The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-04 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.
The success which has attended the adoption of
the double, or twin, screw principle in England and

America during the past three years has invested it
with great interest. To Captain Carpenter, R.N.,
we are undoubtedly first indebted for the introduc-
tion of the twin screws ; but the first advance of
moment in its practical demonstration was made

by Mr. G. Rennie in 1852, followed up in 1857 by

the same firm, in constructing several gunboats on

the same principal for Indian river service. From
some cause difficulties appear to have existed,

for no great success seems to have been attained, as
the principle was not followed up, and a strong feel-
ing certainly existed against its adoption for either
mercantile or warlike purposes. The single screw,
with all its acknowledged faults, accordingly held
its own against all comers. The double versus single
screw has been a subject of strong controversy at
the meetings of the Society of Arts, the Royal
United Service Institution, and other places where
such matters are discussed, as well as of lengthy

correspondence and editorial articles in the profes-
sional journals, especially since the Messrs. Dud-
geon, of Millwall, have adopted the principle, and
have begun to launch from their building yard
nearly one double screw steamer per month. The
doings of these vessels on their trial trips have been
recorded in these columns, and now the Admiralty
have adopted the principle in the construction of

some iron-plated gunboats which are about to be
laid down for the Royal Navy, taking the data ob-

tained by their officers from Messrs. Dudgeon's tria
trips for their guide. Through this long interval
however, of partial and complete success for the
twin screws, Captain 'ihomas E. Symonds, R.N.,
a nephew of Sir William Symonds, once Sur-
veyor of the Navy, has been their most
earnest and persistent advocate, ard the
triumph of the twin screw is, in fact, the
triumph of the plan that officer has so long advo-
cated. It is, however, doub:ful how far at present
the twin may supersede the single screw. In the
Royal Navy it may possibly only be adopted in
vessels specially built to carry a heavy armament
and large engine power at a moderate draught of
water, and which may be designed for operations
on a line of coast, or off harbours,—as a coast de-
fence vessel, in fact, and theref3re requiring a power
of turning shortly such as only two screws can give.
It is difficult, however, to say where the line can be
drawn, for draught of water and power of manoeuv-
ring are of equal importance with speed. On the
22d of April last, at a meeting of the Society of Arts,
Rear-Admiral the Hon. Joseph Denman, who was
in the chair, said, with reference to our large iron•
clads,—" He had no doubt two or three ships of
smaller size would be fatal antagonists to such ves •
sels as the Minotaur or Northumberland, if the
smaller vessels possessed a superior power of turning
by means of double screws." Turning, however,
from opinion to facts it will be found that the Ame-
ricans have very largely adopted the twin screws
for their men-of-war. The loss of the ironclad ram
Indianola was attributed, by the accounts of the
American papers, to her " inability to manceuvre.
'
The writer says,—" She fell a prey to two small
gunboats having a power of turning to a high de-
gree. They could ram her first on one side, then
on the other, till the mailed giant was beaten to
death." These two gunboats were driven by twin
screws. The Naugatuck,another American gunboat,
is fitted with twin screws, and carried a 200 pounder
Parrott gun on a fixed carriage. By the power of her
screws the vessel is trained at the object, and the gun
thus brought in a line of fire. The John Nelson, a
vessel used for transporting the mail trains
across the Deleware River, is driven by twin screws,
and has to turn end for end at every trip in order
to deliver the train at the same end it entered.
She is 225 ft. long, and is stated to often perform
the manoeuvre in a strong current choked with ice
in from 1 min. 20 sec. to 1 min. 30 sec. A twin
vessel is now building in America to mount two
monst©r guns of 50 tons each. These guns will be
on fixed carriages, will be fired at point blank range,
and will be brought to bear upon the object fired
at, like the gnn of the Naugatuck, by the screwse
re-
volving the ship. This is the position twita
of th
screw system in England and America
a
t the pre-
sent time, and the civil war now raging in America
will supply the means of testing its usefulness for
ships of war. Inn paper read by Capt. Symonds
on twin screws in April last, that officer advocates
double keels and rudders for twin
screw vessels, and
gives as his reasons that b
to single keel ships of the present form the inter-
vening dead wood is a 8 -
action; it divide emus obstacle to their per-
fectand materially reduces the
column of water coming to the inner arms of the
screws, increases f • riction, and causes a series of
shocks that d )ro
I nee vibration. Tho vessels which
Capt, Symonds and ',Mr. Roberts, C.E., conjointly
propose for
construction for twin screws are designed
for double
keels, with a rudder in the line of each
keel, and l
near y in a line with each screw shaft,
with the two keels cellular, and a cellular bottom
worked up into the engine frames for strength.
These propositions, however, are purely profes-
sional, and we feel confident that with Mr. Reed in
the office of chief constructor of they,thenavy,.
together with the whole principle.
,e
and
tha co atd aptnasilu
de-
of the twin screw system, will receive
ration which their importance. demands,
Admiralty instrue
.0:1S bILVO been received at
Chatham, n,-,tifyin its t
the Lards of the Admiralty
have placed the paddlewheel sad.
l'ewheel steamer Vivid, 2, 100-
..n
horse power, 601-0
...„ ot W. 11. Allen, at the din_
7
1 of Rear-Adm Firal Bullock,to enable hire
dis-
posal of trials with his newv-i
to carry out a series n-
which was tested with so much s
vented log, ueces-i
on board the Salamis during the recent trials of
that paddlewheel steamer at the Maplin Sands, near
Chatham.
The iron screw troopship Adventure, 1,794 t
ons
400 horse power, Commander T, R. Lethbrid •
will, on her arrival in Chatham Larbour, , be placed
in the hands cf C;pt. F. P. °KC!,
'OP,II direction

