The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-13 00:00:00

THE AMERICAN NAVY.

The recent message of President Polk, and his threat-
ened appropriation of the Oregon territory in oppo-
sition to the claims of this country, have naturally turned
the attention of the public to the resources which Ame-
rica can command in the event of a hostile collision with
England. The following is the list of the American
navy, including the vesse!s building and in ordinary, to-
gether with an analysis of the power of the various ves-
sels in their respective classes.—

LINE OF BATTLE SHIPS.
Pennsylvania
Ohio BO New York
North Carolina BO Franklin
Delaware BO Washington 74
Alabama .
Vermont .

FRIGATES.
Independence'.
United States .
Constitution
Potomac .
litandywine 44 ' Savannah
Java . 44 l3aritan 44
Hudson
Santee . ... 44 i Maced-mian
Camber-land

SLOOPS OF WAR, &C.
John Adams 2O Preble....
Buston . 2O Yorktown .
Lexington 2O Marion
Vincennes 2O ' Dale
Warren ...
Natchez 2O Porpoise .
Falmouth
Fairfield 2O ; Grampus
Vandalia .
St. Louis
Concord 2O Boxer . lO
Levant. 2O Experiment

... 10

Cyane
Erie .

20
IS

Wave .

Otsego
Seagull 6
Flying Fish 6
sTEAX VESSELS.
Princeton..
Mississippi
Missouri
Fulton
Poinsett.
The Missouri steamer, although included in the above
list, was accidentally burnt and sunk at Gibraltar about
twelve months ago.
From the foregoing list it appears that the total num-
ber of vessels of every description, including steamers,
comprising the American navy, amounts only to 67. Of
these, 11 are line• of-battle ships; 17 frigates; 34 sloops,
brigs, or schooners, and 5 steam-vessels. Among the
line-of battle ships which we have enumerated, there are
four not yet built, viz., the Alabama, Vermont, Virginia,
and New York; and of the frigates there are six that are
in the course cf construction, the Santee, Cumberland,
Sabine, Savannah, Baritan, and St. Lawrence; conse-
quently the Ame leans at the present time have only
line-of-battle ships and 11 frigates, including those in or-
dinary, available for service in the event of a war.
Although the numerical strength of the American
navy is not very formidable, the Americans imagine that
the want of numbers is more than compensated by the
power and efficiency of each individual ship, and that
should one of their frigates encounter a British frigate
she would eventually capture her. They say that such.
was the case in the war of 1812, and point to the Guer-
riere, the Java. and the Macedonian, as triumphant il-
lustrations of this fact. During that war their frigates
were the largest class vessels they had in their service,
but since that period they have built their line-of-battle
ships, which, although nominally rated at 74 and 80
gun ships, carry considerably mole guns than their
rating indicates. They have one first class line-of-battle
ship—the Pennsylvania. This ship, although stated to
be of 120 guns, actually carries 140 guns, and instead of
king a three-decker, is to all intents and purposes a
four-decker. Our first-class vessels, such as the St. Vin-
cent, and others, only carry the number of guns at which
they are rated, 120 ; but, notwithstanding the inferiority
of their armament to that of the Pennsylvania, the dis-
parity is not so very great as to preclude the possibility
of any of our first-rates successfully contending with her.
With regard to the American 80-gun ships, such as
the Delaware, they ought to have been rated at 102
Cues, for that is the number of guns they actually carry-.
They have 34 long 42 pounders on their lower deck, g 4
long 42-pounders on their main-deck ; 34 42-
pouieler earonnades on their upper deck, The total
weight of metal they can discharge is 3,6161b5., and the
weight of thdr broadside is I,BoBlb. Thus, although
rated as SO gun ships, they are of superior force to oar
90 gun ships, and throw a heavier broadside by 1321 b.
than they do, for the broadside of the Albion, Rodney,
Nile, and London is 1,6561 b. This class of the American
line of-battle ships may, therefore. be rated as a class be-
tween our 90 gun ships and our three-deckers, such 34
the Queen, for her broadside is 1,97216, being 1641 b.
more than the broadside of the Delaware.
The American 74-gun ships actually mount 90 guns ;
30 long 32-pounders on the lower deck ; 30 medium 32-
pounders on the main-deck, and 30 32-pounder car-
ronades on the upper deck, consequently the total weight
of metal they can discharge is 2,88016., or a broadside of
1,44016. This class of vessels, although actually car-
rying 90 guns, is inferior to our SO-gun ships, which
only carry the number of guns at which they are rated ;
for instance, the Vanguard. SO, can discharge a total
weight of metal, equal to 2,9921 h., consequently the
weight of her broadside would be 1,4961 b., being 501 b.
heavier than that of the Franklin and other nominally
74, but in point of fact 90-gun ships.
As to the American frigates there is no question that,
in the event of a war with this country, these will be the
