THE TURKISH FLEET.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 2, 2 January 1878, Page 4

THE TURKISH FLEET.

1 [From the Auckland Herald.'] At the present time when the news is telegraphed that England has bought the Turkish fleet, the following description of that, powerfal arm of Turkey will be read with interest. Those enumerated comprise only the great Bhips Iv addition to these Turkey possesses five or six effective steam frigates, and about 80 other smaller war ships, all fitted for service :— The different types of ships are arranged according to the chronological order in which they were built. I. The first Turkish ironclads constructed were ordinary frigates covered with iron plating ; the plating is thickest about the water line, and varies from 4in to 6in of iron or lOin of wooden planking. The plating is eontinned below the water line — at the bows 4|feet, amidships 6| feet, and at the stern 6ft. Of the above type the Turks have four ships, Aliz, Akbanie, Osman and Mahmoud. Their tonnage is 6400 tone, they draw 28£ feet of water, and have a speed of 12 knots. The armament of this class of ships consists of 16 guns, viz.: — 14 8-inch Armstrong guns on the upper jdeck. The weak part of these ironclads is that the rudder and screw are very much exposed, and the decks have only a thickness of 4in of wooden planking. 11. The second class of ironclads consist of turreted monitors, each armed with five guns, 2 10-inch guns in each turret, and a 40-pounder Armstrong in the bows. These ships have the disadvantage that they cannot fire a-head with their heavy guns, and at the stern they have a poop which is unarmored. They have two screws, their tonnage is 2,500 tons ;.they draw 21ft- of water ; speed 12 knots. Of this class there are two, Kbafzi Rukaman, and Latfi Jahil.

111. There is one ship of this class, Asan Tapbik. She has a belt of armor < extending from 6ft above the water Hue to 4£ft below it. She is otherwise uoaroiored, excepting for about onehalf her length, which is plated, and forms a central battery; her plating is from 7in to 9in in thickness, the thickness at the bulkheads being 51n; her tonnage is 4687 tons. She draws 23ft of water, has a single screw, and attains b speed of 13 knots. She carries 8 10-inch guns, 6 broadside 2-inch turrets. IV. The fourth class comprises two /vessels, Asiar Cbefket and Mizami Chefket, which differ from the last in size,, their tonnage being 2,046 tons, their plating round tbe water line is 7in thick, and they carry 4 7-inch broadside guns, and a 9in pivot gun; They draw 16£ ft of water. V. The Tijalia is similar to the two above described, but differs in her armament. She carries four broadside gunß (two lOin and two 9in) and an Sin pivot gun. VI. The sixth class of ships, like the above described, have a central battery, tbs construction of tbe battery in these ships, moreover, admits of the guns being fired ahead and astern. Of this type there are two ironclads — Marie Zpher, and Avni Allah — of 2,400 tons each, armed with four 10-inch guns. They draw 10ft of water; speed, 12 knots. VII. The Mukedem Kaahir and Futka Buland are similar to tbe above, but cannot fire ahead or astern Their plating round the water line is from 7in to lOio thick; their tonnage from 2,760 tonB; they draw I7i|ft of water; speed, 13 knots. VIIE. Of the eighth class of vessels there are 2, named Messondine and Mendonhige ; the first arrived in Constantinople in December, 1675, the latter last December. In these ships the central battery is 164 ft in length, the thickness of the belt of armour round tbe water-line is, amidships, 14io, at the bows Bin, at the stern 6in. They carry twelve 11^ in and three 8-in gune, the larger capable of throwing 4001 b shot. Their tonnage is 9140 tons. These formidable vessels, which were built on the Thames, are fitted with rams of great strength, adapted to pierce nn opponent below water in tbe most vulnerable part. The Help of God and the Aid to Victory were built on tbe Thames in 1869, are heavily armoured and armed, end are said to possess the highest speed of any vessels of war afloat. There are few ironclads iv the world of greater power than these. England possesses five, Alexandra, Devastation, Dreadnought, Inflexible, Thunderer ; the Italian Govarnraent one, theDuilio; the Russians one, Peter the Great. The French and German Governments possess no such powerful ships. In these ships the plating is continued below the water-line, in the centra €£ ft, at the stem 4ft, at the stem 3Jft These ships draw 19ft of water, and their speed is 13 knots an hour. There is now building in Constantinople a ship of similar type to the above, but of smaller dimeusious, her tonnage being 9000 instead of 7140 tone, and her plating sotnawhat thinner, IX, This last class of seagoing ironclads consists of two armoured corvette rams., each of 4717 tons, carrying 4 25-ton 12f or 13f in gune, dud drawing 19|ft of water, with a speed of 13 knots. K. This Danube flotilla constitutes tbe tenth class of ironclads in tbe Torkisb navy. There are four different types of ships in this flotilla. (1) Five of them are of ancient construction. Each carries 2 guns, either 68-pounder smooth bores or 8-inch 4^ -ton Armstrong -guns. The guns are placed in a central square or octagonal iron - plated

battery. The armour of these ships is 4in of iron plating on 16in of timber. Their speed is 9 knots; they draw 7£ft of water. (2) The second class is a 2-turretted monitor, [n each turret there are 2 4£-ton Armstrong guns. The turrets are plated with sin iron, and the ship has a belt of the same thickness continued from If & to 3ft below the water-line, There are 3of these monitors. They draw 12£fc of water; speed, 10 knots (3) Of this type there are 2 vessels; they are single-turreted monitors (the author expresses ' himself uncertain whether these anil the three ships before described have arrived in the Danube) carrying 1 8-in 4^-ton gun; they draw 6\h of water; the plating is continued below the water-line at the b6ws and amid 1 l^(t, at the stern 2 3ft. They have two screws much exposed. (4) There remain 2 ironclads — Khizer and Lenfi. These are monitors built at Constantinople. In the Turkish navy there are altogether 31 ironclad, 19 of which are Bea- going veßseis,. and 12 constructed for service on the Danube.