The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-13 00:00:00

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THE NA VI.

Considr,rable progress has been made in plating
the R';, Sal Oak, at Chatham, and yesterday
work .men commenced fixing her second tier of plates
the first tier amidships having been completed. Each
V.ate is laid on prepared felt, and is secured to +lO
ship's sides by 14 bolts which pass er.Yinpletely
through the timber and planking,- besides being
secured on the iraide by nuts, The armour•plates
are drilled, tuad otherwise prepared in the factory,
but, in congequence of the cylinder of one of the
large hydraulic machines used in bending the
plates having become fractured through the
enormous pressure required to be used in bending
the plates some delay will be experienced in the
w ork of plating the frigate, as only one hydraulic
machine can now be used. The cylinder of the
hydraulic machine which was fractured Was of a
thickness of five inches. The Royal Oak is being
strengthened internally at the bows in order that
she may be used as a steam ram. As she will be
launched before she is entirely plated, preparations
are being made for her reception in No. 3 dock, in
which she will be placed as soon as she is afloat, in
order that the work of fixing her armour-plates
may be coinpleted. Owing to the third dock not
being Wide enough to receive the Royal Oak, the
granite coping has been removed, and the sill cut
away. The Lords of the Admiralty have given
directions for two of the patent portable steam
cranes, manufactured by Messrs, Taylor, Britannia
Works, Birkenhead, to be used in the third dock
for raising the armour-plates to the frigate's sides,
and the tramways are now being laid down on each
side the dock on which the engines will traverse.
The armour-plates will be carried down to about
4ft. below her water line, so as to prevent shot strik-
ing the frigate below the water. Her broadside
plates will be of an uniform thickness of 4hin., but
at the stem and stern, and the other less exposed
parts of th,-.) ship, the plates will vary from lin. to
2in. less in thickness. The launching-ways have
been laid down, and so far as the shipwright de-
partment is concerned, the Royal Oak may be
launched within a fortnight.

The Warspite, 50, sailing frigate, attached to the
reserve at Chatham, is ordered to be fitted for a
training ship, the Lords of the Admiralty having
lent her to the Mercantile Marine Association.
The gale which commenced from the southward
and westward on Tuesday at Plymouth continued
more or less up to yesterday morning, when the wind
was blowing strongly from the south-east. All the
ships of war in the Sound had taken in their light
spars, lowered topgallant masts, and made all snug.
It was reported there that the Revenge, Trafalgar,
Emerald, Galatea, and Chanticleer were ordered to
Milford, where they would be joined by the St.
George, in order that Prince Alfred might be enabled
to christen the iron-cased ship Prince Consort,
50, to be launched on the 26th inst.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—William H. G. Nowell and
Frederick Gaskell, midshipmen, to the Rapid ;
Henry Morris, A. C. M. Coulson, A. C. Loveridge,
James H. Corfe, and Joshua Swan, midshipmen, to
the Euryalus ; Frederick 0. Powell and Philip N.
Tyrwhitt, midshipmen, to the Trafalgar; William
B. Fegen, surgeon, to the Dmdalns ; Dr. M. W.
Cowan, assist.-surgeon, to the Portsmouth Division
of Royal Marines; William T. Goldie, confirmed as
second-class assist-engineer in the Cumberland ;
Josh. Manley, confirmed as second-class assist.-en-
gineer in the Shannon ; James M'Gregor, confirmed
as second-class assist.-engineer in the Doterel ;
James Sheil, acting second-class assist.-engineer, to
the Asia; and Willie:in Way, master's assistant, to
the Rapid.