The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-08 00:00:00

TILE STEAM" RAM ~ RESISTANCE."

(From the Observer.)

In addition to the Warrior and Black Prince. which are
iron-cased frigates of enormous Power, and will, it is be-
lieved, be of great speed, there are now nearly completed
two powerful vessels of the "ram" class, designed for the
purpose of running down other ships in action, should an
opportunity present itself for this species of aggressive
warfare. It was originally intended that the Warrior
should be built EO as to make her available for this descrip-
tion of attack, and when first designed she had an advanced
prow, something like the breast of a swan, below the water
line, in order to enable her to strike her antagonist at the
most vulnerable point. This idea, however, has been aban-
doned, and the Warrior, just launched, is simply an iron-
cla4 war-frigate, The two "rams" are named the Resis-
tance and the Defence ; the first of these is now fast ap-
proaching completion in the building yards of Messrs.
Westwood, Baillie, Campbell, and Co., at Millwall. It is
to this and other extensive ship-building firms of a similar
character that the country may look with confidence for a
rapid reconstruction of our navy should iron war-ships be
decided upon, as they inevitably will be, to replace the old
wooden walls. With such vast means of production avail-
able we could readily outstrip all that France may do in the
preparation of these formidable engines of war.
Considerable difference of opinion prevails as to the
value of steam rams for offensive purposes, as compared
with iron frigates. This much, however, is clear, that the
iron-plated "ram" can make use of guns of equal calibre
with those used by the frigate, and where required equal
also in number, and the " ram" has an advantage over the
frigate in being able to work more guns at the bow and stein
than the frigate; add to this she is so constructed as to run
down by the force of concussion the opposing ship. "A
single ram," says Admiral Sartorius, "can effect with her
beak an amount of destruction in a few minutes which would
take many ■team frigates to effect very imperfectly in as
many days, if at all. She could get in among a fleet at night,
sink two or three ships, and disperse the rest. She could
run into a harbour, such, for example, as Cherbourg, by one
entrance and •ut by the other, sink same of the ships at
anchor in the outer road by her beak, and set fire to others
by her incendiary projectiles. The steam rams should have
both extremities the same (I proposed a screw and rudder
at each end, and also paddle-wheels for Channel service) ;
she should run in or out among the enemy's vessels, and
advance or back with the same velocity or quickness. If
attacking at night, with masts lowered, she could not be seen
until felt, could launch out her incendiary projectiles into
the town and harbour, and there would be no masts, sails, or
rigging to obstruct their flight in every direction. Guarded
by loopholed and bullet-proof towers to afford refuge to her
people when boarded, and boiling water made to be ejected
from them, it would be impossible to take the steam ram."
To this estimate of the value of the rams there are two objec-
tions offered—first, the vigilance, and secondly, the fire, of
the enemy. Assuming a good "look-out" to be kept—and
there is no ground to assume negligence in time of actual
hostilities—the " ram" would as she approached receive
the fire of the enemy, and that at so short a distance as to
pierce her armour plates. If the darkness should prevent
the " ram" being seen, it would equally obscure the vessels
to be attacked. Ships of war will not be expected to lie still
at their anchorage to be run down by the iron beaks of their
opponents. In the daytime they could be so handled as to
give the ram some difficulty in striking with great force, and
as the distance diminished they might deliver a fire that
would have a damaging effect even upon the armour plates.
It has also been objected that if the steam ram were at a
high speed to strike another vessel, the force of the blow
would be such as to throw the engine out of gear and
start the boilers and furnaces. This, however, is a matter
open to some doubt. Cellisions with steam vessels against
rocks and other ships are by no means of rare occurrence,
and the experience obtained upon such occasions tends to
negative the opinion that any serious consequences of
this sort would ensue. In one case a steamer going at
10 or 12 knots ran against a stone pier at New York ;
another struck some stone walls at Birkenhead ; a steamer
of one of the Canadian lines ran against a rock in the St.
Lawrence, stove in her forward compartment, but the en-
gines received no damage in either of these eases. But
these accidents, and others of a similar nature, have taken
place with merchant vessels of ordinary construction, and
greatly inferior to the strength and solidity of these enor-
mous iron-clad ships, built expressly for doing that which,
in the other cases, has been unintentionally done. The
beak of a steam ram rushing upon a large ship, with a mo-
mentum of some 4,000 tons, will not in all probability
encounter a sudden check ; the vessel struck will be afloat,
and will, of course, yield to the blow, heel over, or be driven
before the attacking ship. The gallant admiral just referred
to says :—" I am persuaded that a man in the gun-room of
the steam ram could hardly know that a collision had taken
place." At the same time it must not be forgotten that
the three-decker or frigate to be run into will be provided
with its broadside tiers of heavy guns, which may rake
