The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-15 00:00:00

Larnch of a Turkish Ironclad.

Yesterd my the future iron navy of the Ottoman
Empire r eneived its first small instalment towards
ultimate ,completion by the successful launch of the
ircuclad frigate Su'tan Mabmoud from the yard of
the Thamfae Ironworks at Blackwell. With this
launch was almost completed the list of European
power: set tainlyof European naval powers—which
have sought the aid of this country to cirry out the
new idea of naval reconstruction. With the excep-
tion of the Federal turret and cupola ships, and the
first two iron frigates which were built in Franca
for the Italian Government, there is not a foreign
jeonclad of mote which has not been constructed
here. The Federal turret ships have at best only at-
tallied a moat dubious success. What the Franco-
Italian vessels will be remaini to be proved, but the
OUcceas of the B.assian, the Prussian, the Danish
vessels launched in the Thames has been placed be-
yond a doubt. The Turkish frigate aent afloat yes-
terday will, it is to be hoped, for the sake of our
national credit hr naval architecture, be as success-
ful as the rest, a•,td as those now building for Spain
and Italy are enpected to prove. Notwithstanding
very inclement nature of the day there was a large
and fashion able audience to witness the launch at
Blackwell yesterday, his Excellency the Turkish
Ambassador, with Mde. and Mdlle. Masurus, the
Turkish Consul General, Mr Gadhan, and a number
of distinguished foreigners being present. The mere
launch was effected with the ease and certainty
which seem as a matter of course to attend all these
operations at the Thames Ironworks, and within a
minute after her release from the stocks the Sultan
Alahmoud was floating easily and gracefully on the
river, almost before the cheers which greeted her
departure were half over. Mdlle. Muslims, the eldest
daughter of the Turkish Ambassador, had the honour
of christening this fine frigate.

The frigate thus launched is in many respects
an improvement on what threatens to be the
ordinary routine of ironclad ships of war in
regard to the plating, though in one respect its
backing is very far from being an improvement.
Her length over all is, in round numbers, 3(.;0ft.,
her breadth extreme, 56'1., and her depth amid-
Bhips, 371 ft. Her tonnage is 4,220 tons; she is
to have engines by Messrs. Salkeld and Co., of 900
nominal horse power, which can work up safely to
3,000, and her armament is to be 20 guns of the
heaviest calibre which we yet know how to con-
struct, or at least to use with safety to the gunners.
Vessel, guns, masts, and rigging,—in fact, every-
everything but crew, will be English, when she is
delivered to the Turkish authorities in the Golden
Horn, and she has been built under the inspection
of officers of the Admiralty specially appointed for
that purpose, and on the same plan of internal con-
struction as that adopted in the Warrior. Minotaur,
and other of the most celebrated vessels in our
service. The improvement in the plating of the
Mahmoud consists chiefly in making the plates
thicker at the waterline, and gradually tapering
them off as they rise to the level of the upper deck,
so as to keep the great mass of dead weight as
nearly as possible on a level with her centre of
gravity, or line of flotation. At the water-line her
plates are slin. thick, lessening upwards in a
gradual reduction of thickness to 41 in. She was
launched with no less than 172 of these plates,
weighing about 700 tons, fixed on, so that now
only an equal number of thinner plates remain to
be bolted on to make her fit for active service.
Though only a vessel of the Hector and Valiant
class. she is, unlike them, coated with armour-
plates from stem to stern, and fitted with a sub
merged prow or beak, for use as a ram as opportu-
nities may offer. Th's beak is of the kind now
tolerably well known as the swan-breasted bow,
which projects under water some 10ft. beyond the
apparent bows, or what seems to be the actual

length of the vessel. The theory of its use is,
of course, that of striking an armour-clad
enemy below the water4line, and therefore also

