The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-27 00:00:00

Her Majesty's Ship Agincourt.

At high water, about half-past 10 o'clock this
morning, Messrs. Laird Brothers, of the Birkenhead
Ironworks, will float from a graving dock in their
yard her Majesty's ship Agincourt, an ironclad ram,
which they have built for Government. The vessel
is a magnificent specimen of naval architecture, and
the workmanship throughout is of the very best
character. It is expected that she will shortly be
ready for the trial trip, and there appears to be
little, if any, doubt as to her completely satisfactory
behaviour. The annexed information respecting
the Agincourt and the other work ,in progress at
this yard has been supplied by Messrs. Laird.
It is rather more than three years since the works
were commenced, and the first plate of the keel was
lowered into the dock to its final place on the blocks
in June, 1862. The total weight of the ship, armour
plating, and machinery as she now lies is more than
8,000 tons. During the course of her construction
as many as 1,000 men have been employed upon
this one ship, varying according to the different
stages of the work. The number is now reduced
to about 500, and will become gradually less as
the different parts are completed. After being
undocked she is to be towed into the new
Morpeth Dock, Birkenhead, where her machi-
nery will be tried, and the various details of internal
fittings and outfit completed. The dimensions of the
ship are :—Length over all, 410 ft. ; length between
the perpendiculars, 400 ft. ; breadth (extreme), 59ft.
3iin. ; tonnage, 6,680 tons ; draught of water abaft,
26ft; forward, 25ft. ; height of port tills above
water, 10ft. ; number of ports on each side, 26, of
which two on each side are suited for 12-ton 300-
pounder guns, the remainder for 100-pounder
Somerset naval guns or 110-pounder Armstrongs.
The armour plating is sfin. of iron bolted on to 10in.
of teak, extending from sft. below the water-line to
the gunwale, or a total height of about 21ft. The
armour plates are rolled, and were made, part by
the Mersey Steel and Iron Company, and the re-
mainder by Messrs. Brown and Co., of Sheffield.
For about 30ft. at the extreme ends of the vessel the
thickness is slightly reduced, so as to give buoyancy
to the vessel ; the thickness at the stem being 3in.,
and under the counter about 2i-in. The stem is
formed in the ram shape, and is a solid forging of
enormous strength. This and the stern frame,
which weighs upwards of 40 tons, were made by the
Mersey Steel and Iron Company. The hull of the
vessel is of iron, of very great strength, and divided
into numerous watertight compartments by both
longitudinal and athwartship bulkheads, and there
is also a watertight inner skin, forming a double
bottom, to give security against danger of the vessel
sinking in case of the bottom being injured by
striking on rocks. The upper deck is plated with
iron five-eighths of an inch thick, underneath the
wooden deck. The whole of the internal fittings
are most elaborate and complete, comprising cabins,
store-rooms, magazines, shell-rooms, and the vari-
ous fittings for the accommodation of the crew and
the working of the guns. An important addition
has been made to the ship since she was laid down,
in the shape of a poop and topgallant forecastle.
The poop gives ample space for the cabins neces-
sary for an admiral and staff, thus fitting the ship
for a flagship, which the arrangements of the
earlier ironclads did not admit of. The forecastle,
being plated in front with armour plates, forms a
kind of breastwork, to prevent the upper deck being
raked by an enemy's fire, and also gives room for
two large guns, which can be trained in a line with
the keel, and will be most useful as bow chasers.
There are to be five masts, all of iron, which are
now complete alongside ready for putting on board.
The engines are of 1,350-horse power, and were
made by Messrs. Maudslay, Sons, and Field, of Lon-
don. It is expected that they will exert sufficient
power to propel the ship more than 14 knots an
hour. The whole of the machinery was sent round
from the Thames in Government storeships, tran-
shipped in the Birkenhead docks into lighters,brought
into the graving dock alongside the Agincourt, and
then lifted on board by means of a travelling crane
fitted up for the purpose ; the heavy parts, such as
cylinders and boilers, weighing upwards of 25 tons
each. The vessel has been constructed in a dock
which was altered specially for the purpose, and is
now one of the finest graving docks in the country,
being about 430 ft. long, with an entrance 75ft. wide
and a depth of water on the cill of 24ft. on average
spring tides, and as much as 27ft. or 28ft. on high
spring tides. The dock is covered by a lofty shed,
80ft. in width, of corrugated iron, supported on iron
columns, which also carry a line of rails for two tra-
velling cranes, which have been constantly used in
lifting and putting in place the massive framework
and armour-plating of the ship. This shed and the
different decks of the ship have been lighted with
gas, so as to enable the men to work full hours dur-
ing the winter months, and without exposure to the
inclemency of the weather. The ship also has the ad-
vantage of having been protected from the injurious
effects of wet and damp during the whole course of
construction. The appliances have enabled the builders
to get the ship nearly ready for sea before sending
her away from their own premises, and the machi-
nery is so far completed that it is intended to make
preliminary trial of the engines to-morrow ; in-
deed, if it had not been for the injury the smoke
would do to the shed, steam might have been got up
to move the ship from the dock.

