AN OBSOLETE IRONCLAD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 76, 28 March 1903, Page 4

AN OBSOLETE IRONCLAD.

The catalogue at a dockyard " jumble " sale, held at Portsmouth last month, contained a novelty. This was nothing less , than a fully-armed battleship, the Agamemnon, which has for some years swung at her moorings off DevonpTt dockyard. The auction of a man-of-war marks a departure in Admiralty proceedure. Hitherto vessels consigned to " Rot'eu Kow " as it is termed in the ravy, have been aold piecemeal to dealers in scrap-iron. The Agamemnon was built at Chatham twenty years ago, at cost of half a million •terling. She is a second class twin-screw armour-plated turret ship of 7410 tons displacement. Her turrets are two in number, and, with the citadel, they account for 5500 tons of armour-plating. In the turrets there are four 38-ton rifled muzzle loading guns, which, together with everything in the ship, were included in the sale. The conditions of sale stipulated that the vessel must not be removed out of the United Kingdom, and that she must be broken up within two years. This must serve to allay any fears that might be engendered by the fact that the purchasers were a German firm—Messrs Oppenheim, of 53 Broad Street, London, and of Hamburg—who secured the Agamemnon for to which price the bidding advanced from £SOOO in bids of .£SOO The price was considred to be a good one. Several other obsolete ironol&ds are included in the Admiralty's "sale" list, among them being the Ajax, sister ship to the Agamemnon, lying at Chatham ; Polyphemus, at Portsmouth ; Gorgon and Hecate, at Devonport; and Cyclops and Hydra, at Sheerness. The Agamemnon had the reputation of being about the worst ship ever built for the British navy. Even when new, she was poorly armed with muzzle-loading guns, and was incapable of steering. This made bravery dangerous item in a fleet at lea. She never steamed more than thirteen and a quarter knots, and has done but little service. It has been suggested that she would be of some value as a floating battery for harbour defence, as her armour is thick, if her guns are hopelessly obsolete.