H.M.S. NILE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 311, 27 October 1888, Page 4

H.M.S. NILE.

The following from fche "Standard" wives a description of this newly-built man o'-war : — The Nile is built from the designs of Messrs Barnes and Morgan, and represents the desire for for fuller armoured protection than was secured in vessels of the Admiral class The ship, and with the sister vessel, the Trafalgar, recently launched from Portsmonth yard, will be the heaviest armourclads afloat, and will probably be the last constructed for some time, as the present naval policy seems to be a desire for swift eruiserb, torpedoes, and gun boath for general sen ice. The Nile is one of the greatest strips of war ever launched, and ieg resents one of the greatest mechanical achievements. The Inflexible, until leceutly the largest of our ironclads, weighed 3182 tons at launching, and the Trafalgar 5220 tons : so that the Chief Constructor at Pembroke and his stall" have beaten the record in the launching of heavy ships. The Trafalgar occupied in construction 85 weeks, from commencement to launch ; average weight per week, G0"8 tons, at an average cost of labour ot Cl 4 4s "per ton. The Nile was commenced in April, 1886, so that she has been 102 weeks in building, Avith an average weight of 61 "7 tons, at a cost of £14 0s 9d per ton. The ship is in an udvanced state, and could have been launched much earlier ; but as there is no dock large enough to take her she will have to lie afloat all the summer to complete the fitting of her machinery and other heavy work. The Nile if- 345ffc long between the perpendiculars, and 73ft broad ; her load draught of water will be 27ft forward and 28ft aft ; and when fully equipped for sea her displacement will bo 1,194 tons. Her coal stowage is 900, which may be increased to 1,200 tons. Her armament consists of four IS^in 67-ton brcechloading guns, six 36-pounder qnick-h'riner guns, eight six-pounder and ten three-pounder Hotchki?s quick - firing truns, boat and other guns, and 24 Whitehead torpedoes. The turret guns fire a projectile weighing 1,2501b, with a powder charge of 6301b, and train through an angle of 270 degreed. ' The six-pounders will be mounted on the upper deck between the turrets, and the eight six-pounder Hotchkiss guns will all be fought from the spar deck ; but the three-pounder guns will bo distributed between tho spar deck, bridges, stern ports, and military tops. There are eight torpedo tubes, four above and foui below the water. The vessel is fitted with twin screws, each to be driven by an independent sefc of triple expansion engines, ,with three vertical cylinders, of the collective power of 6000 horse for each set. Fans driven by steam power are litted for supplying forced draught to the boiler rooms, and the vessel, when under forced draught, id expected to attain 12,000 indicated horse power, which must be maintained at the official trial of tho machinery for > four consecutive hours. With this power a speed of 16^ knots is anticipated. Her armour consists of two thicknesses of skin riveted to plate and an^lo frames 2ft. deep and 2ft, apart ; within these frames and behind the belt armour only is a second system of lightened plate frames 3ft. deep and 4ft. apart on the inside of which the outer bulkhead of the coal bunkers is riveted. The strength of the armoured side is thus exceptionally great, The engine and boiler rooms are divided at the middle line of the ship by a watertight tunnel 10ft 6in wide ; the upper part of the tunnel forms a passage for communication between the ends of t\\e ship, and also for the passage of ammunition through the decks above for the auxiliary urmaneut ; tho lower part forms the magazine and shellroom, and it is claimed that being situated here tho latter are much less. exposed to hostile fire. - She has a, ram bow,' The whole

of the armour is steel-faced. The sfceain steering goat- can be cdntrblled either from the armoured pilot tower, the cbartr houee on bhe bridge, the side conning towers : or, in the event of the pilot gear ! being disabled, from a protected position on the platform deck directly below the tower. Taken altogether, the Kile is not only the Invgosfc and costliest, but the best equipped ot our modern ironclads. The ship will be titled for an Admiral's flag, and will have a crow of 538 men. When she has received her machinery afc Pembroke she will be sent to Portsmouth for general completion.