NEW WAR SHIPS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 87, 11 April 1878, Page 4

NEW WAR SHIPS.

Two powerful war vessels wiil be added to the navy of Great Britain by tne acquirement of the ironclad Payki Shernjf, now in the Millwall Docke, and her Bißter ship, at present unnamed, and on tbe stocks at the adjacent building yard of Messrs Samuda. The latter vessel ia far from complete, and has noue of her armor fixed ; but the Payki Shereff, which the Lords of the Admiralty recognise at preseht only by the title of "B 74," is finished and furnished ready for sea, and the other ship is proposed to be like her in every respect. Technically speaking, the Payki Sherref is ah iroo, armor-cased corvette, with a raised fighting battery-deck amid-ships. The battery-deck rises from below tbe water-line to a height ot about 18ft, and mounts four 25-ton guns, 12-in muzzle-loaders which are already on board, having been provided by Sir William Armstrong, when the ship was built for the Turkish Government, more than a year since, and detained as contraband of war. Two of the guns fight on the port and twjo on the starboard side, each pair being 'provided with gun-metal racers, giving ;them such scope for traverssing 'that they can fire direot fore and aft, or oombine upon one spot at 90 yards range. There is ample room io work the guns,' the battery deck being an octagdn of about GOfr, while the guns, which 1 are somewhat short in the chase, are 16ft in length. They' are rifled' with eight grooves, and on an increasing twist. The shot rises through a lift under the muzzle, and is carried along a bar overhead to the position most convenient for loading, the cartridges also coming up from below through the openings on the centre line. The projectiles as well as the guns are already on board, consisting of 650 12-in shot and shell for tbe big guns, and 200 for the 9pounder guns, which will will probably be mounted in the bows and astern The larger projectiles comprise 240 chilled shell on the Palliser principle 100 chilled shot, 240 common shell^ 70 shrapnell, and 170 segment shell' The armor-plating consists of a belt of 12-in irou at the waterline, diminishing above and below to 8 inches, the thicknesß of iron protecting t^e battery varying from 9£ to 10£ inches. The main deck, which will be nearly level with the water, is composed of 3-in plates of armor encased in oak. Upon this main deck is erected a spar or hurricane deck, containing the officers' cabins and other appointments ; but the assumption is that all this deck would be shot away in action, leaving only the armor-defended battery and submerged hull as a mark for tbe enemy. The designer of the ship was Hemit Pasha, of the Turkish navy, and for her length she is remarkably spacious. She measures, between perpendiculars 245 ft, and has a breadth of nearly 60ft even at a faw feet from the stem to the stars.

The utmost activity still continues in the dockyards. At Chatham five vessels are being prepared for commission whenever these may be required. In addition to theße, a huge ironclad is in course of construction at the same place. At Portsmouth and Davenport * hundreds nf artisans have been engaged, and the men are working on the ships which are preparing for sea.