The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-20 00:00:00

It L.-,
'AztPEll IrvIENT AL SQUADRON
OF 1844.
r (A-)
REPORT FROM REAR-ADMIRAL llowniss, C. 8.,
P 9„ SECRETARY OF TILE ADMIRALTY, OF' THE ['RIMS
414.1NG BETWEEN HER MAJESTY'S SHIPS QUEEN,
lA, ST. VINCENT, AND ALBION.
`Caledonia, at Sea, in lat. 46 deg. 19 min. N., loog.
Ca% 12 dcg. W. 20th Nov., 1841.
Sin'-I have to request you will inform their Lordships
scer'bedience to their (milers of the 18th ult., I proceeded
f Vile 23d ult., and on the 3d instant arrived off the
htvisb°l3, 'where, haying ascertained that her Majesty's
I a len was not in the Tagus, I stood to the westward,
she Cth inst. fell in with her off the rock. For some
tame
the whin was strong on shore, and it was
tair;;`- difficulty I gained a sufficient offing to enable me
itse epee those trials of the Albion's stilling about which
4 11:1"1
I%sez3ure I can report that, after a most careful observe-
% leer qualities on every point, I am fully convinced she
14iesailing ship, very stiff under canvass, and
Ara' elli.arkably well ; and, although from the extreme
settled weather which has prevailed during the last
ail ;ream, not enabled t o state how she behaves under
aes,u blowing weather, I feel no doubt, from want I
satii apps superiority under such circumstances would
tried to the greatest disadvantage.
1/4trosulild naturally have been more satisfactory if ships
trisli class, and of known good character, could have
against her ; and, all hough I feel very confident
.stt am nevertheless induced to recommend that
‘Withavourable opportunity may be taken of doing so.
ej ts;re•sect to th Queen, fier sai ling was inferich• to
ship for thee first three days after leaving Spit-
, sew it gradually improved afterwards, and I consider
tfreeequal t o
he Calednia b the wiud, and superior
,aslonler ato
ll common circumystances. Both are, how:-
411/4!itlerably slower than the St. Vincent, which ship
the a decided superiority en all occasions.
%st
-ia
tifOuaeea's great defect seems to be an apparent want
owee in the rudder which occasions her to
t'kl4"etk be kept
nes, Lelm, and under low and easy sat to
IL as a With difficulty. It is impossible to decide whe-
easy ether from the rudder itself being too small, or
s.athier cause which may be remediable by an alter-
las:stowage, or the position of the masts. There are
~ioeneed officers in the squadron, the commander
eeN'IP, the late master of the fleet in the 13.1editer-
(Sta 1. he master of the Albion, who all agree in ex-
( <eir surprise at the change which has taken place
P (Irf'e, and fully confirm the testimony borne by the
,fte:•in-chief in the Mediterranean, as well as by
%la ti;ers, as to her former good qualities; but as it is
tlhitt nothing can be done at sea to improve her, and
Itkaess in her steering might compromise her
silt a anY difficult situation, I have thought it most ad-
Lo'l teturn to England before the fall expiration of the
-pecr
Ova ',led in their Lordships' orders, and am now on
Plymouth Sound, haying directed the Queen and
aa`ll!, in the event of separation in the Channel, to
10.1seerness anon Symonds will lay before their Lordships his
andt,7 suggestions with respect to the necessary
ito the Queen; and I will, therefore, only add,
ttl'.(`(!ing the defect principally complained of 13 her
' helm, it is ver remarkabhow well she stays
ttlt circumstancy es; and I was particularly struck
tl'io`
t g her tacked yesterday against a heavy head
aenen she and the Albion, without hauling down their
round with perfect ease, while this ship aral the
la'` were (with their head sails down), nearly double
In stays.
