The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-12 00:00:00

711 E NAVY.

The rivke of Somerset and the Lords of the Ad-
miralty accompanied by Lord Clarence Paget, are

exPeCted to arrive at Plymouth this evening from

the 'Channel Islands.

'The Psyche, paddle despatch gunvessel, fitted
-with engines of 250-horse power by Messrs. Sohn
Penn and Son, the first of her class afloat, made her

official trial of speed yesterday at the measured mile
in Stokes Bay, under the superintendence of Capt.
H. Broadhead, commanding her Majesty's ship
Asia and the steam reserve at Portsmouth, Messrs.

Murdoch and Lynn superintending the working of
the machinery on the part of the Admiralty, and
Mr. Holliday being in charge for Penn and Son.
The cylinders have a diameter of 62in., with 4ft.
bin. length of piston stroke, the area of the cylinders
being 3,019 square inches. The diameter of the
wheels is 18ft. ; the quantity of coals on board, 230
tons; draught of water, 10ft. 7in. aft, and 9ft. 7in.
forward. The engines are fitted with disengaging
apparatus, and the builers with superheaters. The
ship is of 835 tons, built from Admiralty drawings.
Portsmouth harbour was left at 11 30 a.m., and on
clearing its entrance the revolutions of the engines
were increased to 29 and the vessel's course was
laid out to the southward. The weather was as
favourable as could possibly be for the trial, the
water being perfectly smooth, with a light westerly
breeze. On nearing the Warner lightvessel the
Psyche's head was brought round and laid for the
trial ground in Stokes Bay, where eight runs were
made at " the mile," as follows :—ln the first run
the time was 3 min. 46 sec. ; the speed in knots
15.929 ; the pressure of steam, 271 b.; and the num-
ber of revolutions of engines, 321. In the second
run the time was 4 min. 47 sec.; the speed in knots,
12.543 ; the pressure, 271 b. ; and the number of

revolutions, ki. In the third run the time was
3 rain. 39 sec. ; the speed in knots, 16.438 ;

the pressure, 291 b.; and the number of revo-
ktions, 33. In the fourth run the time was 4 min.
40 sec. ; the speed in knots, 12.857 ; the pressure,
281 b. ; and the number of revolutions, 34. In the
fifth run the time was 3 min. 44 sec.; the speed
in knots, 16071; the pressure, 271 b. ; and the
number of revolutions, 33-1. In the sixth run
the time was 4 min. 29 sec. ; the speed in knots,
13.383; the pressure, 2Jlb. ; and the number of re-
volutions, 331. The mean speed of the whole was
14,521 knots. The vacuum of the engines ranged
from 24 to 25 inches. At the conclusion of the
full-speed trials the ship was steamed out to the
southward to case the steam down and cut off the