rimeuts vi
M'Killop to institute some expe,
..,
flexible coffer dam, or portab3,s dock'. u
of the Admiralty, for the purpdo of thilt-
Aithuralty, and
machine, submitted by him to the' ate
the --- -" --' '''' - employing men .1
• with which the inventor undertakes
to
the marine and other formations on the bottoms me
iron ships without any necessity for th, eir being
I.venture
placed in dock for that purpose. The AL
has been ordered to be operated upon at Chittbam,
because iron ships are found to foul more rapidly in
that harbour than at any of the other naval ports.
adermemonos‘vil,g
thoroughly
each,
TrrTriic.hhochzewheueagssini
Lords
ti
frori
ordered
Irw3dr
oees
rpt
meeadaie
repaired
0,
dsabl
neeaodfppt
weurtißoyalist,lilhn
emercommission,
oms t
collisionnil likely
iksaeiotl
ynD,
bweevi
will ot hn sentp ot tht .
haveyet ,
the North American station:
ship
si steam
oepfa mat corvette
khee
0 f
Admiralty
Wellington,
eSlel
iyn Scylla, at
have
an 2
v,l
e,h
oaordered
d e havingredb te
he
receivedbeen
screw steamship Royal Oak, 35,
her powder and ammunition, and is now in Ply-
monthCampbell,now Scund waiting orders.
metal from the bottom of
Admiral of the Red Sir Charles H. Fre-
mantle,one of the Channel
C. 8., the newly-appointed naval Com-
mander-in-Chief at Devonport, hoisted his flag at
Monday on board the gunnery ship
4 p.m. on
removaltsehgaeuvpaticrroeFo.n Arn.oxe:dfdi
t' ' ,
amoaze,
of his •
predecessor, Admiral
of the Blue Sir Houston
and saluted the flag
Stewart, K.C.8., which
was duly acknowledged by the Royal Adelaide.
After this ceremony Admiral Stewart struck his
flag on board the Royal Adelaide, which then re-
ceived from the Cambridge the new Commander's
Cambridge, Capt. Charles J P. Ewart, in H
•
ornmg.
com-
menced his duties yesterday In
ere made yesterday
The following appointments were
CI ,well, C.B ,
at the Admiralty—Captain Henry -a
ld ;I
FW. Inglefie an
to the Royal Adelaide; Lieut. F.
A. D. G. Sut-
Lieut. H. It. Bergers, to the Tamar ;
Pe. della. Robert
ton, master, to the Indus, for the ‘,...r ,
to the
H. Paul and Wm. H, Roberts, midshipmen,
flag, red at the fore. Admiral Fremantle
Royalist ; Henry J. Chalks and 31
master's-assistants, to the Tamar.
• • e
A flag officer's " service pension" is plsicd at the
disposal of the First Lord of the Admiraliy by the
death, on the Ist inst., of Admiral George
Rich, on the reserved half-pay. unFri Scott,
dericke