PURCHASE OF THE IRONCLAD DANDOLO.

Lyell Times and Central Buller Gazette, Volume V, Issue 226, 13 June 1885, Page 3

PURCHASE OF THE IRONCLAD DANDOLO.

The British Government have obtained, by purchase froai the Italians of toe double-turret ship Dandolo, something which will serve as a sop to the outcry about the weakness of the n.tvy. The length of the Dandolo is 38'ift., the breadth 65ft., and the displacement 10.000 tons. The armour of the Dandolo is of the unparalleled thickness of lft. lOin. throughout of plates rolled by Charles Cammell and Co. (Limited) of Shetlial 1. As unsurpassed as the scale of her iron plating is the armament of the Dondolo. which consists o'four 100-ton Armstrong muzzle-loading guns, two in each turret. 33ft. long, firing ft projectile 25001b (more than a ton) in weight, with a powder charge of 3501b. These guns were tried at Spezzia in 1877,"before the launching of the vessel herself, in the preseuce of most of the gunnery experts in Europe. The gun was mounted on a floating platform, and charged with English Government 1-J-in. grain powder. The results, as to initial velocity, penetrative power, and strain on the gun was most satisfactory, and there is no doubt that the British Navy now possess at least one man-of-war which is able to sink any " unfriendly " vessel afloat before such vessel could tire a shot with even a chance of grazing her. The hull of the Dondolo is alto-' gether of iron and steel. It consists of a central ironclad compartment lb7ft. in length and 54ft. in breadth, which descends to sft. under the water line; encloses the machinery and boilers, the powder magazines, and a portion of the mechanism usual in working the turret; and the guns. At the bow and.stern of this central compartment the d,sck passage, which lies about 4io. below the water-line, is defended by horizontal armour so Unit neither a projectile nor water can enter it. The part of the hull above the ironclad deck is constructed in a peculiar way in view of the accidents of a fight. A second central ironclad compartment is built over the first, m such a way as to enclose the base 3 of the two turrets, and the uppermost portions of the mechanism roquired for loading, trailing, and running out the guns. Above this second central compartment rise the turrets, which each contain two 100-ton guns. The centres of the two turrets lie Bft. to starboard and larboard of true centre line, or longitudinal plane of the hull. The turrets are thus en echelon, which renders it possible to discharge three guns at the same time fore of aft, in a direction parallel to the line of the keel. Besides her titanic armament, the Dandolo has a powerful ram ; the Italians ever since the terrible success of their fleet in ramming the Austrian vessels at Lissa in 1868, placing great faith in this mode of attack. At the stern, in a tunnel closed by a grated door, this marine monster carries a swift torpedo boat, which can be launched forth from its resting place to carry on torpedo warfare. As means of propulsion the Dandolo has two screws, driven by engines of 7500 horse-power, and is calculated to

make 14 knots per hour. The shin will cany 1200 tons of eo il, sufficient for a run of 1000 miles at full speed, or for 4000 miles at low speed. . With reference to the results of the experiment, as shown in the j performances of the sister ship, the Dniiio. since 1870, it is noticeable that, although the Italian Government proposed to construct the Italia and the Lepanto on ;i still larger scale, with /Join, plates, i tkev reduced the si/.o of fche new bo,its i alter all. j (.