ENGLAND'S IRON-CLAD FLEET.

Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 575, 23 September 1869, Page 4

ENGLAND'S IRON-CLAD FLEET.

From Once a Week. Barely eight years have elapsed, if we put floating batteries out of the question, since our first V'mor-plated ship was launched, and yet in that brief period the gianges in their construction have been so varied as to leave but little in common between our earjier and our later ironclads. When the Warrior was built, 4i inches of armor over a portion only of lierlength was considered the utmost that a vassel of her tonnagp could safely garry ; and when it was afterwards, decided that completely protected ships were absolutely necessary, they vfetfe constructed of such excessive dimensions as to be almost unmanageable. The protracted contest between guns and armor, however, has compelled shipbuilders to gradually increase the thickness of the latter, until in one of the most recent additions to our navy, the Hercules, it is, in some parts, double what it was in the Warrior ; while, at the same time, the accession to office of a Chief Constructor of the Navy, pledged to build small armor- plated ships, has resulted in the adoption of such comparatively moderate dimensions for our iron* clads, that they have become almost as handy as the best vessels of our old sailing squadrons. The distinguishing feature of all our more modem ironclads is that they have a protected battery and an armour belt extending rpund the ship at the waterline, while their fore and aft portions, are, as a rule, entirely unprotected. Naval architects have been driven to adopt this system in consequence of the great tonnage required for completely protected vessels, and of the evils resulting from covering with thick plating the necessarily tine ends of a ship. Moreover, as the belt prevents penetration near the water-line, the mere fact of the portions before and abaft the battery being riddlod by shot would neither detract from a ship's fighting qualities, nor be detrimental to her safety. The later armor-plated vessels, whose hulls are built entirely of iron, are probably masterpieces of design so far as structural strength is concerned, and the system of construction adopted, that of an inner and outer bottom, with the space between them divided into numerous water-tight cells, renders them safer against the risks of foundering than almost any iron merchant steamer afloat. The battle of Lissa has taught us that, when the ram comes into play, instant destruction is the fate of vessels which do not possess some arrangement of the kind mentioned, and, in spite of ingenious arguments to the contrary, it seems likely that the ram will perform a very important part in future naval combats. The Admiralty, indeed, appear to be of this opinion, for nearly all our armor-plated ships are armed with this weapon of offence, and various precautions are taken to render them secure against ramming on the part of an adversary. Useful, however, as it may be in battle, the ram has a very serious effect upon the speed of a ship, in consequence of the enormous wave which it raises. Of all the vessels in our navy, the Hercules is without doubt the finest, and she is probably, both in armour and armament, the most powerful of any afloat, the Kouig Wilhelm, recently built for Prussia, being her only rival. Judging, too, from her measured mile trial and from her recent trip to Lisbon, she appears to have a good speed both under steam and canvas, in addition to being a "handy and well-behaved vessel. Still she possesses a great defect in being able to stow coal for only Sh days steaming at full speed, a fault which she shares with most of our ironclad ships. Tho various Boards of Admiralty have been much blamed for not more readily adopting the turret system of construction, a system whose merits have been considerably exaggerated. Without entering into that vexed question of turret versus broadside, it is impossible in any article on the subject of our modern navy to pass over that extraordinary production, the. Monarch. This ship is an abortion, combining nearly all the defects of both turret and broadside vessels, with few of their corresponding advantages. She is as high out of the water as a broadside ship, and is armour-plated to a similar extent, and with almost the same displacement she carries but half the number of guns of the Hercules. It is difficult to say to whom we iire indebted for th.is addition to our navy. The Controller, in an official report, lvas criticised her adversely, the Chief Constructor has never said a good word for her, aud Captain Coles utterly repudiates her. Indeed, she appears to have been built merely out of deference to the opinion of certain brilliant, but often erroneous, writers iv the daily press. Like our receutly launched vessels she is, thanks to Mr B«ed, a fine specimen of structural strength, but, when we have said this, we have said all we can in Ik r favor. The fire from her turret guns is blocked in every directior, and if si c should ever take part in au notion she is likely to do more damage to herself than to an enemy. As an instance of this, we may mention that screens have had to be erected around the masts and funnels iv order to protect them from the effects of the discharge of her guns. She is built with an avmour-plated bow battery, which, though a valuable addition to a broadside vessel, deprives the turret of that all-round which used to be one of the greatest advantages claimed for it. A novel experiment, however, is about to be tried in her ; she is to be lighted with gas manufactured on board. Another class of vessels which is being introduced into the royal navy is the Audacious, or Invincible, class, as it is iisuajly termed. Those are vessels of some 3700 tons burthen, carrying batteries of two tiers of guns, which are likely to be very effective in action where a concentrated fire is useful. But what is considered their most remarkable feature seems to us deserving of less praise than it has receivt d. It is churned for these ships that a fiie, parallel to the keel, can be obtained from certain of their 'midship guns. Tins result is arrived at by causing the upper deck to project over tho sides amidships, and by workirg the guns at a port in an athwartship bulkhead Such a plan must detract from the strength of the ship, and, moreover, what is required is not merely a fire parallel to the keel, but a crossed fire forward and aft, which cannot be obtained in the Audacious. We have chosen for the subject of our remarks the three vessels we have because they are types of what our ironclad navy is likely to become. For instance, we shall have an improved Hercules in the

Sultan building at Chatham, while the Iron Duke, Vanguard, and Invincible, sister ships to thp Audacious, are all in coiu-se of construction in various parts of the country, It has not been announced that it is intended to perpetuate the Monarch, but there are several turret-ships being built, such as the Cerberus, which may be looked upon as the Monarch improved.