Russia's Activity in the Black Sea.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2905, 22 May 1888, Page 3

Russia's Activity in the Black Sea.

Eussia continues her activity in the Black Sea, and work in the naval establishments goes on in relays both night and day without any intermission. Three armored barbette vessels are well in hand. The armor of. each is lGin steal-faced plates, and they mount six 12in breech-loadings guns in each barbette, with Gin breechloading guns on the broad side, and Hotchkiss revolving cannon, machine fns, and tubes for discharging hitehead torpedoes. Each of these ships is of 10,150 tons burden, 314 ft in length, 69ft beam, draws 26ft of water, and has compound horizontal engines of 12,000 horse-power, capable of propelling the vessel at a speed of sixteen knots an hour. The fleet of gunboats has just been completed by thdaunch of the sixth. These gunbolwmount each two Sin guns, with a powerful auxiliary armament, and all their engines are by Napier, of Glasgow. Since the Turkish war Eussia has devoted much attention to torpedo armament, and iu addition to ships' boats for spar torpedoes, she has m the Black Sea twenty first-class boats and several fine torpedo cruisers, built after French designs, one of which, the captain Sacher, can accomplish twenty-one knots an hour,— ' Broad Arrow.'