below its armonr. We, however, may venture to say

that if the Mahmoud is to be armed with such a
number of 300 and 150 pounder Armstrongs as it
is stated she is meant to carry, her beak will, after
all, prove but a feeble auxiliary to her offensive
powers, especially if she should realise the expecta-
tions confidently formed of Ler, and be able to steam
at the rate of 13 knots an hour. This beak, however,
is strengthened entirely for running down purposes,
and, though having a solid iron edge of only three
inches wide, is formidably strengthened by wrought
iron supports, which pass back into the main body
of the ship behind. It is only in the backing behind
the armour-plates that the Mahmoud appears to be
inferior to the vessels of the Warrior and Black
Prince class. The latter have transverse beams
of teak 11 inches in thickness, the Mahmoud, like
our Minotaur and Agincourt, has an additional inch
of iron in her armour ; but to compensate for this
increase of weight, has the teak behind it reduced
from 18 to 9 inches. This alteration in the thick•
ness of the backing was one of the most serious
blunders the Admiralty ever made in their iron fleet
though, fortunately, the mistake is robbed of half
its ill effect by other Powers having weakly followed
their example, and followed it too precisely, like
our own Admiraity,without anything to guide their
hasty judgment. All experiments in iron targets
have shown that the thickness of the armour-plate
is relatively of less importance than the strength of
the backing which keeps it up to its work. Thus,
the Warrior plates of 41 inches with 18 inches of
teak behind have withstood the most concentrated
fire, while the Minotaur target of 5f inches armour
with 9 inches teak at once buckled and almost
crumpled up under the fire of even the smoothebore
68 pounders. The Minotaur would, no doubt, be a
Leavy overmatch for several of the old wooden screw
liners, but, on the other hand, so would the Warrior
prove an overmatch for two orahreo iron Minotaurs.
The general build of the Sultan Mahmoud only
illustrates another phase of the now useless struggle
to make frigates of such strength as can defy ord•
nanco of any strength. It is the old question of
armour versus guns, and the guns keep always win-
ning, no matter what the thickness of the armour
of seagoing frigates. This Turkish vessel is to carry
IS 150-pounders, nine on each side, with two upper
deck 300-pounders fitted amidships to fire fore and
aft. Such an armament will be much above the re■
eieting powers of any armourclad that floats, herself
of course included, just as the wooden three-deckers
ere little more than basketwork as opposed to the
63-pounder and 10-inch shell guns of the old smooth
bore artillery. In fact, the old armourclad knights
and men-et-arms would stand as much chance
against the Enfield rifle as armourclad ships stand
against the rifled ordnance which this country at
least possesses. That Mr Reed's Bellerophon may
partly answer against light loaded 150-pounders has
been shown, that it will not stand for a single shot
of the 300-pounder is equally well established, and
the Sultan Mahmoud has not more than half the
resisting strength of the Bellerophon.
After the launch visitors were entertained at an
ample dejeuner given by the Thames Iron Company
in the mould loft of the works. At this, after the
usual loyal toasts had been given, " The Health of
His Majesty the Sultan" was drunk amid loud
applause.
In reply to this M. MUSURUS, the Turkish Ambase
sador, said—l beg to tier you my sincere thanks for
the cordiality with which you have received the toast
p-oposed in so kind a manner by the chairman in
honour of my august Sovereign. I am very happy to
see that tt.o virtaefof my gracious master are so well
known and appreciated in this country. Since his
accession to the Throne his Imperial Majesty has
devoted his earnest solicitude to promote the welfare
of b:s vast empire, by reforming its financial system,
introducing administrative improvements, increas-
ing the n',"118 of commanication, establishing new
schools, encouraging agriculture, commerce, and
industry, and thus opening for his subjects the road
to wealth and corral prosperity. Bat his Majesty
knows that, as in nature a good harvest cannot be
relied upon under the mischievous influence of in-
clement and stormy Weather, so without external
peace and internal order he cannot secure the suc-
cess of his noble and generous efforts. This is the
reason why one of his first objects is to make as
perfect as possible the organisation of his army and
navy, and bring their efficiency to the level of the
high mission intrusted to him by Providence, the
nd order in the East;
mission of maintaining peace a