THE BRITISH NAVY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2823, 12 April 1882, Page 3

THE BRITISH NAVY.

Active preparations are going on at Chatham for the first cruise of three very important additions (one of them quite a novelty) to the British Navy—the Agamemnon, Ajax, and Polybhemus. The first was launched at Chatham, September 17, 1879 ; the second at Pembroke, -March 10, 1880. They are sister ships hf the Tpflexible type, but smaller, having each 8,500 tons displacement, and engines of 6000 horsepower, while their big sister has a tonnage of 11,400, and the power of 8,500 horses. Their present armament consists of four 125-inch 35-6-ton guns to each vessel. Although it is four years since Krupp’s 35-5-centimetres (14 inches) gun pierced a thicker armour plate than is carried by these vessels, at a distance of 2,000 yards, it cannot be denied that these new ironclads form a very valuable increase to the splendid turret-ship fleet of England. An Austrian writer of considerable knowledge and weight, in noticing this, says :—“ A squadron composed of such vessels as the Inflexible, Ajax, Agamemnon, Dreadnought, Thunderer, Monarch, and Neptune must seek long before finding an enemy of equal power.” The third,addition, the torpedo ram ‘ Polyphemus, is a unique prodigy of naval architecture, and was evolved from the inventive genius of the octogenarian. Sir George Rose Sartorius, Senior, Admiral p£ the Fleet. It was commenced in 1877, and launched last year. -The , chief characteristics ‘of this; original i craft a,re .1 a powerful ram, so deep in the water an d so curved as to strike the enemy under the line of his armour; great speed, ■ calculated at 17 knots ; and facilitiesof manconvering. It has a displacement of 2,640 tons, and 5,500 horsepower. There are no heavy guns, but in their place only some Nordenfeldts and Gatlings to keep off torpedo boats; The offensive weapons are the : ram aforesaid and Whitehead torpedoes, which are shot forth from the ram itself and from two submerged tubes on each side. The part of the vessel above the water-line is steel-plated and convex to premit hostile shots to glance off, and presents the smallest possible target to an enemy.