H.M.S. Powerful.

Hastings Standard, Issue 309, 29 April 1897, Page 4

H.M.S. Powerful.

WELL NAMED. Imagine an enormous mass, 540 ft long and 70ft wide, with towering sides, 80ft high from the water's edge, and with two polemasts, upon which are fixed the fighting-tops, or platforms from which the smaller guns can be fired down on the decks of any vessel which comes within range. Yet beneath the surface lies more of the vessel than is actually presented to the view. It is here that—protected by the water itself, the coal, and a thick steel deck extending the whole length of the ship—the machinery (the most vital part of a man-of-war) lies hidden. The Powerful, one of the latest additions to the Imperial navy, is fitted with two screw propellers, 20ft in diameter, and when these two huge pieces of metal, revolving at a rate of 110 revolutions per minute when going at full speed, are driven by two sets of machines, which assert a power equal to that 2-5,000 horses, or, in other words, if the same amount of work had to be performed by manual labor, at least half a million of men, half working at a time, would be required. To produce this power fortyeight boilers are used, and about 550 tons of coal are consumed in every twenty - four hours. As the coal bunkers can contain 8000 tons, it will be seen that the ship can steam for nearly six days at the highest rate of speed ; and if a reduced speed only was required—say, for instance, sixteen miles an hour —she could travel 9,000 miles without replenishing her bunkers ; that is, she could go from England to America and back in lifteen days and still have 1200 tons of coal left. The cost of the coal alone used in propelling the ship is about Id for every 20ft. moved through the water. Each of the main engines occupies a compartment 60ft. long, 80ft. wide, and about 80ft. high ; and yet this huge mass of machinery, weighing over 500 tons, can be put in motion and controlled by one man moving a small lever. The ship is built in seven tiers, or decks, there being about hft. between each deck. About thirty boats are supplied to the ship, amongst them being three steamboats, fitted for the discharge of torpedoes. Sufficient boats are provided for carrying the whole oi the crew in case of serious disaster. On the boat deck also, at the forward end of the vessel, is the conning tower, a small circular structure built of steel plates more than a foot thick, anil so constructed that an uninterrupted view of the horizon can be obtained. It is from here, also, that on such an occa- ' siou the ship 1 U- steered by a ■ small wheel vi.. .-k- I by one man. Should at any suu>' the mechanism of the wm-vl d->wn, the ship can lv > red by hand ; but to do this ab v t: forty men are necessary. The r guns, the 12-poiuid*rs i and orders, axe placed arouu-i the

main ar.d upper decks, and also in the fighting-tops on the mast. They would prove disastrous to any small ship or torpedo boat which came withiu a range of five miles. Finally we come to the Maxims, of which nine are f laced on the boat deck. These are each capable of firing 500 bullets in one minute. Some idea of the rapidity of the discharge and the power of the guns may be gathered from the fact with all guns in use over 5,000 projectiles — the total weight of which would be about seven tons —could be discharged in the short space of one minute, about one and a half tons of powder being consumed to do this. The Powerful, which has cost over three-quarters of a million, has occupied about three years in building.