The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-24 00:00:00

THE ROYAL SOVEREIGN.

This vessel made her official trial of speed and power of
circling with full and reduced steam pressure yesterday, at
the trial ground in Stokes Bay, near Portsmouth, under the
pers,l7sl superintendence of Rear-Admiral R. S. Robinson,
Controller u.'the Nail, and by the success which attended
aerPraledeemdionsi form.- elly effective in the sense
ot hne
another
the public may be fairly congratulated
gable craft having been added to
our list of effective ironclads, ree. -
that at 24 hours' notice she could join the _
Channel an 4
' - Baltic.
accenpany it if necessary for active service in tut. ••
We nett it preface our account of yesterday's trial wires
brief description of the ship and her present appearance, for
the Royal Sovereign as now completed is a different vessel
in many respects from what she was intended to be at the
first commencement of the work of her conversion. This is
but a natural result following upon the execution of so novel
a work, where every one engaged was very possibly feeling
his way, and improving upon the details as the ship grew
into her new form. The time occupied in the conversion has
undoubtedly been long, and the cost has also undoubtedly
been great, yet every one who may go over the ship will be
compelled to admit that the result is satisfactory, and that
the Royal Sovereign has an appearance of efficiency about
her that very few anticipated, and is far more sightly to the
eye when seen clear from other surrounding objects on the
water than could have been expected. Yesterday, on getting
clear of the harbour and reaching the open water at Spit-
head, she looked with her bulwarks up and short masts just
capping the funnel like some gigantic gunboat under jury
rig. With her bulwarks down she presents the now well
known Monitor tyke of form, her turrets showing out more
distinctly in their positions along the ridge of the curved
deck. Much of her raft like appearance which she possessed
a few months back has been taken away by a light iron bul •
wark 3fc Gin in depth, which has been fitted round her upper
deck, and which throws down outwards on hinged stan-
chions. The three short signal or drying poles with which she
has been fitted also tend to improve her appearance, but
they would have done so far more effectively had they been
of greater length. Stepping on to the Royal Sovereign's
upper deck we at once see its curved or " turtle-backed"
shape, and along the crest of this curve stand the four tur-
rets and pilothouse, funnel and casing, hatchways, masts
(if such puny sticks may be so termed), ventilating shafts,
ske Round the stern are carved the Royal arms in bold re-
lief, and surmounting the stemnead is the figurehead of the
ship, a weli-executed crowned lion, 5 ft Gin in length by 4tt
in height, with bristling mane and half-lifted paw. Ex-
cepting the figura of the Lon, everything above the deck is
painted white. The foremost turret, standing 51t abovr the
deck, has its top covered by a grating, and is surrounded by
a handrail, and thus afferda a deck premenade for the,officer
of the watch or look-out man, and communicates with a
further space available for the same purpose en the top of
the pilot-house, which stands next to its and on the top of
the runnel casing. The three single gun-tueeets are Oft 3M
above the deck, and have a double line of rails `29 inches in
depth round their tops to stow the men's hammocks in, and
which will thus form capital rifle pits. The tops of the tur-
rets are closed by heavy angle iron and inch-plating with
the necessary man and ventilating holes. All other aper-
tures which open down below from the upper deck are

closed by wrought iron bars 41in by I lin, placed in massive
wrought iron framing edgewise 41in apart, and thus prevent
the entrance of shell or shot by those passages to the 'tween
decks. The carved upper deck of the vessel appears at first
sight to be dangerously " soft." when looked at in close
proximity to the massive armour of the sides and turrets,
nothing being visible but wooden planking. In truth, how-
ever, this deck is not quite so vulnerable as it appears to be.
The wooden planking, Gin in thickness, is laid upon iron
plates lin in thickness, the latter having all their butts
and sides riveted together with wide straps of iron of the
same thickness, and furl her strengthened by stringer-lines of
inch plating running fore and aft and round the hatchways

and funnel casing. This combined iron and wooden deck
is laid upon rolled iron beams and the original wooden beam.
of the ship, which are fixed so closely together that even if
a shot or shell penetrated through both iron and wooden
deck it would be difficult for it to forco a further passage
through to the deck below. The probable influx of water
had also to be provided against, for with her bulwarks down
and heavy guns at work iu the Channel, with a bretze on,
there is no doubt a considerable quantity of water might
wash over the deck. To meet this contingency thereture

stout leather flaps, metal-weighted at their outer edges, are

fixed round the turrets, and effectually closa the open space
in the deck against the admission of any great quantity of

