The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-15 00:00:00

11:4_4 .

The Lords of the Admiralty proceeded yesterday
from Hamoaze to Stonehouse, where they inspected
the Royal Marines. The Controller of the Navy,
ac,companied by Admiral Superintendent Sir Thos.
".easley, transacted business on board the yacht Os-
borne, and then went to the frigate Liffey, which
is being coppered in No. 1 dock at the Devonport
Dockyard. A lieutenant in the Prussian navy was
at the Devonport Dockyard yesterday, and will be
there again to-day. It is supposed his visit is in
connexion with the proposed purchase by his Go.
vernznent of some ships in the British navy. After
landing on Wednesday from their yacht the Osborne,
and visiting the new jetty, constructed with iron
piles at Devonport Dockyard, his Grace the Duke
of Somerset and the other Lords of the Admiralty
proceeded to inspeet the progress making on the
only ship in course of building in that arsenal, viz.,
the Ocean, whi‘eh is sufficiently advanced and would
have been launched at the time originally designed,
October, 'out for a deficiency of iron beams. It ap-
pears aaat the three sister ships building at Ports-
mout)a, Chatham, and Pembroke, require, like the
Oce an, 46 beams each, but as there was a delay in
tI-,e supply from the foundry, the authorities pru-
'dently determined not to postpone the launching of
the ships through this delay, In consequence of
this the Ocean has received 11 only, eight of which
are fitted. She may, however, be launched in No-
vember. Workmen are caulking her bottom, and
the launching frame is in progress. The fitting of
the iron beams, the funnel hatches, store rooms, and
other iro:n work is done by shipwrights. They cut
the cailines with their cold chisels and saws, and fit
and rivet the iron knees. Much of this work was
formerly done by blacksmiths only, The stem is to
b a plated with three-inch iron ; the mast will be
stepped in the hold with iron heels, open so that
the screw shaft can pass through them. The Ocean
was, like the others, designed originally to carry
101 guns. She will now have but 34 in all
—viz., on 'the main deck 24 68-pounders, and
eight Ar.mstrong 110-pounders, and on the
upper deck only two pivot Armstrongs of 1101 b. ;
the pc,rts of this deck will be closed. She will also
haw; for boat service two Armstrong 201 b., one of
12.4. b., and another of 91b., besides a brass 6-pounder,
'I heir lordships went on board the Ocean, and from
her proceeded to the Robust, 101, which belongs to
the same class as the Donegal, St. Jean D'Acre,
and Conqueror; she is nearly planked. If iron-
plated., she must be cut in two, like the Ocean. After
inspecting the Robust the members of the Board
vi .kited slip No. 2, now vacant, and, returning by
the same route, went to the chain-cable store and
South Smithery, and then to the office of the Ad-
miral Superintendent. After a short stay at the
office, their lordships, while the men were at dinner,
visited the new dock forming on the site of the ori.
ginal docks, Nos. 2 and 3, one of which was inside
the other. Five-sixths of the work of the new
dock is completed, and the whole may be finished
by December. It will be fit for the reception of
ships of the Warrior class, or larger, being 437 ft.
over all, with a floor about 290 ft. long. The depth
from coping to till is 40ft.; the sides are very steep;
if they fell off a large portion of the yard would be
sacrificed. Outside this dock, and communicating
with gates, there will be a lock 28ft. long, having
a caisson facing Hamoaze. For this work the Go-
ve.rnment supply the Portland stone, which they
'send from the island. The contractors, Messrs. J.
and A. Kitt, supply the granite, which is obtained
from the Haytor Granite Company. Mr. Hopper,
clerk of the works, superintends the operations for
the Admiralty. Their lordships next visited the
Screw steam corvette Rattlesnake, 21, which is
alongside the jetty, fitting with a poop and fore-
castle, to carry the flag of the new Commodore on
tbe West Coast of Africa. The only ships on the
stocks in the Devonport dockyard, besides the Ocean
and Robust, are later, 36, just in frame, which is
scarcely strong enough to bear iron-plating ; and the
Bittern, 4. There is some talk of adapting one or
both of these ships to Mr. Reed's plan. In No. 1
dock is the screw steam frigate Liffey, 51, Capt.
G. W. Preedy, C. 8., recently returned from the
North American station ; she has lost the two
forr.3pieces of her false keel, which were probably
carried away the last time she entered Halifax har-
hour. Her copper is removed for fresh caulking.
The repairs will be completed about the 28th inst.
After a short visit to the town of Devonport the
Duke of Somerset, Vice-Admiral Sir W. F. Grey,
Admiral Eden, Mr. Whitbread, Lord Clarence
Paget, Capt. Moore, Admiral Robinson, Mr.
Richards, and Col. Greene, returned to the arsenal,
and, embarking in the Admiral's yacht, proceeded
to -Keyham steam-yard, where they were received
by Commander Biddlecombe, Mr. Townsend, and
the other officers. They went first to the proposed
site for seamen's barracks. Tenders for construct-
ing the buildings are in the hands of the authorities.
After a short consultation in the Admiral's-office,
their lordships next examined the progress of Mr.
Drew's contract for lengthening No. 1, or the
Queen's dock, 100 feet, so as to receive the Warrior.
The work was commenced early in June, and is
progressing satisfactorily. The granite forming
the elliptical head of the dock has been nearly all
removed, and the hard slate rock has been cut down
to near the level of the broad alter. Steps will be
formed in the rock, and the cost of worked granite
will for the present be postponed. The new head
-a ill be more circular than the one removing. The
next duty consisted in inspecting Mr. Hubbard's
contract for lengthening the sea entrance sufficiently
to Boat ships of the Warrior class. His work is
confined to carrying the depth of the lock (371 t.)
into the basin by a tronc 100 ft. long, so as to ex-
tend the deep water from, say, 250 ft. to 350 ft.
Part of the bow end of the stonework of the lock
has been removed, and some progress has been
Inade in excavating the basin to the length and
depth required. The basin has an area of 8 acres,
and the bottom is covered with silt and rubble to a
dept of 12 inches, more or less; this will, of course,
be removed. Before the 'basin was emptied several
vessels requiring repairs, which would probably
occupy a„,
- much time as the contract work, were
placed in the docks. No. 1 has an iron caisson and the
paddlewheel steamer Buzzard ; No. 2, the paddle-
wheel steamer Valorous; and No. 3, the iron paddle-
wheel steamer Triton. Some interest attaches to
this vessel in conseqn,teo
of the employment of
ship weights on the ironwork an arrangement which
has given satisfaction ; 12 of
these artisans, volun-
teers, were sot toto work. Aaiexio, ,
tneir competi-
appliances of the
smith's shop, but
superior to them in
tors in the ready
their knowledge
of the best
ship, they are said
mode of handling have made
orig
sviifter progress in unrivetting the plateshl h •
n
off from the sides of the dock to have
laofoothin,
solid to strike against. When fixing Plat", and
the use of a forge is necessary for butt pieces, tap"
ing, &C., it is done by the smiths. Where the cola
chisel can do it they perform the workthemselves,
the emie iron is
In some of the Triton's old plates at r
sheet of
said to be no thicker than an ordinary
paper. On each side of dock No.
steam
have been fixed, with tramways2 substantial
travelling
cranes, for the purpose of iron plating the Ocean,
port
now nearly ready for launching in the Devon

