The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-19 00:00:00

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THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING MARCH 19, 1863.

as wood to such artillery. Even now, backed up as
the target was with 2fin. of iron inside all, it was
penetrated, broken, and torn in such a manner as to
render the sinking of the ship that received the
blow a matter of certainly, while, had such a shell
struck the Warrior amidships near the water-line,
it must have blown such a hole in her side as nothing
could ever have remedied in action. By the side of
the target was a powerful partition of wooden beams,
and an examination of this after the shell had ex-
ploded gave terrible proofs of its destructive powers.
There was scarcely a square inch of its whole surface
that was not deeply penetrated with fragments of
the shell of all shapes and sizes, from 11b. weight or
more to ragged particles as minute as small shot,
Men standing near where this partition stood
would not only have been killed but torn to pieces.
Altogether, this shell, both for penetration and
awfully destructive effects on bursting, was the
most successful that has yet been fired against
armour-plates of any kind.
Mr. Whitworth's 150 pounder was, next tried,
loaded with a steel fiat-headedshell of 1511 b weight,
with a bursting charge of 61b. of powder, fired from
the gun with 251 b. of powder. This shell struck
within about five inches of the spot where Sir Wil-
liam's had struck and burst, and destroyed the teak
backing. The Whitworth shell passed quite through
the plate and burst among the debris of splinters
behind. Apparently, tuost,of its charge must have,
escaped from the front of the target. Certainly the
explosion made not the least perceptible addition to
the damage already inflicted by Sir William, nor
did it even set the timber on fire, though from the
smoke that hung about, it was at the moment thought
it had done so. It was a pity for many reasons that
the shot was directed so close to the mischief done
before that there was virtually no backing on which
to show what effect it really did accomplish. As it
was impossible to say more than that it did no fur-
ther harm than apparently was there before it came,
and the hole in the plate was of the small, clean-
cut, punched kind, so suggestive of easy plugging,
even with the most destructive of Mr. Whitworth's
missiles. It was claimed by his many supporters
present that he had as effectually gone through the
plate with a 15616. shell'and 251 b. of powder as Sir
William had with his 2901 b. shell and 451 b. of pow-
der. This was quite true, though it proves nothing
more than that it is very much easier to make a
small hole in an iron plate than a large one.
From the flaw in the breech of the gun we have
already mentioned no further trials were made
with this piece, and Mr. Lynall Thomas's gun
was the next competitor. Unfortunately, from
some mistake the gun was not well pointed,
and its first 3301 b. shot missed the target alto-
gether, and struck the ground on the left, passing
through a bank of earth, and then flying off to the
right upwards into the air over the river with a
whirring scream that was almost terrible to listen
to. In its passage it gave a good notion of its tre-
mendous force when it touched the ground, scat-
tering the earth into the air in a dense black cloud,
blmost as if a deep -laid mine had been sprung
eneath. The next shpt, weighing 3071 b., and fired
'with a 501 b. charge of powder, struck the hollow
part of the target, where it was 7f inches thick,
and what is termed "dished it," orlient the plate,
but, as was remarked upon the ground, for a projec-
tile of such weight, propelled by such a charge of
shot
it e ffweacst effected
onroo commensuratel
It
a wmaasg ea.
sTt
eheel
third powder,
projectile of 3301 b. weight, fired with the same
charge. It struck on the edge of the 71-inch plate

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

—its weakest part, and made a broken indentation
to the depth of 101 inches, sufficient to establish a
most alarming leak in the side of any vessel. The
terminal vtlocities of both these last shots were
lower than any fired, which was attributed to what
is believed to be the excessive pitch in the mode of
ribbed rifling adopted by Mr. ;Thomas. The whole
effect of this piece, eonsiderr4 its great length of
barrel and force of charge, did not, realise the expec-
tations formed of its capabilities in the morning. It
is, however, but fair to state that Mr. Thomas was
quite satisfied with its performance, and expressed
himself confident of being 'able to pierce any part of
the target on the next trial.

