The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-06-02 00:00:00

THE IRONCLAD BQUADRON.

The fastest iihip mentioned in the hat for OW forth.
coming special squadron is the Mercury; indeed
when she Wan built she wag kmonounted to lie the
fasteit full-sited ship afhiat, apd jr"* .d hermit
1:011ahle .if attaining an ail:rap..of irtkr
m nearly 22 il i
es an hour. This s A tremendous speed
for a weasel 11N1 feet long and 46 fi rt ill breadth, and
having a ilniuglit of 22 fix.t, ThiA hl a sinter Ail, to
the Iris, built the yoar before. They pneent
beautifully sharp bow,. long excilitionally elean run,
and altogether an 4411111rAille specimen of a design for
a swift and lightly sparred venal. These are special
screw eleepatch ships. Her hull and machinery net
altogether S 4 anewlwre about mr.o.noo, or within
I:10,000 .r £li,ooo of the Iris, which has been said to
Is' rte eut.tly por ton 141 that .4 the tremendous ironclad
t he I ntiex
_

The Minotaur, the .tdmirsl's flagship, is a broadside
ship, built entirely ef iron, at a cost, including
her machinery, of cline upon half a million 41 money.
was mimpleted in 15.07, and the special character.
bine of this reimel as couiperesi with her immediate
predecessors was that her steenng gear was enclosed
by armour plating. and Pthe %ex protected hy a belt ef
armour in the neogbleiurleesl .1 the water-bne. Then.
u,rt: litre.: vtnsels undertaken at the sante time, and
of a similar thatactet, but tke advance of naval
architecture and armament mem left them in the that,
and in IKr. the Minotaur underwent alterations at a
cost of £50,000, which, though it cmdd net convert
her into a modern ship, tendered her, it would mem to
the minnon of cotupetent authorities, a tolerably
formidable Power either for attack c defenm Every
port front which a kun looke sit (non the Minotaur is
! said to have coot Mk at the time of alteration redeomd
to. The ship had gin her at the tins. A inches of
solid armour, and this, as well as ten inches of teak
hacking, had to be cut thniugh by hand. The launch.
ing of the Minotaur took place in 1863, so that this ship
may be regarded as decidedly a corral& member of
our rival force. Nevertheless she is a finely pnipir.
tioned ship, and, owing tn her admirable steering
capabilities, is still held to Is. one of the smartest
and nimblest of our fleet, although she is .100 feet
ham.
oicean.going types of ships of war, the Hercules '
maji he taketi (pun do list of ee.,,els Kiwn. 8"151,
very int.ra,tiug n-v's44 .4
tried 1115.111 a target representung .21"10.11 the coustruc
thin of the broadside of the Hercules, and which al.
togethe, attempted to a thickness of four feet. A 134
ton Armstrong gun was loaded with alUUlb, *bob and
charges of gunpowder of 45, 55, and 60Ib. successively,

and was direct...l against this target, which sticapa.
fully resisted the a...atilt. The cotmuintly increatung
power of twalent guns, however, has left the Hercules
in arrear both in point .1 attack and defence. She
hao, howev..r, setnt. special points. Her form is
peculiar, an.l we may see in it the genii, so t.. speak,
of th.• newt recent turret and Itarhette. The original
idea it will hay. • Issit ~..ticsrl was ti,' protection of
men and gulls over a ttt spar.% li, amonlance
with this, just tlie heart ..f the vessel was as far as
ismailde ren.1..r...1 ineprtartlall... That was t mut rid
Itattery, but in order to give the gun.; of the Hercules
a fore and aft fire. she was built with recesses iston.
an.l abaft tlt.• central battery, which then took the
a I.y window. Ilv this arrangement her
I guns could be so platssl that she could fire very nearly
along the line of keel. The Hercules is a tolerable
sailer for an ironclaml, aid ler steam she hat, a
siss..l of very nearly fifteen knots.
The Hercules is a Itrondside ship with sails as well
as steam. !tilt it was linosl against this class of / essel
that a shit, lturdetusl with a full rig could not I.e a
first-class fighting ship, while her enomutus armont.
anti Of e,,urse I,n•vente.l her (nen Iteing a first-rate
sailer. Stich a sin), was, in fart, ac• Sai 104
coultl not he effectively used with a .I.silth. screw. an,l
a single sce.w 11/114 tddretionable. :4.ane 1ift..,,, years
pg. theref. Dry• a Naval C 31101,A the
of the IN•vastation, which Abs. is to Is. inchultsl
Adniiral flortilty's nowt. She is a mastless turret ship,
ancl has been nizartltsl as the typt• to whirl, liuslern
first.class fighting Ali'. Ila re 111,1 to al IiPeON
M,s,'l iiiof our finest Ver.eirt have f0110w...1 the lea.l of
the I h•vastation the Ti terer, .tjav, mi.
and Inflexible, an.l there is th..n.f..n. a special interest
attaching to this singular-log ,king wonder whirls lou.
nvently been at l'ortsin eat, fittnig out with torp 1..
nets. Like so many others of our il,et, she has sery
little of the ship alssit her appearance ; int1....N1, as
Mlle lay there antulst other Velelehl one ntittltt itt tvos.•
ing by her 'intl. mistaken lier for pane of th,.
appliances of the docks. Mr. Ilarnaby in 1873 gave
AOllle interesting ',articular', of the I levastat ion and
the Tliunderer. Whiell wen. Own both armed with the
most powerful gluts afloat. Each ship ealTied four
guns of 3. tons eat.h, att.l each capable .if firing dull
and sliot weigh,n2. 7110110. each at a vel.a.ity 900 miles
an hour. The guns an. iwotceted At the breastwork
by at least 12 inches of armour, the faces of the
tum.t by 11 inches. One rt.niarkable power is
posps•ssell hy the I)evast-ltion, as explain...l by Sir
Silencer Itobinsott. Slle call reverse her powerful
qualities a% a rain—for, like the l'Olyplienitis, the
f/evastation has a formitl.,ble spur protrtuling in
fomt —in two cainutes two seconds; that is, she could
be charging in one direction at the rate Ili mUttntc
miles An h.ntr, an.l in two minutes she eellhl
charging in the mastaite direction at the same rate if
pawed,. She is propelled Ity twin itcri.wp each driven
by an intlependemtair of engin.. It is needless to
pay that electric light' ande evrything ..IP. calculat.sl
to render this costly veso.l safe against night rttacks
have been provided.