vessels most likely to bear the brunt of it. If, however,
the Americans anticipate the same results in their frigate
actions in any future war as they experienced in 1812.
they will find themselves pretty considerably mistaken.
The class of British frigates which they would now
have to contend with is a far different one from
that which they encountered at that period, and if they
then had great difficulty, as in the case of the Java, in
overcoming vessels whose armament was so inferior that
the whole weight of metal they could discharge was
actually much less than the single broadside of their
more powerful antagonists, how utterly impossible will
they find it now successfully to compete with our new
larger class frigates. Although our 50-gun frigates do
not even now mount so many guns as some of the Ame-
rican frigates, yet they are nearly as powerful in their
armament, without being hampered with guns on their
gangways, and far more efficient ; for when the Brandy-
wine and other American frigates carry carronades on
British frigates carry long guns
they mount 60
their upper decks, the Vernoonn,
tihVeiarrss.piTteh,eaAndmeoritchaenr
frigates are rated only at 44 guns,
_but
,and
30
nar 60, 30
long 32-pounders on their main-deck,
re
95008- rbus n.
!oho e
metal they discharge is 1, f
32-pounders on their upper d,:oiba.,Tahned total
that weefigateeirf
The
ed
fr dischargeom the broadside d ud
'tBhle6riehsi"s even now an advantage of 521bs.
broadside 9601b5.
in favour of the broadside of the American frigates..
cfreinesaetgesuenistbl.
This, however, is more than compensated by having
long guns instead of carronades, and the absence of guns
from the gangways. The Americans, however they
might have been elated with their success in capturing
our frigates during the last war, had in reality little or
nothine to boast of The discharge from the Java's
broadside was under 4001b5., while that of the American
frigate was 9601b5., being 1601bs. more than double that
of her opponent.
The same excess in the number of guns actually
mounted over the rated number exists in the Americaa
sloops of war. Their 20-gun sloops (corvettes) mount
26 guns, their 16-gun brigs mount 20 guns, and their
10-gun brigs mount 14 guns, and so on in proportion
with their smaller craft. Here, however, their 26-gun
ships have no advantage over our new class corvettes,
the Amazon, and Daedalus (razees), which are rated at
and carry 26 guns ; and they would not have the slightest
chance with our other 26-gun ships, which, having main
decks, would be enabled to fight their guns free from
any entanglement from wreck of spars or rigging. With
respect to the other sloops and small craft of the Ameri-
can navy, those who are acquainted with the improve.
ments that have been made within these few years in
this class of vessels in the British service, are fully eware
that the Americans have little cause to congratulate
themselves upon their superiority on this point.
We now come to the most important branch of the
question—the comparative strength of the steam navies
of the two countries. From the foregoing statement .it
appears that the United States Government have at
present only four effective steam vessels, whereas there
are now in the British service semewhere about 100
steamers of various tirades and power. In addition to •
this, some hundreds of effective sea-going steam vessels
can be brought into operation from the mercantile ma-
rine. This fact has been ascertained from the result of
an inquiry recently instituted by the Lords of the
Admiralty. In the last war with the United States
considerable injury was done to our commerce
by American privateers. At that period, how-
ever, steam had not been applied to mari-
time purposes ; since then, this great addieional
power has come into operation, and its usefulness
has been fully developed. By the applying of this force
to the blockading of the American ports it would be
utterly impossible for their privateers again to injure
our commerce. No doubt many privateers would be
fitted out with this object, but with one or two steatnera
in the offing, it would be next to impossible for them
to leave their respective ports. What have the Ame-
ricans got, in addition to the four war-steamers already
mentioned, to compete with this powerful force ?
sThey
have no mercantile steam marine to resort to. It
differently constituted to ours, that is is onlyapplicable
comprised could be rendered effec
purposes,
It Must be obvious from
to river traffic, and not one of the vesselstirefor sea or war
the recedingp statement of
ihe comparative naval power of the two nations, that,
of which it is
cannot collision take place, the result prove,
satisfactory to the Americans. They must inevitably
should any co
suffer greatly in their commerce, while the injury they
can effect with respect to our mercantile marine win to

Ontario
Peacock
Decatur

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