Sir William Armstrong then fired his 300-
pounder with an ordinary cast-iron round shot
weighing 1441 b., with a charge of 451 b. of powder.
The terminal velocity with which this struck the 7a_
inch plate on the unbacked portion was the highest
attained—no less than 1,636 feet a second—and
almost in exact proportion to its velocity was the
damage it inflicted, Not only was its indent larger
and deeper than any shot that had gone before, but
on the inner side it broke the plate both vertically
and horizontally, leaving a cruciform tear nearly two
inches wide at the openings, besides shaking the tar-
get to its very foundations. This shot and the steel pro-
jectile of Mr. Thomas had, in fact, so damaged the
whole of the massive structure, both in its plates and
fastenings, that further experiments became almost
useless. The iron, even where most torn, held to-
gether in a manner that was really wonderful, but
Mr. Thomas had knocked off several of the massive
screw bolt heads, and the effect of the entire day's
work had been to so bend the plates and destroy
the backing that there was really no part left that
afforded the means of a fair test of resistance, while
it was evidont that a few more shots like the last
might bring the whole mass to the ground. The
firing, therefore, was
discontinued, leaving the
honours 'of successful attack beyond all question
with Sir W. Armstrong's shot and shell.
The practical results elicited by the day's experi-
ments seem to be these—first, that iron plates of 71-
inches, or greater thickness, can be produced with
as much perfection as to quality and strength as
those of 4 inches; secondly, that we have already
got guns the fire of which our strongest armour-
clads could not face and float for ten minutes,
A steam floating battery for harbour duty, but
capable of passing from port to port, might be
safely covered with 12 inch plate, and, armed
with four of the 300 pounders with which Sir
William did such tremendous mischief on Tues-
day, would be as much an over match and object
of terror to the strongest armour ship as armour
ships are now to wooden ones. To guard against
the possible visits of such craft from any part
of the Channel to oar arsenals and dockyards, it
is evident that guns for hand and harbour ser-
vice, at least, must be increased to even greater
than their present colossal proportions. Not a
year since, Sir William astonished and almost
alarmed the old school of artillerists by appearing at
Shoebury with a 300-pounder. Yet 300-pounders
William, again leading the way, has made a 600-
aproe,
u ntdoe
rs,a the
weighing
ei g least, h
in g
2 4ntootuncommon n
s, now, and Sir
throwing a rifled ball of
6001 b., or a shell of 5901 b., to hold a 251 b. bursting
charge of powder. This gigantic piece of ordnance
will be tried at Shoeburyness in the course of a
month, with a certainty of smashing to fragments
any plates yet forged or rolled, and before twelve
months are out we shall see one at least, if not
more, I,ooo.pounder guns of the same kind. These
are the ordnance that every day's experience shows
we shall really want for our sea forts, breakwater
heads, mouths of harbours, and banks of important
rivers—guns that can send their shells through the
thickest plates we can make in England (and
thicker ones are never likely to come to us from
abroad)—guns that can smash armour of such
weight as even harbour duty vessels could not be
made to float with. Not till we have such guns as
these can wo consider ourselves safe, in case of war
with any naval Continental Power, from the slow-
steaming, half-sunken 10 or 12-inch plated floating
batteries which would otherwise be sure, in calm
weather, to come crawling along our coast from
dock to dock and arsenal to arsenal, alike defying
and destroying all.

A MAIL TRAIN OFF THE LINE.—PLYMOUTH
March 17.—The London mail train that left here at 7.10
p.m. this evening ran off the line between Rattery and Tot-
Wu, lie pereou was injured,

