The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-25 00:00:00

su.N4 LoNtolit, TUESDAY EV10412410, APRIL 25,

Portsmouth Dockyard.

Our chief naval establishment at Portsmouth at
the present time contains afloat on the magnifieent
water space of its harbour, alongside the jetties of
its dockyard, in its two basins, and its few avail-
able docks, vessels thatstand on the active list of the
Admiralty official Navy List; and therefore exclusive
of hulks or other vessels for harbour duty only,
having an aggregate tonnage of some 122,000, and
possessing a nominal engine power of upwards of
35,000 horse. Neither are there included in this
immense force the screw wooden gunboats in com-
mission in the port or those in reserve—the latter
consisting of six of 60-horse power in the First Di-
vision of the Steam Reserve, seven of 20-horse power
in the Third Division, and two of 60-horse power in
the Fourth Division, the latter being two of the im-
proved class of gunboats. In the presence of this large
amount of tonnage and engine power, Portsmouth
dockyard, with its two basins, its ten docks, five build-
ing slips, vast smithery, foundries and workshops, its
charges in the Navy Estimates for nearly £173,000
for officers' salaries and allowances, wages to arti-
ficers, gas, contingencies, &c., might be expected
just now to be one of the busiest centres of naval life
in the world, and that its basins and docks must be
full of ships and its building sheds resounding with
the clang of the workmen's tools creating new ves-
sels to suit future wants. No idea could well be more
fallacious than such a one. Not a piece of iron or
timber for the construction of vessels lies under the
capacious sheds of its building slips, which are thus
giving no return for the capital expended on their
construction ; nor are its docks or the waters of its
two basins occupied to their full extent. The empti-
ness of the slipways may be set down to the super-
ession of wood by iron in the building of fleets for
the future ; and the partial occupation of the docks
and basins to their entire incapacity, for want of
length, breadth, and depth to meet present require-
ments. and the consequent necessary alterations which
they are now undergoing, so far as their design and
position will admit of its being done. A brief walk
round Portsmouth dockyard will best describe the
work in hand, so fas as relates to the shipping and
the accommodation afforded to the ships by the
basins, docks, and jetties. The steam basin itself,
completed in 1848, and having a wharfage of 950 ft.,
560 ft., 597 ft., and 450 ft. respectively on its four
inner faces, has been but a short time again avail-
able, having been dried out for nearly three months
to deepen the water over its floor, and will shortly
have to be dried out again to admit of some required
alterations being made to the aprons and entrances,
&c., of its communicating docks. At present only the
wooden frigate Mersey, 3,733 toss and 1,000-horse
power, lies *ithin the ample space of this basin. She
is undergoing very extensive repairs preparatory to
joining the First-class Reserve for commission. In
the secondtasin—the old ship-fitting basin—lies the
Calcutta sailing line-of-battle ship, fitting as a prac-
tice tender to the Excellent gunnery ship, in lieu
of the old Illustrious, now rotten and shaken to
pieces by the firing of the ordnance on her decks.
The Calcutta is a fine, sound, teak-built ship, and
is being fitted for her future service with every care
for her efficiency as a gunnery ship, and also for
the personal comfort of the 'officers and men who
may be on board of her. Besides the Calcutta are

e Thunderer, target ship, the Minstrel, gunboat

and the Laurel, hulk. The Thunderer has been
cut down to her lower deck ports and fitted amid-
ships with an iron-sided and floored rooflless room,
25ft. in length and the width of the ship, in which
all armour-plates tested at the port will in future be
tested, the muzzles of the guns being 25ft. from the
faces of the plates under trial when fired. The Laurel
hulk is placed here for the use of the crews of the
ships in the adjacent docks as a washhouse.
No. 1 dock, 228 ft. in length, contains the Advice,
a small paddle steamer of 197 tons, placed there
yesterday to clean and repair her bottom. No. 2
dock, 221 ft. in length, containing the Furious—the
last of the paddle war ships in Portsmouth harbour
—a vessel of 1,287 tons and 400-horse power, un-
dergoing survey for repair. In No. 3 dock, 251 ft.
in length; is the Royal Alfred, now converting a
second time to an iron-cased ship, and intended to

carry ten 300-pounder rifled 12-ton guns, if they
are ever made for her. The ship is all to pieces in-
board at present, but the work is being pushed on
as rapidly as shipwrights can be expected to do where
they have more iron than wood to deal with. Ten

large port-holes, about 9ft. by Bft., are being pre-
pared for each of her ports. These will be hammered
into one piece, with the port in their centre, will be
of great weight, and, resting on the outer skin of
the wooden hull (let in on the planking), will afford
great support to the armour-plating round the
ports. In No. 4 dock, which is 206 ft. in length, is
the iron screw troop ship Simoom, receiving a
thorough overhaul in hull and machinery, and other-

wise preparing
screw troopship Adventure,
an officer who, as commander of her Majesty's
for commission by Capt. Lethbridge,
was held in high esteem
by the military authorities of the south-west and
other military districts. 'The Simoom is a fine
capacious ship of 1,989 tons and 400-horse power

engines. In No. 5 dock, of 204 ft. length, is the
Pearl, screw wooden corvette of 1,469 tons and 400
horse power, just completing in one of those exten-

sive repairs lately referred to by Mr. Seely in the
House of Commons as exceeding in total cost the
original purchase. The Pearl will be a very useful
class of vessel, but she has no speed. In No. 6 dock,
190 ft. in length, is thenewgunboat Cherub, ordered

to undock on the 22d inst. No. 7 dock, which is a
continuance of No. 10 (forming together the south

entrance to the steam basin from the harbour) is
now undergoing a deepening of its floor of sft, and

is, therefore, non-available. No. 8 is in temporary

use by the Orontes screw troopship, Capt. H:Hire,
which has been recoated below the water-line with

pigment non-fouling, &c., compositions, and is or-

dered to be undocked on the 24th inst. It is some-

what curious that these new iron screw troopships
should require so often docking. The new troop
galley constructed_ on the dockyard plan and fitted
on board the Orontes during thepa.st summer is con-
sidered out of repair. This is said to be owing:to:the
large fires which are requisite to Lire the requisite
heat for cooking with it ; in boiling and baking the
consumption of fuel averaging nearly 15cj -t. per day,
and fires have to be lighted by 2 a.m. eat •h day to
get the men's breakfasts ready by regulat, ion time.