S,,ii,Nsa,,t2i.lrty of the Queen and Albion has been on all
Pao remarkable ; 'and their inclination ssas always
riilasess than that of the Caledonia or St. Vincent, the
khi the one case, from 3 to 3% deg., and in the
It is very obvious, therefore, that these ships
Isirnetl4l,ir ports up and fight their guns with much
and I have no doubt they will always be
Op a" Carry a reef more out of the courses and
Sjhe'en- an emergency.
attention to these trials of sailing, which I
at s: _it to be the most important ob.ject, and the cond-
,havecessity of keeping tlse rigginwell up as,
ruoi pee_
so at liii'reven.ted me, during these shorts. dad
S'a% uch time as I should otherwise have done to the
ZtlskvSlutions specified in their Lordships' instructions;
Olinaia.s been much useful exerene in the order of sail-
-1; 'me of battle, as well as in wearing at night by
ess(istld I have had' every reason to be satisfied with the
Ztserrsand efficiency of the squadron; aid the accuracy
`sits
set practice was highly creditable, the St. Vincent
11k two casks, and this ship and the Queen one
Idi..
s ese .tance of about 800 yards.
futpendeavonred in tbe preceding observations to an-
' n oes 'Y. and distinctly as possible all their Lordships'
Criss wah respect to the qualities of the four ships
ille'seeinniand; and it isenly furthernecessary to explain
a4lliesair3r unusual and uninterrupted fine weather which
qteetited since I left the coast of Portugal, and which
lstis %ell" (the ships having never had more thanf one
quaii,lail), prevents my repel tug more strong o
qzfaen lies in blnwing weather. We had some
ka,`dese°,lll. Passage toLisbon, but they came on suddenly,
a'qr -`ecl again quickly, so that there was no opportu-
C:i iengthened comparison.
N, a therefore only further add, with respect to the
I
ti,u,st I cotiskter her as only labouring under some tem-
(Pisaidailvantage ; and I shall be much surprised and lis-
t est la after some trifling and inexensive, alterations,
11iip, "Ind to be (at least) a very fair sailing and power-
" I am, &c.,
"WILLIAM BOW LES, Rear-Admiral."
Loa tb (13.)
:,,,eissAA -,,,,-‘,.EPORT FROM CAPTALN CORRY, R.N., TO THE
,Or ADMIRALTY,tip
i' OF TIIE TRIALS OF
ILER. MAJESTY'S BRIGS Esrradon DARING,
rIISH, a[LITINE, WATERWITCH, PANTALOON,
4:113 CrtutsEtt.
1/4 " Her Majesty's Steam-vessel Firebrand,
a 11.1,11, Plymouth Sound, Dec. 9, 1844.
ti,
Jiba 'e experimental squadron placed under my com-
lslasljtnY Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, having
lo Lof October arrived in latitude 49 deg. N.,
longs-
es b. IN I deemed it a good position for the exe-
, 4ta• Their Lordships' orders (dated 18th October, 1844),
ataalh and Irish Channels being open to the N.E., the
tti'stelsay to the S.E., and the .Atlantic Ocean to the
la;,and S.W. I therefore Commenced. the series of
11ettetsi 'laving in consequence of the hazy weather been
ul in obtaining any result to the 2d and 3cl of
n
a ism., was induced to move front the bank of sound
I,trttak. ea to the southward in search of clearer weather.
11it5,411441g1 InY rePortH I comidered it advisable to disembarrass
sa'l.isass Taverns-eats of the Firebrand, and the log, which
,Iliss'`e‘c herewith, will inform their Lordships of her pro
ki Sit:a given
I,ltiN by s'n in a tabular form the distance. in. yards
see ene vessel over another, I have placed it, with the
at the, 4of the trial, on the face of the diagram, which
pared' the same moment exhibit the commencement,
ssarand the result of each contest. I have also caused
'lia :tarns to be made from the squadron, which I for-
ire form, and to all of which I particularly
‘.ll'l.aw their Lordships' attention.
anuary of the result of the trials is naturally divided
it • ose -1- •
A :14 itch took place en' andthe wind. There
• vtil,„-" fourteen trials, eight of which were 'on' and six
s ` wind. Of the eight on a wind,' two of them, viz.,
alai 3
1,1,64, , are excluded from the present classification in
Weeeee of thick hazy weather at their conclusion hay-
a'Mtsered abortive every attempt to obtain the correct
hews , the different vessels. They are, therefore, of use
Bli6.nostantiating the conclusions which are deduced
ss results of the other. trials. The remaining six may
es,Vided : three with moderate or light breezes, and
.;the
till strong breezes or squally weather. With respect
LeNs°,B4,l,er six. trials which took place 'off the wind,' they
turn; teat,' under the three heads, wind abeam,' abaft the
"1/41vie-,VI right aft,' the two trials having taken place with
se le thin each of those dig ections
thq'th ti`i'e trials, on a wind,' Nos. 1,4, and 7 are those in
144, Cane I‘.:i"d was either light or moderate. In the first of
lis'g the Espi'agle and Mutine did rot take a part,
'late ';°llt. In that of the fourth, the Daring did not par-
k „
t, ea. the Pantaloon was not present at the seventh.