r

The armour-plated frigate Ocean, building at Devon-
port, which was launched this day (Thursday) was laid
down August 28, 1860, on lines supplied from the Con-
troller's office, Somerset-house, for an ordinary wooden
line-of-battle ship (similar to the Gibraltar) of 101 or 91
guns, according to their make or calibre. Her dimensions
were to be as follows :—Length between the perpendiculars
252 ft ; length of the keel for tonnage, 213 ft 9iin ; breadth
extreme, 58ft Sin; breadth for tonnage, 5711 tin; breadth
moulded, 56ft 4in ; depth in hold, 25it Gin ; her burden in
tons was to be 3,715 62-94 ; and her draught of water when
ready for sea—forward, 24ft llin ; aft, 26ft Sin. The arti-
sans of the yard were fully occupied upon her according to
these instructions until March 12, 1861, when they were
taken off in consequence of the increased use of iron in the
construction of ships of war. The (he= was then partly
in frame. On the 13th June following the Lords of the
Admiralty gave directions for having her convected into an
iron-cased frigate of 34 guns, of the following dimensions :
Length between the perpendiculars, 273 ft ; length of keel
for tonnage, 232 ft 8/in ; breadth extreme, 58ft Sin; breadth
for tonnage, 57ft 2in ; breadth moulded, 56ft 4in; depth in
hold, 19ft 10in. Her burden in tons was to be, 4,045 26-'94 ;
and her draught of water when ready for sea, forward, 24ft
7in ; and aft, 26ft. She was accordingly placed again under
the superintendence of Mr. J. P. Peake, the master ship-
wright, whose first duty was to lengtken the slip some 27ft.
The Ocean was then cut in two amidships, the fore section
was hauled up 20ft, and five pairs of frames were inserte
The original framework of the stem and stern was tairTEL
down, and both were made sharper. The .thickness of the
sides of the Ocean immediately below the armour-plating
is—outer plank, 12in ; timber, 14in ; inner plank, Gin;
total, 2ft Bin, Where the armour-plating is placed the
outer plank is Bin thick, the inner bin, and timbers 14in,
which with the iron plates, 41in, makes a total of 2ft 81in.
She is strongly braced with iron wherever necessary, In
constructing her 46 iron beams are introduced for sus-
taining the upper deck, some of these weigh 22 cwt each ;
they are formed something like the letter T. The tee or
upper part is shelved to receive the deck plates ; the beam
proper, or shank, is half an inch thick and one foot deep ;
the base is oval shaped and solid, and is termed the " blob."
The tee, the beam, and the blob were made separately in
lengths, and then welded together. Every alternate beam
is supplied with a knee at each end, which is fastened to
the framework of the ship. The carpenters of the yard fitted
the beams and all the iron funnel hatches in the engine-
room, &c. With cold chisels and saws they cut the iron car-
lines and fitted and rivetted the iron knees. The work was
done formerly by Government smiths ; they are said to be
excelled in it by the carpenters, who consider themselves
superior also in all other iron shipwork not requiring the
use of a forge. The depth of hold of the Ocean originally
was 25ft bin, and burden 3,715 tons; now the depth of hold
is 19ft 10in, and burden 4,045 tons. In the former case all
the space below the main deck was measured ; in the latter
the space only below the lower deck is measured. The dif-
ference between the two, 340 tons, is gained by the addi-
tional length amidships (20ft), by an additional breadth of
sin, and by lifting the lower deck about 20in. The ori-
ginal upper deck is dispensed with, the height between decks
now is about 7ft. In the main and lower decks teak, maho-
gany, and greenheart are used almost exclusively. The
beams are teak. The upper deck, which is flush fore and
aft, is covered with iron plates three-eighths, half-inch, and
five-eighths of an inch thick, fastened to the iron beams.
The thickest are placed all round the sides next the bul-
warks and in other exposed parts. The plates are covered
over all with an oak deck 4in thick. To sustain the weight
of the plating and iron beams an extra number of wrought-
iron columns will be erected in the 'tween decks. On each
side of the upper deck, amidships, the Ocean, like the
Prince Consort, is furnished with a round tower seven feet
high and about five feet diameter, constructed of wood 12
inches thick, and plated outside with iron four inches thick
Access is obtained from below. Like the Warrior she will
have on each quarter strong iron towing bollards, fitted
through thick slobs of wood laid on the deck and fastened
below with =lines. The outer teak planking of the Ocean,
which receives the armour plates, is Bin thick, and runs
down to sft 4in below the water-line. The first planking
below is 12in thick, flush with the facing of the plates. From
this line or reception of the iron below the lower deck, on
the fore rabbet it diminishes gradually to sin in the bottom.
The depth of plating, from the bulwarks downwards, will be
about 20ft—viz., one line of plates above the ports 3ft deep;
a layer between the ports 3ft 10in, and four layers below the
ports each 3ft 3M deep. The number of plates is 275 ; of
these 168 will be about 41in. thick for midship use; the re-
mainder, 112, will taper from 4in to 3in, in a distance of
40ft, towards the bow and the stern. Under the buttocks and
less exposed parts the thickness will be reduced to liin. The
weight is estimated at 935 tons, and the cost from £35 to £45
per ton, exclusive of fastening, which will be done by lain
iron bolts, 12 of which are required for each plate. Wooden
moulds are already fitted to her waist, to determine the
exact form of the plates required there. Under the armour
plates each side of tho ports, which are like the 'Warrior's,
there will be vertical plates lft wide and 3in thick, The
bow of the Ocean below the water-line protrudes 18in ; or,
in other words, the stem falls inboard, like all modern ships
of her class, so as to be prepared to act as rams on a contin-
gency. There will be no knee or figurehead on the stem,
but ample carved work both on the bow and stern. From
the head down to the shank the rudder will be made of iron;
that portion above the water-line will consist of metal, hav-
ing a socket to receive the head, the main part or blade below
will be made of wood. The rudder post will not be connected
with the screw shift. The Ocean will be bark rigged. The
screw, as usual, is made entirely of gun metal, and has four
blades ; it is 21ft in diameter, with an increasing pitch ; the
main pitch may be varied from 20ft to 25ft by the improved
mode of construction recently introduced. There will be no
outer bearing for the screw in the rudder post ; the " boss"
of the screw is firmly keyed on the en lof the shaft. The
banjo frame and all the usual appliances for lifting the screw
out of the water are dispensed with; this greatly simplifies
all the parts connected with the screw, and much reduces
the risk of injury from shot, which is of course a subject of
the utmost importance.