two after-boilers to test the ship's speed at hal
power, which was carried out in two runs with the
following results :—First run—time, 4 min. 18
sec.; speed in knots, 13,953; revolutions of engins,
281. Second run—time 4 min. 44 sec.; speed in
knots, 12.676 ; revolutions of engines, 30. The
mean speed of the two runs was 13.314 knots. In
making the circle complete, with the helm to star-
board, the ship came round to port in 5 min. 24
sec., the rudder being over at an angle of 161 dogs.
Round in port the circle was made in 5 min. 28
sec., the rudder being over to 29 degrees; the re-
volutions of the engines being, in the first instance,
291, and, in the second, 28. From the time of
living the word the engines were stopped dead
from full speed in 30 seconds, started ahead in 16
seconds, and started astern in 35 seconds. The
diagrams of the indicator and expansion cards were
unusually favourable character. At full speed the
ship carried a tremendous wave under her bows,
while at half speed she carried one of not a quarter
the size. From these circumstances it was evident
that as the driving power of the engines was in-
creased from half to full speed so the volume of
the water to be driven before her bows was also in-
If this fact be then taken as the cause of the alight
difference in the ships speed between half and full
boiler-power, then the only conclusion which can
be arrived at is,—that, had the hull of the Psyche
been so perfect in form and capable of doing its
work as is her machinery, the ship's speed at
sea would equal the speed attained at the
measured mile yesterday. As it is the Psyche
may be looked upon as a 134 to 12 knot vessel at
sea, taking the average of weather. The engsnes
and boilers gave the greatest possible satis-
faction by their working. The Psyche is a
sister vessel to the Enchantress, launched at Milford;
the Helicon, building at Portsmouth, and the Sala-
mis at Chatham. It had been arranged that the
Psyche was to become the yacht for the use of the
Lords of the Admiralty, but on their lordships visit-
ing the vessel at Portsmouth last week a doubt was
expressed whether she would afford the necessary
accommodation, and it is not improbable now that
her future services may be changed to the Mediter-
ranean, on the line between Malta and Marseilles.
His Royal Highness Prince Adalbert embarked
Southsea on board the screw corvette Gazelle on
Sunday evening, at 7 o'clock, accompanied by Capt.
Von Bothwell and Lieut. Baron St. Paul, his aides-
de-camp, and the Gazelle got under way and left
Spithead under steam, at 10 o'clock, for Cherbourg
Brest, and Marseilles, thence returning to Devon-
port.
The gunboat Hind, which has been undergoing
thorough repair in Plymouth, was taken yesterday
outside the breakwater to test her engines and ma-
chinery. She will resume her duty at Falmouth as
tender to the coastguard ship Russell, 60, Capt. G.
Wodehouse.
The war department steamer Lord Panmure,
Com. Moore, sailed from Woolwich yesterday morn-
ing for Devonport, laden with Armstrong 18-poun-
der batteries, shot, shell, &c. ; and the Eagle, be-
longing to Mr. Carr, contractor to the department,
sailed for Leith, laden with a similar cargo.
Her Majesty's steamer Megrera, Cora. Henderson,
on particular service, arrived at Deptford on Satur-
day from Devonport.
Notwithstanding the very successful trial of the
machinery erected by Messrs. Maudsley, Son, and
Field, in her Majesty's ship Rattler, 17, 200 •horse
P'wer, Commander E. H. Howard (as reported in
The 'Sun of the 30th ult.), it was considered by the
contractors that the results wouldbe still more satis-
factory if the
rtunnels were lengthened and the cor-
ners of the screw cut off. Accordingly, the altera-
tions have been d
e, and the vessel again taken to
eaSlired
M offm
the aplin sands, in charge of Capt
Thompson, of the steam reserve, to test theresults on
Friday last, the Bth last.
The ship had a draught of
water of 14ft. 4in. forward,
,0e d 14ft. 10in. aft, and
the force of wind (w.s.
was 6 and upwards
dialog the trial.
The average
Peed of 10 knots per
d the wind and tide being against
the vessel throughout the trial. The average
01brevo-
lutions were 89 ; pressure of steam 2• ; and va-
cuum 23. The alterations 0 and screw
have fully answered the end contemplated • The
f working
boilers kept steam well, and the of the
machinery was most satisfactory. Mr. Wart,
uer
represented the contractors, and bad charge of the
engine, and Messrs, Blaxland and Urquhart attended
to watch the results for the Admiralty.
ro-
The works which have been for some time in p
n-
the e
. qs at Chatham dockyard for enlarging
gi e,ranite
trance to No. 3 dock by the removal of the g
bill and other projections, so as to allow of the
armour-plated frigate Royal Oak, 51, being placed in
that dock as soon as launched, were completed on
Saturday. The sides of the dock at the entrance
have been cut away to the extent of several feet,
which will enable the armour-plated vessel to be
floated in to her place on the blocks with 17 inches
to spare on eaoh side. Every exertion is now being
used to have the Royal Oak ready for launching
early in the month of September, to accomplish
which there are as many as 600 mechanics—ship.
wrights and other hands—employed on her. As far
as the shipwright department is concerned the
frigate was ready for launching some time since,
hut it was decided that she should not, be sent afloat
until a portion of her armour plates had been
affixed to her sides, to accomplish which the efforts
of the hands employed:about her have been directed.
Two tiers of plates on her port and starboard sides
have already been fixed, but the operation of plat-
inge has,of necessity,
proceeded but slowly,
owing to the want of the requisite machinery for
preparin
• g the plates. Nearly the whole of this has,
however, been now erected in the factory adjoining
building slip, and increased exertions
will be used
canpossibly
to complete, so far as done, the fix-
ing the broadside plates before the f •
rigate is