The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-05 00:00:00

THE BLACK PRINCE IRON-CLAD FLOATING
BATTER,:

(Avals the Glasgow Heral4)

This tremendous floating battery, whicYa is now in course
of completion in the building-yard of Atoossrs. It. Napier and
Sons, at Govan, will, unless some unforeseen delay should
supervene, be launched on the 12th Feb. next. The War-
rior, the first ship of this new iron-clad class, was launched
a few weeks ago in the Thames, and it may be presumed
that the Clyde-built battery, the name of which is to be
the Black Prince, will be in every way worthy of those
builders and engineers who inibygone years have turned out
the most magnificent mercantile steam fleet in the world. In
the construction of these peculiarly powerful ships, we are
following the example set to us by the French in their pre-
cursor ship the Gloire, aid, considering our great aptitude
for this kind of work, it may not be too much to assume
that we shall not be content with placing ourselves on a
par with our French neighbours, but that we shall " better
the instruction."

The Black Prince has the following general dimensions:
Length from figurehead to taffrail 419 feet.
Length between perpendiculars 3BO ~
Breadth (extreme) 5B „
Depth (moulded)
Tonnage (builders' measurement) 6,057 tons.
Externally she appears to be a singularly handsome and very
sharp screw vessel of the above colossal dimensions, and
when at her load-draft will present a row of main deck ports
about - ft Gin deep, by 2ft wide, at a height of about 9ft 6in
above the water; but there are also to be various guns on
the upper deck, -which will fire through ports in the bulwarks.
The vessel has been constructed to carry 40 guns, 34 of
which are to be placed on the lower and 6 on the upper deck.
At present we believe 68-pounder long-range guns will be
employed; but probably in the sequel Armstrong 100-
pounder, or at all events rifled, guns will be introduced. In
effect the vessel may be described as a strongly-built iron
sinew vessel, having the greater part of her length made in-
vulnerable against shot and shell by a sheathing or armour
of 'wrought iron slabs ; but as the shocks to which this is
exposed, transmitted directly to the true water-tight shell
of the vessel, would inevitably start the joints
of the latter, . 18in of East India teak timber
are interposed between the armour and the skin of the ves-
sel. The timber, of course, covers the vessel from stem to
stern. It is laid in two thicknesses. The armour plates
are bolted over the whole, and screwed up against the in-
side of the hull plating. The armour consists of forged iron
plates 4iin thick. Each plate is 15ft 6in in length, by 3ft
2in in breadth, and weighs upwards of 4 tons. The plates
are all fitted into one another with groove and dovetail
joints, involving an immense amount of labour; and as
there are no fewer than 200 of these used in covering the
outer surface of this immense locomotive marine fortress,
the weight of the mere armour of the vessel is not far short
of 900 tons.

We have mentioned that the moulded depth of the vessel
is 41ft. The armour plates cover 22ft in depth of the top
sides, 16ft of which will be exposed above the water line,
the armour thus descending about 6ft below the surface of
the sea. If a cannon ball should strike her below the pro-
tected surfaces, its velocity will be so much exhausted by
the distance it has to travel through the water before it can
strike at such a depth, that the damage therefrom will be
consequently trifling. We have also said that the length
of the vessel is 380 ft between the perpendiculars. Of this
distance the armour covers 220 ft longitudinally along each
of the vessel's sides, and it thus presents literally a wall of
iron to any opposing fleet. But these tremendous plates are
carried across or athwart the ship at each end of this wall,
forming an internal bulkhead of a strength equal to the out-
side of the vessel.

The vessel is built in compartments, so that in the event
of any part receiving damage that damage is confined to the
particular locality, and she continues afloat without sensible
diminution of her buoyancy. A large number of thwart-
ship bulkheads of malleable iron, running at right angles
to and between the longitudinal bulkheads, have been in-
troduced, so that in the extremely improbable event of a
shot penetrating into the interior of the vessel, the damage
is restricted to the compartment into which it has forced
itself; and hence even in the event of known modes of
shot-holes, and the concentrated action of the
hip and engine
pumps upon the particular corn-
pstaorpmpienug
tbeing
insufficient to keep the water under,
these compartments may be filled with water with-
out the least injury being sustained by the immediately
adjoiningaud
compartments. The magazines are also enclosed
protected by double bulkheads, the space between
being capable of being filled v(ith water as a security
against, as regards them, the far more appalling accidentof fire. Her engines are to be of 1,250 horso-power, KO"
plied with steam from 10 boilers. It is expected that she
will atteat a vOO
Qf 14 or 15 knots an hour.