The Emerald, 35, screw frigate, Capt. Arthur Cumming,
made her third experimental screw trial yesterday at the
measured mile in Stokes Bay, off Portsmouth. The screw
tested on this occasion was one with six common shaped
blades, fixed at equi-distant intervals on a " Griffiths" boss.
The weather was very favourable for the trial, the wind
scarcely exceeding a force of I from the N.E., and the sea
being perfectly smooth. The ship drew 20ft 9in forward and
21ft 10in aft, and the mean pressure of steam during the six
runs made at the mile was 221 b, the vacuum being 25in, the
maximum revolutions of the engines being 62, and the mini-
mum 50. The runs were completed as follows :—the first
run in 4min 31sec, or at the rate of 13.285 knots per hour ;
the second run in 6min lOsec, or 3.729 knots ; the third run
in 4min 24sec, or 13.636 knots ; the fourth run in 6min, or
10 knots; the fifth run in 4min 26sec, or 13.533 knots; the
sixth run in 6min, or 10 knots. The mean speed of the ship
was 11125 knots. The circles were made in the usual man-
ner as follows :—To Port—Helm up in 17 seconds, with six
men at the wheel, and with one and a half turns of the
wheel rope, the angle of the rudder being 11 degrees. The
half of the circle was completed in 4 minutes and 2 seconds,
and the full circle in 7 minutes and 54 seconds, the revolu-
tions of the engines being 494. To Starboard—Helm up
in 19 seconds, with six men at the wheel, and with one and
a half turns of the wheel rope, the angle of the rudder be-
ing in this instance 17 degrees. The half circle was com-
pleted in 4 minutes and 4 seconds, and the full circle in
7 minutes and 56 seconds, the revolutions of the engines
being 50. The Emerald, like all ships of war approach-
ing and exceeding 3,000 tons, has occupied a long period
and a large space of water in completing a circle under
steam, and it is evidently an impossibility for a ship of groat
length and tonnage, when propelled by a single screw, to
enter such a harbour as New York, and, by the aid of her
own powers, turn and go out to sea again at the
pleasure of her captain, notwithstanding the extraordinary
statements which have been made in the House of Commons
on this subject. The power of manoeuvring a ship under
steam has been lately exemplified in two instances on the
Thames, under the supervision of the inspecting officer to
•
the Steam Department of the Admiralty, when, by the ap
plication of two screws in lieu of one, it was proved in
the most satisfactory manner that a ship could bo made to
revolve upon her centre after the fashion of a railway turn-
table, steer equally well going astern or ahead, and place
herself in or extricate herself from any position. The two.
screw system has for some years attracted the attention of
many naval officers and civil engineers, and we hope to see
the order issued from the Admiralty for laying down a
vessel with which to thoroughly test the principle. Judged
by the results gained in the steamships Flora and Kate on
the Thames, this principle bears as great a relative import-
ance to the efficiency of iron ships of war, whether engaged
with the iron ship of an enemy or an enemy's fortress, as
does speed ; and the possessiun of speed is of even still
greater importance, judging by past events and present ex •
perience, than is the precise thickness of armour-plating.
The six-bladed screw, as had been anticipated from the re •
sults of the Shannon's trials, gave a speed superior to that
obtained from the common two-bladed screw by about two-
tenths of a knot, with a rather less indicated horse-power
of engine, and a total absence of vibration from the work-
ing of the screw, the only motion felt on board being from
the movement of the engines. At the conclusion of the
trial the ship anchored at Spithead, and awaits orders from
the Admiralty relative to her next trial.
The anchor and iron cable lost from the Warrior :at
Gravesend, on the occasion of the disembarcation of her
Royal Highness the Princess Alexandra, were yesterday
landed at Woolwich. The lost stores having been ineffectu-
ally sought for by the usual means were on. Saturday re-