After this description of the largest vessel that the
Messrs. Laird have yet turned out, it will not be out
of place to give a short description of the premises,
and the amount of general work nOw in hand. The
premises have a frontage to theriver of about I,oooft,
and a depth of about 600 ft., or equal to an area of
about 14 acres. Within this area are comprisedthe
usual building slips, shops, and machinery for build-
ing iron ships, and also five large graving docks, the
two largest of which are capable of receiving the
largest class of vessels afloat. There are also in the
same establishment very extensive shops for making
engines and boilers, nearly the whole of the ma-
chinery for the vessels built on the establishment
being made on the premises. We may mention that
the total amount of tonnage now on hand invarious
stages of progress is about 27,000 tons, and the
horse power of engines now being made is about
3,700. The total number of workmen employed at
the present time in the various departments is about
3,800, and from appearance we judge there is ample
employment for them for some time to come. There
have been several important alterations made in
these works lately, among others the extensive shed
used as the armour-plate shop, which has been spe-
cially adapted for the heaviest class of armour-plate
work, and is complete with hydraulic presses, planing
and drilling machines, as well as furnace and cradles
for bending the plates while hot, the whole shop
being traversed by powerful travelling cranes. A
large number of vessels are in progress ; among those
most advanced are one screw steamer of 3,300 tons
and 475 horse power, for the National Steam Navi-
gation Company ; one screw steamer of 1,800 tons i
275 horse power ; two steel paddlewheel steamers
of 1,100 tons and 260 horse power each ; one ar-
mour-clad turret ship of 1,100 tons and 300 horse
Power ; one sailing ship of 600 tons, for the West
Coast trade ; and also a small steam launch, about
25 tons, with engines on the double screw principle.
The four first named steamers will be complete and
ready to launch within the next month, and the
engines and boilers are also in a forward state.
In one of the large docks is her Majesty's
turret ship Wivern, sister ship to the Scorpion (the
preliminary trial of which vessel we noticed a few
days ago). She is nearly complete, and the masts,
which are now alongside, have been made
on Cap-
tain
C. P. Coles's tripod principle,
this being the
first vessel in her Majesty's service so fitted. In
the same dock are two vessels undergoing heavy re-
pairs. Among other contracts recently entered into
is one for the building of an iron screw transport
for her Majesty's Government for the India relief
service, of 4,173 tons, with engines (which are also
to be made at these works) of 700-horse power
nominal, but to be capable of working up to 4,250-
horse power. This vessel will be laid down imme-
diately, in the large dock occupied by the Agincourt.
There are also contracts in hand for three paddle-
wheel steamers for river service, and three large
screw steamers. The engines and boilers for all
these vessels, with one exception, are being made in
the works.