The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-14 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

An official. inspection was yesterday made by the
authorities at Chatham dockyard, on the part of the
Admiralty, of the iron paddlewheel steamer Recruit,
6, 150 horses -power, which was placed in No. 3 dock
on the pre, /ions afternoon to enable a survey to be
made to a' scertain the results of the trials with the
invention, by Capt. H. F. M'Killop for cleansing the
bottoms of iron ships afloat. These, by direction of
the Ad miralty, were ordered to be tried on the Re-
crni.t, which was placed in the hands of the inventor
for that purpose. Daring the time the Recruit was
in. dock at Chatham, fitting for commission, her port
aide was paid over with the anti-corrosive composi-
tion by Mr. Hay, the Admiralty chymist, and on
her starboard side was applied a new anti-fouling
mixture, which had bean submitted to the Admiralty
by the inventor, Mr. Crispin. Both compositions—
as, indeed, has been the case, more or less, with
every invention of the kind hitherto brought under
the notice of the Admiralty—have turned out to be
co'nplete failures, as, on the water being pumped
oiat of the dock in which the Recruit had been placed
every square inch of the surface of her hull below
the water-line was found thickly coated with weeds,
sea grass, barnacles, and various kinds of animal-
culw The appearances of the two sides of the ves-
sel were, however, very different. On the starboard
aide, to which Mr. Crispin's invention had been ap-
plied, the entire surface was covered with grass,
about a foot in length, with which were mixed
thousands of sea worms and barnacles. A minute
examination led to the discovery that every portion
of the composition had been eaten away from the
iron plates, leaving nothing but the coating of red
lead applied by the dockyard workmen. On the
port side Mr. Hey's composition was found to be
still adhering to the iron plates, which were coated
over the length of the 'vessel with a kind of
fibrous seaweed, from one to two or three inches in
length, and
swarming with small shell fish. In
portion of the vessel's bottom the
some parts of this
weeds were longer and more matted than on the
starboard side, while the barnacles here were also
very large, the composition being completely pene-
trated, and the iron-plating exposed. Althogether
the bottom of the Recruit, which was only 12 weeks
out of dock, was more thickly covered with marine
formations than many iron vessels which had been
12 months afloat. Only a portion of the vessel's
hull was selected by Capt. M'Killop to be experi-
mented upon, extending about 12ft. on the aft side
of 'each of the sponsons. The plan adopted in re-
moving the fouling from iron ships is to sink a
kind of large tarpaulin, of about 20ft. in width, and
of sufficient length to be passed completely under
the vessel's keel, and brought up on the opposite
side. The four sides or edges of the apparatus are
me.de air-tight, and on being filled with air acquire
a buoyancy which makes it cling to the vessel with
great force. A. mixture of creosote, lime, and some
other substances being spread over the centre of the
tarpaulin, the whole remains under water, and in
the coarse of some three or four hours the mixture
being acted upon by the water destroys every por-
tion of the growth on the ship's bottom. Although
Capt. Killop's invention had succeeded in removing
a considerable part of the incrustations on the sides
of the Recruit, yet the cleansing prccess was only
partial, the keel, especially, showing a vast aeon-
mulation of seaweed and barnacles altogether un-
touched. The opinion pronounced by the dockyard
officials was unfavourable to the invention, but
provided the apparatus can be easily applied
there appears to be no reason why it
should not, in a measure, answer in the
case of iron ships taking a long sea voy-
age, and, therefore, unable to be docked, except-

ing at distant intervals. On the other hand, it would
be necessary to ascertain whether the powerful com-
position of creosote and lime has any, and, if so,
what effect upon the plates of iron ships. It should
be stated that Capt. M'Killop considers his invention
to be more successful in realising the object sought
'when tried at sea than in harbour, as the passage
of the vessel 'through water would more effectually
wash off the, accumulations removed than can be
effected in, 'the case of a ship moored in a river or
harbour.