water. Iron coamings nearly three feet in depth are fitted
to all the hatchways, &c., for the same purpose. The pilot-
house is an oval structure, plated with 51 inch armour, and
stands between the foremost turret and tunnel casing. In-
side it affords to the captain and master, or other officer, a
perfectly secure means of observation in every direction,
and a means of communication with the engine room, tur-
rets, and all parts of the ship, either by ordinary sh p's
telegraph or voice tube, while right underneath and in sight
of those in the pilot-house is fixed the wheel for steering the
ship. The two chief boats are carried on crutches amid-
ships between the centre turrets. 'We heve so recently
Igiven detailed descriptions of the Royal Sovereign's fitting
a a turret ship and her conversion from a three-decker that
will be only necessary on the present occasion to further
refer generally to the subject, and enter again into any de-
tails only sufficient to doscribe the actual differences existing
between our t7gperimental turret ship and those which are
in the posseesion f other powers, from the greater number
differs either in form of hull, nature
of which she materiali;
fleting of her turrets, &c. As
of armour disposition, and •
a cut-down three-decker she differs from all others of her
class—in her form of hull below the water-line, where she
carries the original three-decker or V for.v4 of bottom,in-
creased in its displacement some nine feet dow -"r"* from
he water-line by the lower tier of armour plates .‘ll'A
strengthening backing, outside the ship's hull proper a.."—
supporting shelf, to the plates' lower edge, of a double thick-
ness of 41 inch teak planking, laid on diagonally, She differs
trout most others in her turrets revolving by four different
appliances of power, by hand—by rack and pinion inside
the turret; do. outside and a fixture on lower deck ;
tackles , and handspikes shipped al,d manned like capstan
bars, in lieu of one method only —by steam. In her armour
she also differs from all the American vessels of the same
descrip ion, from the 15 Russian Monitors now afloat in
the Baltic, and from several built by other Powers,
in its being composed of solid forgings, or, more correctly
speaking, of solid rolled phtting,instead of a number of inch
or inch-and-halt plates bolted together, as is the case with
the American and Russian Monitors in part cular. Both

Americans and Russians, however, admit that solid masses
of metal are preferable for protective armour, whether for
ships or forts, to the same or even a much greater weight of
iron divided into inch thicknesses and bolted together by in-
numerable bolts; but they point to the necessity which existed
in their case for the speedy creation of their Monitors, in the
one cas3 for the capture of Charleston and other ports in the
possession of the American Confederate States, and in the

other for the protection of Cronstadt and Sweaborg. It is
in the disposition of her turrets, however, that the Royal
Sovereign differs most from tha American Monitors, and,
as the commanders of the latter vessels have found it
necessary to "assign reasons for their failing to capture
Chareleton" in their combined attack upon that place,
a comparison of the turrets on board the Royal So..

vereign and those of the American vessels cannot fail
to be otherwise than interesting at a time when our first
turret ship has made, under official supervision, her maiden
essay under steam. We propose to pursue this comparison
under four heads only :-1. Exposed height of turret above
the deck. 2. Turret's support at base whea revolving or
_ _

repelling shock when struck by shot. 3. Jamming of

stoppers or mantelets. 4. Disabling of gun•carriages. The
American Monitors' turrets are 9 feet in height above the

upper deck, on which, indeed their base rests on a brass ring.

When thus resting on the upper deck it has no means of

revolving, so that when the iurret is prepared for action
it has to be lifted from off the deck by a screw wedge
driven into the base of a spindle upon the deck below

(and which spindle bears the same relation to the turret

.
as does the spindle of an ordinary ship's capstan), and then
is revolved, resting upon this single central spindle by
gear wheels driven by steam, the whole weight of the
turret being above the plane of the deck exposed to the
enemy's fire, and the turret itself further capped by the
"Pilot
house—another mass of laminated iron, making the
whole structure, which is dependent for its free movement,
and consequent efficiency, upon the continued perfect per-
pendicularity of the iron spindle in its centre, 13ft 6in in
height. Contrast this with the Royal Sovereign's turrets.
All four of her turrets have their base and working portion
resting upon the lower and not the upper deck, as with the
American and thus, instead of exposing a height of 13ft Gin
to an enemy's shot, they only show—in the foremost or
double .gun turret, sft above the deck—in the three after or
single-gun turrets, 4ft 3in above the deck.
In the support given to the turrets at their base when in
acti.n there is also a remarkable difference. The American
turret depends solely upon the perfect perpendicularity of
its central spindle,like the peg of a boy's top when spinning.
The Royal Sovereign's, on the contrary, distribute their
weight over a large space. The table upon which the turret
stands is pivoted in its centre upon a wrought-iron cylinder,
u large for a man to pass through,while the weight
iss affi y i
sc
ti
re
inbtul
ted on bevilled wheels over a metal roadway equal-
ling the turret's circumference in a manner very similar to