the advancing foe as it bears down upon it, while the
steam ram can only use its pivot guns at the fore. The
stem will be vulnerable at the longer range, and the armour
plates may be smashed when the ships come tocloser quar-
ters. The danger of fouling the screw by the wreck of the
sunken ship has also to be avoided, for if the "ram" should
strike a three-decker and sink her, the speed and momen-
tum will carry her over the sinking ship, and it is difficult
to see how the screw can be prevented from fouling among
the rigging and wreck. In death the enemy may be more
powerful than in life, and in its drowning moments may
disable or carry with it its terrible conqueror. Whatever
may be the speculations as to the value of the " running
down" principle, the Government has certainly acted wisely
in having some vessels of the kind constructed to oppose
others of a similar character in course of building is France.
The Resistance is 280 feet.in length, 54 in breadth, and
39 in depth. As in the case of the Warrior, it is only over
a portion of the entire length that she is covered with the
armour plates. The part thus covered is 146 feet in length
by 19 feet in depth, or about five feet below the water line.
This leaves a space of nearly 70 feet at the bow and stern
unprotected ; but the absence of armour plates is fully
compensated by such a series of transverse and longitudinal
bulkheads in both these portions of the vessel, that they
may be riddled by shot without at all endangering the safety
of the ship. Supposing the extreme case of these bulkheads
being knocked away altogether, the centre of the ship, con-
stituting a shot-proof battery, would remain buoyant, and
impervious to the heaviest shot. The stem-piece, or bow,
projects forward in a curve closely resembling the outline of
the breast of a swan when swimming. The striking part is
formed of a massive piece of iron 2ft. 3in. deep, and about
Bin. thick, the most advanced portion being below the
water line, so that a blow struck would open a yawning
chasm in the side of the opposing vessel, through which
the water would rush with sufficient force to sink her in a
few.minutes, if she was not completely run down by the
superior force- and weight of the " ram." The beak and
bows of the ship are strengthened by a longitudinal bulk-
head, formed upon the cellular principle, with iron plates.
which extends backwards for a distance of 50 feet, rivetted
firmly together, and crossed and recrossed in every direction
for the purpose of giving additional strength. At the stern
the same enormous strength has been provided for :—The
sternpost is formed of one mass of iron 25 tons weight in its
finished state ; it is 8 inches thick, and over 30 feet in height.
The piece upon which it rests weighs 9 tons, is of wrought
iron, and 6 inches thick. The keel plates are of the best
possible description of rolled iron, and inch thick. From
these the plates gradually diminish in thickness until in the
upper portions they are of three-eighths iron. The scant-
ling and dimensions of the plates, girders, and deck beams
are in the Resistance the same as in the Warrior frigate, so
that allowing for the difference in tonnage, the " ram,"
being a smaller vessel, is much the strongest. The upper
and main decks are of iron, supported on rolled wrought
iron girders. In the construction of the hull the same cel-
lular principle, which was first employed in the Britannia
Bridge, and later in the Great Eastern steam-ship, has
been adopted, so that rigidity and strength are obtained to
an enormous extent. The iron plates are 4f inches in
thickness, and they are bolted, as in the case of the War-
rior, upon two layers of teak timber, each nine inches thick.
The tonnage of the Resistance is 3,700 tons,and her engines,
to be supplied by Messrs. Penn and Son, will be of 600-
horse power. Her lines, though not so fine as those of the
Warrior and Black Prince, are still well calculated for high
speed, and it is anticipated that 12 knots will be attained
The armament will be the Armstrong gun of the heaviest
calibre on the fighting decks, and pivot guns at the bows
and stern. The contract price of the hull was £44 per
ton, and fin. the engines £6O p r horse-power. The Der-
went and Low Moor Iron ompanies supply the plates for
the hull, and Messrs. Peel and Co. of the Park .gate Works,
Yorkshire, the armour plates. It is expected that the
Resistance will be ready for launching in the course of
the next month. The present inclement weather, of course,
greatly retards the works, as the ship is not constructed
under sheds, as is the custom at her Majesty's dockyards.
During the whole time of the construction of the Resis-
tance the work has been carried on under a rigid system of
Government inspection, two inspectors being constantly on
the premises, and every plate being duly examined and
tested before it is fixed. Messrs. Westwood and Co, were
among the six firms that tendered for the construction o

one of the three additional iron-cased frigates required by
the Admiralty. The premises are extensive, the machinery
most complete, and admirably adapted for the carrying out
of great works. At present the firm are constructing a very
handsome Crystal Palace of glass and iron, which is to be
forwarded to the Sultan ; and some lattice girder bridges of
great strength for the East Indian and Bombay and Baroda
Railways. Upwards of 2,000 hands find almost constant
employment at these works. The Defence, sister ship to
the Resistance, is well advanced at Messrs. Palmer's works
at Newcastle, and will shortly be ready for launching.

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