The Tamar, 3, iron screw troopship, 2,812 tons,
500 norhe power, was commissioned at Sheerness on
Saturday last, the pennant being hoisted by Capt.
F. H. Stirling, who has been in charge of the ves-
sel du.ring the time she has belonged to the Sheer-
ness Steam Reserve. The Tamar has received

thorough examination, and been completely fitted

th'i artisans of Sheerness dockyard, and when
receeitly surveyed by Capt. Mends, C. 8., Director
of 'Transports, and other officials, was pronounced
tr, be in a very satisfactory condition. Her preli-
minary trial will take place shortly.
The screw steam gunboat Hind, 2, Lieut.-Com.
Scott, from Falmouth, arrived at Plymouth on Mon-
day evening to ship stores for the coastguard ship
Itectssell, Com. Sidney Grenfell, at Falmouth.
It is expected at Devonport that the long dock in
t'ae dockyard will be ready to-day for the reception
of the iron-plated frigate Black Prince.
Her Majesty's ship Speedwell, Com. Cottam, yes-
terday went down to the Arsenal buoy at -Wool-
-wich, and shipped her powder, in preparation for her
depareure for the West Coast of Africa, and the Fox
laden with machinery and gear for the ironcased
ship Research, at Pembroke, yesterday went along-
side the coal hulk at Woolwich to make ready for sea.
The Monkey, steamstug, tender to the flagship
Fisgar d at Woolwich, under repairs during the last
12 mcaiths, is nearly ready for service. The whole
of her decks and top sides are now completely new,
and but a nominal portion of her old keel and
anelent timbers has been retained. The Monkey is
probably the only vessel of her age in active use,
she having been in use during the reigns of the four
successive Sovereigns. At the c eronation of George
IV. the Monkey (then the Royal Sovereign) was
employed in carrying the Holyhead mails, and she
was subsequently used as the Royal yacht when
required by the Court. She has been attached for
some years past as tender to the flagship at Wool-
wich, and constantly at work for labour purposes.
She is again fitted with a new sot of boilers, has had
her engines thoroughly overhauled and adapted
with a disconnecting shaft to enable her to turn
quickly and in a confined circle in the river, and is
now pronounced to be one of the most useful and
tificient vessels of her class.
' The ironcased ship Caledonia, 35 guns, now in
the Victoria
Dock, has received the whole of her
boilers, i
number. The machinery is along-
side,eightn
nbe put on board. It is expected and will soon
removed to Sheerness onthe next
that she will be
spring rt* tides in abou.,, a fortnight.
ated ship Valiant, 34 guns, will be
The armour-pi,
launched this day
at two o'clock, from the Admi-
ralty-yard, Poplar.
84, flagship of
A court-martial assembled yesterday morning on
midable,
board her Majesty's ship
Far
K.C.8., Comman-
Viee-Admiral Sir G.
der-in-Chief at Sheerness, for Lambert, rt,
forthe trial of Erasmus
C•ltol‘erts, additional second master belonging to
the Formidable, but serving on board the Lizard,
.„ Paddlewheel tender to the Formidable. Captain
over
Captain
John Telford, of the Formidable, presided
the Court., and the case was conducted by
lf
r. G.
11° Knight (of the firm of Messrs. Essell, Knight,
and Arnold, Admiralty solicitors, Rochester), De-
puty Judge-Advocate. The court was held under
a warrant from the Lords Commissioners of
the Admiralty, and
on the complaint of Lieut.
Henry Joseph Challis, commanding the Lizard. The
charge preferred against the prisoner was that he,
being in actual service and on full pay as additional
second master of the Lizard, Was, on Sept. 26 last,
drunk on board the vessel and unfit to perform his
duties. The prisoner pleaded guilty, and threw him-
self on the mercy of the court, 11e was adjudged to
forfeit two years seniority and to be dismissed the
ship.
All masters on the Reeerved List of 15 s'
seniority will be removed to a separate liet aysesatrafi
eon:menders on the Reserved Liet.
The folio wir g appointments were made yesterda
at y
the Admiralty—Fred. Lucas, paymaster, to theTaaier ; and C. R. Watson, clerk, to the Tamar.

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