the reeciiinery c! a railvvae turnteule, Hera it will bo seen
at once is a no:a-exposure of surface to shot and a support
and distribution of weight which the American Monitors
do not possese—on the contrary, they possess its weakest
opposites. In the American Monitors the port stoppers (to
protect the crew when loading the gun) are of iron, and
swing upon an iron pivot. In the Royal Sovereign they
are massive rope mantelets (after the fashion taught us by
the Russians at Sebastopol), with cable grummets worked
sailor-fashion round the gun inside the port, sufficiently
strong to keep any rifle ball or ep inters from large pro-
jectiles or shells from entering the port. In the American
vessels the guns have no breeching, but trust entirely to
a powerful compressor. The Royal Sovereign's gun-
carriages, on the contrary, have not only powerful com-
pressors, but they have, as all guns at sea should
have, good breechinga, with carriages working on in-
clined planes with great friction. To make this part of our
report as clear as possible to the general reader we will here
describe the interior of the turrets, the monster guns with
which they are armed, and the appliances for working them.
The ship's armament consists of five guns, generally known
as the let .ton gun, or 300-pounder. The gun's diameter of
bore is 10i in, and had they been rifled they would have been
300-pounders, but as they have nut been rifled they can
only throw 1591 b spherical shot, with a 40Ib charge of pow-
der. What the effect of the Royal Sovereign's concentrated
five guns' delivery of steel shot, fired with 01b charges,
upon the side of an opposing ironclad would be may be pretty
fairly estimated by the fate of the Lord Warden target in
the recent experime4tal firing at Shoeburynese. Two guns
are mounted in the foremost turret, and one in each of the
other three turrets. From the plane of the table on which
the gams and their carriages rest, the timers have each a
clear interior height of Ott, and are sufficiently spacious for
-Yaw to move about in and work the guns, In the fore-
the so •e men will be stationed when the guns are
most tu:PL "
• manned—that la, six men to each gun, with a captain grdi-
osee three single gun turrets 9 men
weicl
tl
ber o the turret.
stationed—eight men to wotii 4e &t n and the cap-
rrt.
tain of turret. In the -loyal Sovereign the Old title of " cap-
tain of the gun'' is superseded by "Captain of the turret,"
for the guns are not sighted, nor are they trained upon an
object, properly speaking; for the sighs are fixed upon the
top of the turret, and the turret itself by its revolving is
trained upon the object, and hence the new nesignation,
" captain of the turret." The guns work on a massive plat-
form, having an incline of 4 degrees, thus greatly checking
the recoil, which is about 6 ft, and on reaching which the
gun is held there by a powerful pant to enable the crew to
re-load it, for which purpose there is ample room between
the muzzle of the gun and the turret's port. The shot is
whipped up from the deck below by an ingenious contri-
vance and carried in a shot beater to the gun's mouth,
where all the loaders have to do is to force it down upon
the charge. When the gun is loaded, one man releases it
from the paul and runs it out on the inchnect plane. The
captain then gives the directions for training the turret, and
for elevating or depressing the guns preparatory to firing.
Two men elevate and depress each of these heavy pieces
without having to go in the rear or behind the gun or car-
riage. Two of the guns are fitted with the means of eleva-
tion and depression on Lieutenant Roche's principle, and
the remaining three on what is termed the Ordnance plan,
which, however, it is only just to say is simply a modifica-
tion of Lieutenant Roche's plan. The guns with their
carriages and the turrets in which they are mounted appear
to have been rendered as complete as possible in all details,
even the men's cutlasses and revolvers, with the spare gun
brecchings and other gear, being all stowed away and to
hand in the interstices of the turret : but to the turrets and
their guns we intend to refer at much greater length when
they have gone through the trial it is intended to subject
them to, when the guns will be fired under similar con-
ditions to what must occur during an actual engagement
either with a ship or fort. In the official reports made by
the commanders of the American turret vessels in defence
of their failing in their attacks upon Charleston, we find
the cause of their failure clearly stated to arise from
circumstances which could not occur on board the Royal
Sovereign. Thus the Passaic's turret was jammed by a
broken portion of the brass ring at its base. The Nantucket's
turret was jammed by nuts and boltheads falling under the
base, The Weehawken's turret revolved with difficulty
owing to a shot having struck the pilot-house on its top and
bent the central spindle ; the Nahant's turret refused to
turn and became jammed from the effects of two blows from
shot about the composition ring at the base of the pilot-
house. The Nantucket's gun was rendered useless by the
jamming of her port-stopper by a shot indentation, and on
another occasion her llin gun was disabled from the
carriage not having been properly compressed, Now, if
reference is made to our description of the Royal Sove-
reign's turrets, it wilt be seen that no shot can strike
their base as with the Passaic; that no boltheads or nuts
could s:op their revolving as with the Nantucket, nor could
any number of blows on the pilot-house affect the turrets in
any way as with the Weehawken, from the fact of the Royal
Sovereign's pilot-house being an independent structure—
nor would her ports become blocked up by the jamming of
iron port-stoppers, because the mare sensible plan of rope
mantelets has been adopted in her case—nor could her gun
carriages become disabled owing to the serious fault of hav-
ing only cue means of control over their movement. We
think the comparison has thus been pursued sufficiently far
to make clear the main differences existing between our
turret ship Royal Sovereign and the turret ships belonging
to foreign Powers, and also the vast superiority, excepting
in her draught of water, of our own turret ship over the
laminated armour turret vessels of the American and Rus-
sian navies, and we Phan now proceed to narrate the events
of yesterday's trial, premising that the Royal Sovereign
now figures in the fatal Navy List as an iron cased cupola
ship of 3,933 tons, driven by engines of 830 horse power (by
Maudslay, Sons, and Field;, driving a common two-bladed
screw of 18tt diameter, and her length is 250 ft, and her ex-
treme breadth 63ft.