L

PRICE..... -..4d.
STAMPED ....6d.

covered by the Raglan's anchor catching in the cable on her
attempting to effect a mooring. A telegraphic message was
then despatched to Woolwich to that effect, and a barge was
sent down for its conveyance to the dockyard.
The screw steam corvette Racoon, 22, from Chatham and
Portsmouth, arrived yesterday (Wednesday) morning at
Plymouth; when it is reported that she will proceed to
Malta to embark his Royal Highness Prince Alfred, and
then go.to the West Indies to join the fleet of Admiral Bir
Alex, Milne, K.C.8., commander-in-chief on.that station.
The Bermuda Royal Gazette of the 24th ult. states that
the paddlewheel steam sloop Vesuvius, in charge of Li, ut.
Lewis M. Croke, left the island on the 17th fer Fortress
Mtairoe, and the screw steam frigate Ariadne, 26, Captain
Edward W. Vansittart, on the 19th, for Jamaica. The
screw steam corvette Cadmus, 21, Capt. John F. I cc, was
expected to sail on the 28th for England, and the screw
steam corvette Py:ades, 21, Captain Arthur W. A. Hood,
early in March, for Nassau and the West Indies. The
screw steam frigate Galatea, 26, Capt. Rochfort Maguire,
which arrived from Havannah at Key West on Feb. 6, and
left on the 10th for Nassau, was daily expected at Bermuda.
The screw steam sloop Rinaldo, 17, Capt. J. A. R. Dunlop,
was compelled to continue at anchor off Ports Island until
some obstruction had been removed at Timlin's Narrow,
when she was to enter Hamilton harbour. On the Rinaldo
doing sox the screw steam gunvessel Nimble, 5, Lieut. John
D'Arcy, tender to the flagship Nile, was to leave for Grassy
Bay. The screw steam frigate Orlando, 46, Capt. George
G. Randolph, was undergoing a thorough refit and general
caulking.

His Imperial French Majesty's steam frigate Albatross,
4, Capt. Maude t, from Vera Cruz Jan. 29 and Havannah
Feb. 8 with 150 men and 40 invalids arrived at Bermuda on
the 22d. She had on board the officers of the French gun-
boat Lance, which was burnt inside the bar of Vera Cruz.
The Albatross, when 300 miles from the island, encountered
a gale, which made her leaky. It was expected that she
would leave for France on the 24th, when her repairs were
expected to be completed.
The following appointments and promotions were made
on Tuesday at the Admiralty :—Lieut. Augustus Jacob, to
the Excellent; Thomas W. Hansom, promoted to master;
James Taylor, promoted to be a Deputy Inspector-General of
Hospitals and Fleets on the " retired list ;" Thomas J. T.
Wood, assist-paymaster in charge, to the Pandora ; John
N. Colborne, assist.-paymaster in charge, to the Sparrow;
William H. Whichelo, assist.-paymaster, to the Victory;
and John C. Sabben, clerk, to the Hawk. The undernamed
gentlemen have been nominated to naval cadetship :
William H. May, G. N. Grenville, and H. T. Dorrier.
The following appointments were made yesterday at the
Admiralty :—Commander James Simpson to the Victoria
and Albert, vice Commander Christian, promoted; William
R. Cronin, master additional to the Hawke, for the Coast-
guard; John H. Patterson, Staff-Surgeon to the Royal Ade-
laide , Richard Picker, surg. to the Orpheus; John J. Ellis,
assist-surg. to the Fox ; Thomas Fulton, assist.-surg, to
the Indus; Edward B. Broster, assist.-surg. additional to
the Fisgard ; George A. Campbell, M.D., assist-surg. to
the Sparrow; and George Farr, assist.-surg. to the Pandora.