BRITISH RAMS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 184, 13 September 1872, Page 3

BRITISH RAMS.

That terrible , engine of warfare, the Rupert, \ foreshadows, says the ' Daily Telegraph,' a new future in naval engagements. The vessel is itself one huge projectile, destined to be Hurled upon the broadside of an enemy ; and the very few experiments of the kind which have been made show how fatal such an assault is likely to prove to tue largest ship afloat. ;Afr Lisa a the... Austrian~~ r ram. : Ferdinand - Max, armed, like the Rupert, with;a spurbow, sank the Re. shock and severely damaged three. other vessels. The . Merrimac, .at Newport, inflicted the same on. the Cumberland, and even the light woodsloop Amazon sunk the merchantman O sprey with her iron cut-water. Mr. Reid, in his work,on " Our ironclad ships.", has given some, figures that illustrate the force possessed by the Rupert. She weighs about; 5000 tons, and if this great mass were sent at ten knots per hour, the energy of impact on the enemy's side would, he 22,300 foot-tons. Now.a 6001b. shot from a 25-ton gun, which is capable of penetrating any . iron-clad but one . or two afloat, has an "energy" at the muzzle of the gun of a .little oyer 6000 foot-tons. It is clear by this that no vessel ever put together could resist, the direct blow o.f such an antagonist. On the other hand, it will always be extremely hard, to Kit a vessel .under fair control. While, a/ ship has good way upon her and .answers <!W. e kly : to her. helm, the dea,d(|y,..jam, unless smartly handled, will not get a

chance 'to' It. will be' only, w:*eu aa en.unyhas taken station, has: become or- is hampered in; movement, that r tfois kind of assault could succeed. . A A; spurbow, such as. the Rupert carries,- might no doubt be used i again and again in the toughest iron-clad without wrenchiug, but greatl skill rath ; the helm and the engines would be required, and the shock of the stroke would be awful, even for. Though the Perdiuand M!ax was re?j slightly injured at 1 liissa, 'some of thfe crew, who forgot to swing themselves by the bearris or lie down, were i learly killed. The Kaiser, which tried ramming at Lissa, lost her foremast, with all its gear, and disabled her engines. . On the whole, it is by no means likely that guns will J bagiven'up; 'arid that naval actions] will tg,ke the"character of/Lissa arid ! con flic but . whgjii j pppp.rtumtyj'' .opcirK"' of 1 i'lus i ltiijdrof attack, if well. delivered, it will! do more, than, a long .cannonade ; and we may be glad that in the iiupert and Hotspur we have good models of the .ram—short, quick to turn, and strong as a rock. j