The Express.
London, England, 1864-10-18 00:00:00

LAUNCH OP THE ARAPILES.

Yesterday, the Arapilee, Spanish iron-clad
frigate, was henebed from the dockyard ed Misers. K. aid
H. Green, at Blackwell. The history of this vessel is sin-
gularly fflustmtive of the revolution which has taken plies
in naval ship.brillding. The Amelia was laid down for the
Spanish government in the dockyard of Meson. Gems in
1881, at • time when the belief in wooden reseals as ships
of war was still in existence, and when the eminent ship-
building find in question was unpeesnaded as the
change which was about to take place in the eons-
' position al fiats or in the requirements of naval
architecture. At that time this ship was ooseeived
on the model of hr Majesty's ship Ariadoe,
herself an advance on previous ideas of the absolute moss.
allies of naval warfare. The circunistanoris of the hoar,
however, induced a panes in the operatic= of her me.
strnotioa, and after dos deliberation it was determined that
she should be converted into an iron-clad mend-war, and
fitted on the best and most approved system which has yet
bean made applic►ble to the keep* of the seas. Accord-
ingly she has been built of great strength, although whet
may be celled her basis is of wood, and she is to be fitted
with iron plates of the best quality, those of Beale's patent
rolled iron, their thickness being four inches above the
water-line, and four sod • half inches below it. The
plating adopted is that oa the French plan, and in her
oonotraetion the French system is partly followed, especially
is the shape of her stern, which is in shaped as to give her
all the properties of a stem aft.—Her dimensions are as
follows :—Length between perpendiculars, 279 feet 4 inches;
extreme breadth, 54 feet; depth in hold, 32 feet 8
inches ; and her bar hen is 3 517 tons. Her engines, sup.
plied by Merin. Peon, Sr. of 800 horse-power. Originally
intended to carry 51 guns, she is now pierced for 34 ; the
difference being made up by weight of calibre. The Arapiles
is the largest wszabip of her description ever launched from
a private yard; and in • manner she may to
taken as the pioneer vessel of a new system
adopted in the yard of Messrs. Green. Hitherto
these bundles have been devoted to the coestinctioa
of wooden vessels in contradistinction to those iron machines
which have been familiarly known at Blackwell r'• Ve-
neta ;" but, yielding to the spirit of the times, this great
firm is about to undertake the building of vessels in which
iron will play the most important, lii not the; sole, part,
Alteratioos with this object have been made in their fac-
tories, and they are about to lay down iron vessels, and
henceforth to make them the staple of their merchant fleet.
They have at this moment on their stocks four iron.
sled corvettes, ordered by the Chiller' government,
of 300-hone power each, and. in foot, may be said
practically to have gone into the building of
iron ships. In • certain sense, therefore, the
launch of the Amides yesterday mar lee taken to be the
initiation of • new era in the hominess of one of our greatest
ship-building establishments. Of the launch itself, it may
be said that it was is every respect successful. A large
company was assembled for the occasion, the majority of
whom were Spanish ladies and gentlemen. The ceremony
of christening the ship was performed by Madame Comyo,
the wife of the Spanish Minister to our court, who was
attended by IL Comm and the attaches of the legation.
Shortly after half-past two, the dog-shores were struck
away, and the last coed was severed by the dis-
tinguished lady, who stood sponsor for the ship,
which glided gently into the river, and was brought
up in admirable style, and lay broadside to, asking, as it
were, the admiration of the spectators for a very admirable
specimen of naval architecture. At the moment of pro-
jection a bead composed of shipwrights, in the employ of
Messrs. Green, played the national anthem of Spain. which
was followed, with a sent of Anglo-Sakai protest, by Rule
Britannia," • circumstance which was probably not par.
tieularly observed by the Spanish gentlemen, who orbited
moth enthusiasm at the floating of a ship of wa-
&Mimed to cerry the colours of their country. In the after.
noon a dijedieer was given by Messrs. Green at the Bruns-
wink Tavern, Bledtwall, Latter which a number of torte
were gives, the spirit of which was anything bet warlike,
sad occasioa was taken by the Minister for Spain to ex-
pose sentiments of ;toadiedl towards this eouotrv, and
hope that the ship of war which had been jest launched
weld sever come into collision with the navy al finglesel,