THE RUSSIAN BALTIC FLEER

Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 55, 15 August 1877, Page 2

THE RUSSIAN BALTIC FLEER

The whole of tli© Baltic Qeet has been, ordered to be got ready for sea, at once, and to. proceed to Helsingfors immediately, the ice opens. To, expedite, the refitting of the, ships, the dockyard authorities bave blown up all the ice. ifl 9. roDßta^, Mole, and pushed it ou,t ojf the harbor, under the ice outside, by means of small steamer^. Qrpater activity prevails in the naval establishment's there than has been witnessed since the commencement of the Crimean war. • The irpn«clsd tur» reij vessej, Pfter tho Great has gone, into, the dock to have new blades netted to, her, propeller,* iv lieu of those "damaged during ; her latp. tribal trjp.Ao,. KeYel last autumn." Bhe is also Ijo hare one of her guns, re- , moved, which burst a few months ago. , wrbile experimenting with English gun*. I powder- I wo S uus are ready to be putj on bosird ns soon, as the stoppage, of the. ice flow enables^ the Government to, take, i them from the mainland to Cronstadtand,- . the armament of the Peter the Great willj ," then consist of three I2rineh guns instead, , of four, her proper eomplimentj. The, trials made during the. wjnfcer hareproTed, i that gunpowder, of English manufacture, ; is superior to, that o£ eijtber Russia or. s .Germany. The Emper,or has purchased; $ !of Messrs Baird, the steam launch Mab, . which for,, several years has had, the repu* » tation of being the fastest, vessel in, Kus* » sia, and. has sent it to. the Danube to, be. f ; used. as a despatch boat^ by the. com*: t -mander-in-chiet'. X;ts length is.;4B,ft,,' t ;brea-ltli 6 ; t fjiii, .lejitii 3j't 6in, draught of- . t^ot«r i,rt 7 f in. The. engines {.cpnijwunp; , , high, pressure), work at 1201 b, op the. , safety valve; tjhe. screw, propeller it, [ 2ft 9jn in, diameter, with a pitch of 3ft 4in» r .and makes 593 t revolutions. Hjer speed is. { 'nearly twenty miles an hour. The.same^ ,' firm have beep cpnstrupting similar steamy , launches < for police purposes on the Volga. [ 'These, it is believed, will, be sen.fc sou|;h \ 'for use of Turkish rivers. The technical Admiralty, St. Peters*. '' burg, are, preparing plans for an ironclad \ similar tp'.BtMj.S,' Inflexible, now under | course, of- construption at Pprtsmdptb. . ; The. Pacific and- American squardrons of 1 the. Russian fl^et b ill not entej;.tihe.Medi* 'terr^nean.as tlieybay.# i^o armamenU-fi| to compete with those, of the. Turkish navy, In^vje^ of possible complications. | wjth' England/ respecting the. Eastern Queat^oni 'these, sqpadrops. w,ill keepon, ithValert/in.ordertoac.t as, cruisers, and annoy Engtish shipping direc^y hosti}iti«s, commence.* The ' Emperor has expressed, to the'naval authorities. at St. Petersburg | his displeasure at the condition, of tb« Baitic fleet. For mauy years 3,00p,090, roubles "have, been expended upon, new ironclads, and yet there, is not a single vessel efficjent-in the. English spn.se, of; 'the term— ■for, service at sea. At present, on account of the critical conditipn of, the, Russian exchequer, nothing can.be. done. 1 but to improvise, torpedo vessels and patch up. the. ironclads, which exist on ( paper,..