The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-25 00:00:00

ENGLAND'S FUTURE FLEET.

England's future fleet must be of iron, and con-
sist of the following classes :—First, iron steam-
ships of the line. These, if built to carry 100 guns,
must be each of 10,000 tons burden, have engines
of 2,500 horse-power, carry fuel for 5,000 miles,
and will cost us, fully equipped and armed,
£750,000. The second class will be iron steam-
frigates. These, if built to carry 50 guns, must be
each of 7,000 tons burden, which is a little larger
than the Warrior, of 6,000 tons burden, have
a speed of 15 knots, fuel for 5,000 miles, and
will cost when completed and armed, £500,000.
Such a vessel would be cheaper per gun than the
Warrior. The third class will be iron steam-
corvettes. These must have the same speed as the
others, and coal for the same distance, but will
carry 20 guns, sail 15 knots, be of 5,000 tons burden,
and cost £300,000. These three classes our author
designs to act together at sea, in all weathers, and
in any portion of her Majesty's dominions. These
three classes constitute a separate division. They
are all to be impregnable, and an overmatch,
beyond all comparison, for any wooden ship of the
same number of guns now in existence.
The three remaining classes of vessels in the
future iron fleet must have a high speed equal to
that of the first three classes, but only partial pro-
tection. Tne fourth class, therefore, will consist of
iron steam-clippers, of 2,500 tons burden, carrying
10 guns, having four guns and her boilers, ma-
chinery and magazines perfectly protected ; her
speed will be 15 knots, her cost £160,000. The
fifth class should be like the existing steam sloops
of the navy, except that they should be of iron, and
faster. They should be 2,000 tons burden, carry
10 guns, and cost £120,000. The sixth class, built
for speed alone, should also earry 10 guns, but
should perform 16 to 17 knots. The cost of each
would be £lOO,OOO.
In addition to these classes, Mr. Scott Russell
proposes iron gunboat flotillas. These also are
ranked in different classes; first, gunboats of 120
tons burden, of 30 horse-power, carrying 25 men,
with a speed of about 8 knots, and drawing
between 4 and 6 feet of water. Fifty of these
should be built every year until we have enough.
Second, paddlewheel despatch-boats, supplementary
to the gunboat flotilla, each of 100 horse-power, 300
tons burden, carrying two guns, and having a
speed of 10 knots. Third, screw vessels of about
400 tons, also carrying 2 guns, drawing 8 feet of
water, and able to steam 10 knots. Fourth, gun
vessels like the Recruit and the Weser, only larger
and faster, and like them armed with 4 large guns,
also to be capable of being navigated, like class
second, either end foremost, and to be partially
protected.
The total cost of a channel fleet of iron steam-
ships, consisting of 10 ships of the line, 10 frigates,
and 10 of the corvette class, would be £15,500,000.
An auxiliary fleet, consisting of 10 steam-clippers,
10 steam-sloops, and 10 despatch boats would cost
us L 3,700,000. With such a fleet we would require
only one-fourth of our present number of seamen.
23,500 men would do the work of the 85,500 now
employed in our fleet and coastguard service, and
would certainly be an overmatch for all the navies
in the world put together. With such a fleet our
ships would be easily manned. 25,000 sailors in
it will be as effective as 100,000 in the old.
Its construction would raise the character and
position of all classes of men connected with it,
and especially favour the increase of knowledge
and skill among our naval officers and naval
architects. An iron fleet will undoubtedly be
much cheaper to maintain than a wooden one. The
annual maintenance of the proposed fleet would be
only £200,000, for an iron ship, if well cared for,
never decays. The current annual cost of our fleet
afloat is now about £5,000,000; while another
£5,000,000 are expended annually in our dockyard
establishments. If, therefore, a new iron fleet
should cost us £20,000,000, it would be much
cheaper than the vaunted wooden walls which we
are always reconstructing, overhauling, cutting
down, lengthening, converting, and yet, like Dutch
clocks, are always out of repair.
Such is the scheme of national defence proposed
by one of the most celebrated of living, architects.
Its completeness, the name of its author, and the
admirable clearnese and force with which it is stated,
must tell upon the naval policy of all great nations.
—Mechanics' Magazine.