The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-17 00:00:00

The Iron-plated Ship Royal Oak.

The official trial of this vessel, the first-of our con-
verted and fully armoured frigates, commenced on
Monday at the measured mile in Stokes Bay, near
Portsmouth, under the direction of Capt. H. Broad-
head, commanding her Majesty's ship Asia and the
steam reserve at Portsmouth. Two previous at-
tempts had been made to commence the trials, but
failed, owing to the rough state of the weather.
On Monday the Fancy gunboat, having Captain
Broadhead and his staff on board, left Portsmouth
harbour for the ship at 8 a.m., and on emerging
from the harbour entrance the Royal Oak came
in full view as she lay broadside on at
Spithead (about two miles distance) with steam up
and her anchor short speak. As seen thus far off
it was almost impossible to conoeive anything more
nautically ugly both in the outline of her hu'l and
her rig. The long squat-looking hull, with its
tumble home stem and peculiar shaped stern, re-
sembled some of the large frigates lately built in
French priatate shipbuilding yards for the Russian
Government more than anything yet seen in the
English navy. The disposition of spars aloft is
precisely similar to that of her Majesty's ship De-
fence, but the disproportion between the hull and
rig of the ship is greater apparently with the Royal
Oak than with the Defence. In the disposition of
the spars and rig there is the same bastard arrange-
ment of mixed systems of double topsail yards, the
stumpy bowsprit forwards, and naked mizen-
mast aft, altogether giving the ship a
look of having been dismasted at sea and
afterwards run into . Spithead under jury
rig to receive a new outfit. A closer view
of the ship did not at all diminish this feeling with
regard to the ship's appearance aloft, but the hull
improved considerably as the distance was short-
ened, until, when at last the gunboat steamed slowly
around her, the ship's real size and truly formidable
character were at once seen and acknowledged. Her
naked stern, with its sharp apex above the rudder,
is doubtless the very form required for strength and
for throwing off an enemy's shot, and well matches
her cutter form of bow, the latter without any en-
cumbrance
of head, cutwater, and the weighty orna-
mental mass with which a ship's stem is generally
loaded. With the exception of two main deck stern
ports which give a chance to sweep her gun deck
from aft to forwards, and which it would be wisdom
to fill in with timber and armour- plating and a ra-
ther too great exposure of the rudder, the hull of the
Royal Oak is to all outward appearance all that can
be wished for in an armoured broadside gunship.
Inboard the ship has fine roomy decks. On her
upper deck she carries three 110-pounder Arm-
strongs, besides the usual complement of boat guns
and fieldpieces. Just abaft the mainmast is the
" pilot house," at present without its armour, and
close to the wheel is Gisborne's patent electric tele-
graph signaling apparatus. This deck, being above
her line of armour, is unprotected except by her
wooden bulwarks and hammock nettings. The
main deck, which is protected all round by the
ship's external coating of armour, and therefore has
no armour-plate bulkheads built across it forward i
and aft, presents to the view a continuous battery
of 95cwt. 68-pounders and Armstrong 110-pounder
breech loaders. The ports are closer together than
those of the iron ships, but there is abundance of
room to work the guns, and a sufficient height
between decks for every necessary purpose and
to assist ventilation. The crew of the ship mess
on the lower deck, and the main deck is thus kept
clear of all mess-tables and utensils, which gives it
a much more showy and imposing appearance than
is the case with the main decks of the iron frigates
where the men mess between the guns. The
lower deck of the ship, however, from the fact of
the ship carrying armour all round, is necessarily
unprovided with side-scuttles, is consequently ex-
cessively dark, and, losing air with light, would
very possibly be unhealthy on such a station as the
West Indies. A great deal has been done to remedy
this serious defect, and under the supervision and
instruction of Mr. Baker, chief engineer of Chat-
ham Dockyard, a comprehensive system of up and
downcast air tubing and shafting has been fitted.
This is stated to be quite sufficient for the ship's
ventilation, and very possibly is so while any
strength of wind is passing over the
ship's upper
deck and through the gun-ports, but it will not be
sufficient with the ship lying at anchor in a warm
climate, or even when at anchor in a home port
or roadstead on a wet windless day, with the
upper deck hatchwaYs.coverpdwith their weather
tarpaulings. In such a
climate,or on such a day.
the sluggish air requires assistance, and a small
two-bladed fan placed in a cowl over one of the
would supply the ship with aco
ship's hatchwaysn•
tinuons stream of pure fresh air, and drive out the
foul air through the upcast air shafts, which are
admirably fixed and adapted for the purpose.
The engines of the ship are of 800-horse power,