The Controller of the Navy arrived at Portsmouth by the
first train from London yesterday morning, and immediately
proceeded to the dock yard and on board the Royal Sovereign
—which was lying with steam up in readiness. Admiral
Sir Michael Seymour, G.C.8., (Port Admiral and Naval
Commander-in-Chief), Rear Admiral George Elliot (Super-
intendent of Portswou'h Dockyard), and Rear Admiral S.
C. Dacres, C. 8., accompanied Rear Admiral Robinson on
board the ship, where a large number of other naval officers
were assembled to witness the trial, including Captain
Hall, R.N., private seem: ary to the Duke of Somerset ;
Captain Sherard Osborn, C. 8., the future captain of the
ship; Captains A. A. Cochrane, C,8., G. P. Huruby. C.B ,
A. Phillimore Preedy, C.B , and H. Wills, of the Channel
fleet ; J. B. Dickson, of the Irresistible, screw liner; Com-
mander Simpson of the Victoria and Albert R eyal yacht,
and others. Mr. Evans, from the Hydrographer's Depart-
ment at the Admiralty, Was also present, regarding the
ship's compasses. Captain 11. Caldwell, C. 8., commending
her Majesty's ship Asia and the steam reserve, at Poi ts•
mouth, was in command, and conducted the day's trials.
The Royal Sovereign steamed out of harbour for Spithead
'mraeeils,tely Admiral Robinson came on board, her draught
• -sr being 2/ft 2in forward, and 24. t 10in aft, her top -
-41suring her iron bulwarks, but from the top
dating to the water-line) being lit 6in
Her engines were kept at slow
nut through her runs at the
',oiler power. At full
minute, and the
'er hour.
49,4

of \vat.,

sides (not ru
of her side armou,

out of water amidship,.

steam was put on and the ship

mraeured mile with full and halt :

power the engines made 52 revolutions pea

true mean speed of four runs was 11.006 knots 1.
At half power two runs were made, the engines giving -.
revolutions, the mean speed being B'l7l knots. In the most
successful trial the ship made as an unmasted three-decker
just fitted with her new machinery she realised with full-
boiler power a speed of 12.252 knots, but it was a calm, and
her draught of water was only 18ft Sin forward and 2lft 9in
aft. This gives an increcsed immersion of the ship yester-
teriay of fully 31t, and the ship had also to contend against
a strong westerly breeze, whereas on her three—lecker trial
it was a calm. Allowing, therefore, for the ship's increased
immersion, and the difference in the weather, the difference
in the ship's speed is satisfactorily accounted for, although
an additional half knot might have been attained, but for
the defective draught in the fires, which only admitted of
an average pressure of 171 b of steam being obtained instead
of full 201 b. This ,:efect will, however, be at once remedied
by lengthening the tunnel Lft. the ship has been cut
down, and the funnel has also been cut down until it has a
preposterously
short length from its top to the top of the
fire•gate. It is a matter easily remedied, and the ship will
then obtain abundance of steam from the boilers for the
service of her engines.
The ship was nest tested in making circles, to ascertain
her turning powers, with full and half boiler power, with
results as follows :