yard. In the great covered quadrangle furnaces
and machinery for forming the plates are construct-
ing ; they were examined most minutely by their
lordships before their departure. The Duke of
Somerset dined in the evening with Port-Admiral
Sir Houston Stewart, at Government-house, Mount
Wise, whence his grace proceeded with his col-
leagues to St. George's-cull, Stonehouse, to patro-
nise a ball in aid of the British Orphan Female
School. When coming down Channel from Port-
land tho Osborne paid a short visit to Dartmouth.
Besides the Lords of the Admiralty, the yacht took
to Plymouth some members of the Defence Commis-
sion, and the Secretary to his Royal Highness the'
1 )tiki, of eilnahridge, the Commander-in-Chief of the,
1. 41 forcezr- The Senretary of SteAe for War, Sir G.
C. is
76"".41Straristiain, Incpeetor.General 00
): I Ithi'llneB; Mr.'l,-hairnMond and-the Lord Chan
ceit:ir, Lord Wesibu
'"Yire also at Plymouth.
The Board of Admiralty-has fully approved thel
inn el of an improved armonr.
Turner,Plated cupola vessel,
invented by meter shipwright, at
WOolwich Dockyard, and one of
these vessels is or:
dered to be constructed.. The iron eliPsaa will be:
long, 50 ft:
2 0
fixed instead of moveable, oft.