The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-04 00:00:00

THE PROPOSED NEW IRON FRIGATES

At the close of the session the Admiralty got a
snug vote of £2,500,000 for new iron frigates,
which in round numbers is just the price of five of
these costly vessels, according to the new scale of
dimensions on which they are in future to be built.
Having got the money, the authorities issued their
plans, and called upon the leading firms for tenders.
These tenders were duly sent in to Somerset-house
on and yesterday it was notified to
Mr. of Millwall, Mr. Laird, of Birkenhead,
Smataurer,ay'
and to the Thames Iron Works, where the Warrior
was built, that their offers were accepted, and that
they were to commence the construction of the ves-
sels forthwith. On the principle that half a loaf
is better than no bread, we suppose we must be
satisfied with this small addition to our iron de-
fences, though we must own we should. have been
infinitely better pleased if the Admiralty had taken
heart of grace and ordered the five outright, espe-
cially as they have the money, and that it will take
at least two years to complete each vessel. It is,
indeed, rumoured that five or six months hence
orders will be given for the remaiping two frigates,
but this is hardly a satisfactory explanation, if they
are meant to be built at all, for simply deferring
their construction for so long a period. The standard
of excellence was thought to have been attained
when the fine lines, ample dimensions, and immense
defensive armour of the Warrior and Black Prince
were finally decided upon. Very little more than
two years have elapsed since these matters were all
fixed, yet even in that short time the science of
building invulnerable vessels has rapidly developed
itself, for in several most important particulars the
.new ships will differ very much from the Warrior
class, on which it is hoped and expected they will
be an immense improvement. The Defence and
Resistance, ugly and clumsy as they undoubtedly
are, are nevertheless as great an improvement upon
the floating batteries as the Warrior and Black
Prince in turn improved upon them. If the three
intended ships only again improve as much on the
Warrior, it will show that we are advancing with
very rapid strides towards perfection in the manu-
facture of these colossal engines of modern warfare.
In three most important points the proposed ves-
sels will be great improvements. In the first place,
each will be built to carry 60 guns ; secondly, they
will not only be as fast and handsome as the War-
rior, but they also are to be specially built to be
used as steam rams, having their bows beneath
the water projecting far in advance of the ap-
parent bows above ; and, lastly, by the ad-
dition of some 700 tons to their size each will be
able to carry a complete coating of armour from
end to end, so that every part of the ship will be as
invulnerable as masses of iron and beams of teak
can make it.

The length of the new ships is to be 400 feet on
the low-water line ; breadth extreme, 59ft. 4in. ;
depth, 21ft. below the gun deck; and tonnage,
6,815. The length of the Warrior class is 380 feet,
breadth 58 feet, and tonnage, 6,710. The breadth of
deck, however, in the proposed frigates will not be
greater than the Warrior, as the Admil alty have
most wisely decided on giving the sides of the new
vessels a greater incline towards the deck. Thus
the slope of the Warrior's sides inwards from the
water's edge, or the " tumble home," as it is termed,
is at an incline of about one foot in 13, whereas in
the ships to be built it will be at an incline of one
in 8 feet, which of course not only increases the
chances of the shot glancing off, but has the more
important advantage of getting the weight more to
the centre, and diminishing the tendency to roll.

In the same way the floors of all the ships are to be
made fuller and flatter, which will give them in-
creased stability in a seaway, while from the ex-
treme fineness of the lines fore and aft even the
great speed of the Warrior will, it is said, be ex-
ceeded by at least half a knot an hour. The engines
of all are to be 1,250 horse power, and are to be
made by Penn and Sons, and the increase of ton-
nage will allow them to carry coals for from
11 to 12 days full steaming, instead of nine
days, which is ail the bunkers of either the
Warrior or Black Prince can stow. The
plates of the new vessels are to be larger
and thicker than the Warrior's. Tho broadside

of the latter is coated with 41 inches of iron,
22 inches of teak, with half an inch of iron
inside that again. The new ships are to have 51
inches of iron, 11 inches of teak, and half an inch
of iron (the skin of the ship) inside all. The Ad-