 -contlmoter Krupp gun lesi than the latter. Their names are the K'ng Yuan and the L«i Yuan.

The fifth vessel was a torpedo boat, built by Yarrow, and Is aaid to be the fattest of its 0*533 ever launched, having attained the great speed of 2§ miles an hour. The whole squadron is commanded by Admiral Lang, while some retired British officers are employed io navigating the squadron to China.