The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-05-13 00:00:00

LAUNCHING OF A NEW IRONCLAD.

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The new ironclad Temeraire was successfully floated out
of dock at Chatham on Tuesday, in the presence of the Lords
of the Admiralty and a large concourse of spectators The
ship was christened by mrs. Ward Hunt.—The Pall Mall
Gazdtte, in remarking upon the launch of this new vessel,

The launch of the new ironclad the Temeraire raises
a question of great interest at the present moment in
regard to naval construction. This question is whether
it is possißle, in view of the rapidly increasing pow6r
of artillery, to dispense to any large extent with armour
protection. From our point of view it may be said
that the To-,6-aire not only raises this question but
answers it; for in her construction her gun-power has
been increased, and this increase has been obtained by
a sacrifice of armour. Unfortunately, although a con-
siderable number of ships have been built on the "bar.
bette " system in France, and are now afloat in the
French navy, we have no experience what their value
would be in actual war. Tao advantage of the " bar-
bette " system lies in the opportunity it gives for the use
of heavy guns, and its meaning is that it carries these
guns exposed. Such a system as this is unquestionably
at variance with the principles which have guided our
eenatructors in building iroecla,is for the British navy.
Whether our guns are carried on a broadside or in a
turret, the constru3tive principle has been equally
maintained of covering them up in one way or another,
and in giving them the greatest possible amount of !-
teet:on. Tnerefore the decision in the construction
the Temeraire to carry two guns on her upper deck,
posed so far as the breech and muzzle are coacernl
but protected by a "barbette " tower, or fixed tur
in the lower parts, may be regarded as a de
on the part of the Admiralty to abandon arm,
plating where they think it can be safely ,
pensed with. Although the disadvantages of sucl
system are obvious—as for instance, the droppi
of shells inside this tower, and the consequent &sal
ment of the gun or the gunners—it has advantai
which are important. There is greater freedom
using the gun and for observation. Then, as rega;
the men themselves, French officers maintain that ti
will fight better when they can see what they are abt
than in a close structure like a turret. The Fret
constructors have objected to the use of turrets becal
of their confinement and because they deny their i
penetrability. Their position is that guns must alw
and acting on th
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views they have adopted, to a very large extent inds
the " barbette" system of battery.

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Important, however, as is this question of compta-
tive safety, which nothing but a naval action an
decide, there is the more important question from a
constructive point of view, of the necessity of arming
our sea-going, ocean ironclads with the heaviest possi•
ble guns, and building them of the smallest possible
size consistently with speed. For service at sea speed
and artillery are of the first importance; and so long
as it was possible to protect guns efficiently with
armour, it was perfectly correct to employ armour freely,
as it was employed in the Su/tan, Hercules, Auauclou;

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.ts.no, as iron plating get-Erna-01er, itwi
havirto be applied F till -m?re sparingly, untilyat
of cry only will constitute the armouri prptet
of a- ma-of-igar. In the Tentei.aire, then, wi
tre—rult- is completely covered with armour, ant.
the lower or main deck battery and engines are effec-
tively protected, the two guns which are mounted an
barbette on the upper deck, in the same way as in
vessels built on the turret principle, are deprived of
the protection which the ordinary revolving turret
gives ; but the ship is at the same :time relieved of a
serious burden. Conpideiing the eriormous importance,
both in regard to cost and handiness, of reducing the
size and increasing the artillery power of ircruclads,
the experiment exemplified in the construction- of the
Temeraire is valuable; and in herself she is an in-
teresting if not an important addition to the iron
fleet of the British navy.

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