The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-12 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.
Upwards of 300 tans of the new description o
armour-plalei have been landed at Chatham dock•

yard, the whole of which have been sent i❑ by

Messrs. Jahn Brown and Co., Atlas Works, Shef

field, and by the Miliwall Iron Company. The
plates are all intended for the iron frigate Belle-
rophon, and the ironclad frigate Lord Warden, both
of which are now in hand. The armour-plates
already received for the Bellerophon are 6 inches
in thickness, and 16 feet 1 inch in length, by 4 feet
11 inch in breadth, and their weight is between 6
and 7 tons each. The Lord Warden plates are 51

inches in thickness. The quantity of armour plating
required for the two new iron frigates at Chatham
will exceed 2,000 tons, and in anticipation of an
increased demand on the factory establishment a
quantity of new machinery, larger and more power-
ful than any hitherto in use at either of the Royal
dockyards, is being erected to be used in preparing
the enormous slabs of iron which will be used in en-

casing the Bellerophon and the Lord Warden

Several weeks have been lost in laying the keel o

the Bellerophon in the dock in which she is to be
constructed, in consequence of the works at the dock
entrance not being sufficiently advanced for firing
the new iron caisson.

The Lords of the Admiralty have decided on no
selling the paddlewheel steamer Hermes, 200 torn
power, as was originally intended, and an order
has been received at Chatham for her removal
to Sheerness dockyard, where she is to be
broken up. The Hermes is a fine paddlewheel
steamer of 830 tons, and carries six guns, She is
of the Gorgon class of side wheel steamers.
The Caledonia, 35 guns, screw ironcased vessel,
4,125 tons, now fitting at Sheerness for commission,
is fast approaching completion, and will be ready
for the pennant in April next. The vessel has been
supplied by Messrs. Maudslay, Son, and Field with
a pair of horizontal double piston-rod engines, of
1,000 nominal horse power. The diameter of the
cylinder is 92 inches, its length of stroke four feet.
The steam is obtained from eight boi'ers, four for-
waid and four aft, with 32 furnaces and two stoke
holes. The stoke holes are well ventilated by
Baker's new ventilating apparatus. The engines
are fitted with a four-bladed screw, the diameter of
which is 21ft. The present pitch is 22ft Sin, but
it can be varied from 20ft to 25ft. In consequence
of there being no means of hoisting the screw, pro-
vision has been made for disconnecting it from the
engines when the vessel is under sail, by means of
a disconnecting coupling, whereby the screw is
allowed to revolve. The contractors having com-
pleted the fitting of the engines, steam was got up
on Wednesday for a preliminary trial at moorings
in the large basin in Sheerness dockyard, which
gave the greatest satisfaction, The trial lasted five
hours, during which the maximum number of re-
volutions of engines was 40, the pressure of steam
being 181 b, and the vacuum 27g in. Higher results
could have been easily obtained at full power, had
not this been prohibited by the authorities during
trials in the basin. The Caledonia will be out of
the hands of the dockyard officials in a few weeks,
when she will be taken for trial at the measured
mile previous to the engines being handed over to
the Admiralty by the contractors.
The screw steamship St. George, 84, Capt. Gren-
tell, at Devonport, preparing for service as a exist-
the H
Russell,am oaz
The screw steamship
g u?.rd ship, has been removed from the dockyard
jettyT tomooringsin
60, just paid off
from the coastguard service, has been removed from
the sheer hulk in Hamolze to the Devonport dock-
yard to facilitate the return of her stores.
The screw steamship Princess Royal, 73, fitting
at Devonport, for the flag of Admiral George St. V.
King, has been put out of the long dock in the dock-
yard, and placed at her sailing moorings in the
stream. She will be ready for commission in the
course of a few days.
The screw steam troopship Megeera, at Devon-
port, having had her bottom cleaned and repaired,
was removed yesterday from No. 1 dock at Key ham,
and placed under the shears in the south basin for
the removal and repair of her ma,thinery.
The following appointments were made yesterday