Full-power.---To port, with ordinary wheel on deck.—
Helm got up in 1 rain, to an angle of rudder of 161 deg.
The half circle made in 3 min 21 sec, and the full circle
in 6 min 35 sec. Revolutions of engines 52 to 49. To star-
board—Helm got up in 50 sec, with an angle of rudder 201
deg. The half circle made in 3 min 30 sec and the full circle
in 6 min 51 sec. Revolutions of engines as before.
Half-power, with ordinary wheel on deck—To starboard
—Helm got up in 1 min 30 sec, with the rudder to an. angle
of 24 deg. The half circle made in 4 ruin 9 sec, and the full
circle in 7 min 31 sec. Revolutions of engines 38 to 36.
Half-power, with pilot-house wheel, which is fitted with
multiplying power—To port—Helm up in 1 min 30 sec, with
the rudder at an angle of 401 deg. The half circle made in
3 win 8 sec, and full circle in 6 min 4 sec. To starboard—
Helm up in 1 min 10 see, with the rudder at an angle of 39
deg. The half circle made in 3 min 16 rec, and the full
circle in 6 min 34 sec. The revolutions of the engines were
in both instances from 38 to 26. There is a remarkable dif-
ference shown here in the angles of the rudder obtained with
the two wheels, being no less than 401 deg by the pilot-
house wheal against 161 deg obtained by the ordinary wheel
on deik. The diameter of the circle made by the ship was
much less with the pilot-house wheel in use than it was
with the deck-wheel in use.

The temperatures were—during the first run at the mea.
sured mile—on deck 61 deg ; engine room, forward, 66 deg,
aft, 67 deg; stokehole, fore part, 108 deg., middle, 102 deg,
after part, 72 deg; 4th run at the measured mile—on deck,
66 deg, engine room, forward, 68 deg, after part, 72 deg.
Stoke hole, fore part, 108 deg, middle 112 deg, after part,
81 deg.
This concluded the trial of the ship at the measured
mile, when, in consequence of the lateness of the tide, she
was steered back into Portsmouth harbour, and moored in
her old position alongside the dockyard, which she will

most probably leave again to-clay to test the workin,i: of
I her anchors and chains. Tha most interesting portion
of her trials, however, will be her run outside the Isla of
Wight, anti the firing of 6her guns in different positions,
and there is every reason to believe this trial will prove to
be quite as satisfactory as the speed trial of yesterday. The
ship was very steady, and very little movement of any kind
was felt when racing over the course at the mile, except a
slight lateral movement in her turrets. Any recurrence of
a sin ilar accident to that which occurred on her late prelims
minary trial trip has been provided against as far as possible
by fitting expansion joints, &c., to her stop-valve boxes, but
the real value of these remedial measures can only be tested
in moderately rough weather off the Wight. The ventila-
tion of the mess and berthing deck of the ship yester4y
appeared to be perfect, and there was also plenty of light.
The officers' cabins are unusually lofty (gained from the
arched deck), and they also have abundance of light. The
ship's framing is ventilated on the plan of Staff-Surgeon
Edmonds of her Majesty's ship Victory, and on measuring
yesterday the strength of the current of air that was passing
up from the vessel's hold and bilges by the air shafting into
the ship's funnel it was found to be moving at the rate of
31ft per second, equal to 225,000 cubic feet per hour.
During the time the ship was making her full boiler
power runs at the mile Admiral Robinson, with Acmirals
Sir M. Seymour, Elliot, and Dacres, entered the third
turret and examined its sights for training and its general
fittings, together with the 150-pounder gun and its system
of elevatix, and depression—the different points of interest
being pointed out and explained by Captain Cowper P.
Coles, R.N.

It is a remarkable fact that these monster guns of the
Royal Sovereign attain an amount of elevation such as can
be given to no other covered gun in the navy-18 deg,
The Royal Sovereign has so far, ae we said at the com.
monoemebt of this report, proved a great success. She is
without doubt the most formidable bonded afloat, provided
she has water of sufficient depth to manoeuvre in, and we
think the country may rest satisfied that, under the com-
mend of so distinguished an officer as Captain Sherard Os-
born, if she should ever be brought under fire, she will do
hollow to the British tiiK,