011, `,4, it trial No. 1 with the water smooth and a long
ts'is.ltre Fish. ihad. the greatest advantage ; the
; L "r Daring eliglitay differing from eac.h other, chasing
itelatisse.nt in the trial No. 7, when the wind was similar,
instead of smooth water there was a cross head
aring was the most weatherly the Flying Fish mid
ae e .
t,k) koming after her, being followed, but at some list
t, tr 4 the Mutine and Osprey. From the results of these
bk(liff with the same weather, but with the sea coining
e4liaistlath a head sea is the superior vessel ; and this is
tearkably confirmed by examining the details of
-;it
7, where it appears that for three hours, when
s'lli eeK, with a following sea, there was comparatively
eF, aria difference between the Flying Fish, Espiegle, and
that afterwards, when the signal to tack had
s)kt.s`'ne, and they were brought. to bow the sea, the ad-
4iies s° great
chiefly gained, which in two hours gave the
f.4ln.'e great a superiority over the other two.
ith
Vier, respect to the Espiegle and Flying Fish, the
its ers;o the fourth trial beat the latter ; but in the seventh,
tstinas! was reversed by the latter weathering the former,
anete eure appears that on a wind, in moderate weather
n'soaNse° very material difference between them, though
tl,;tegassaneriority does exist, rests with the Flying Fish.
k,latts-1 the Mutine and Osprey, they (notwithstanding..
trisire had a slight superiority over the Daring in the
itasses 41aY be considered as beaten vessels (the former,
having a decided advantage over the latter), and
1° ,anther°olnparison between them is unnecessary beyond
oe ,uagrarns and tables afford, in which the gain and
Wil'a vessel is minutely given in yards.
at Iva, a. respect to the Cruiser, except in the fourth trial,
I`
considerably beaten by all, and even in that she had
atTlnss''eliralit advantage over the Pantaloon and Osprey.
s, witch had an advantage over the Pantaloon in the
ti4atit, of these three trials in which they were both
o
d
e. w and in the fourth, in particular, it was very decsded.
ere the trials close-hauled, with light or moderate
Vihes ne other three with strong breezes or squally
Otiee,
_‘ere the 6th, llth, and 13th, in all of which the
4„'?. obtained a marked and. decided superiority over all
Neiradron. In the sixth trial the Flying Fish and Water-
-411Ii• were about equal, and are placed next to the Daring.
fir 41 the
t also the former vessel, and in the 13th the latter,
si``.lt sel,);,ced as second.
aske'reas',!" be seen by referring to the tables attached to the
siaters4sthat in the 11th trial the Flying Fish beat the
rider waL_e h very considerably, but that in the 13th trial the
°chs 3 reversed, the latter beating the former equally as
NI as v
th on a s was before beaten, which proves. the Flying
alit tans I).,that in smooth water, to be the superior vessel of
o
with a head-sea and. strong wind an equal
.14 be awarded to the Waterwitch.
Aare►
e sixth trial the Mutine came next, and in the llth
stiistila the Espiegle, which vessel hat!, in the latter trial in
asalinlee r',O very decided advantage over the Mutine and re-
rtielf the squadron, the relative positions of which are
tame !a. tss!ir og to the diagram.
, t° the
with the wind abeam,' it will be seen by
ena t'a:atlie tables of the eighth and 14th, that in both of
';41,1 s'et „Daring was the leading vessel, the position ot se-
sCeNtioidseen occupied by the Flying Fish in the former,
tinetrig in-the latter ; the Mutine being fourth in
gilled trial and third in the 14th, and having in the last-msn-
nQ wir,d , beaten the Flying Fish, but ohly 135 yards. With
naria abaft the beam' the 9th and 10th trials place the
iss le te
' fora, "e. one, and the Esp.egle in the other, as firs:. In
In Ile larsetrial the Espiegle occupied the second place, and
astateraasei r the Mutine, Flying Fish being third in both.
Pant wag the last in the 9th, and Daring in the 10th.
een eacitVea did not take a part in these two trials, having
wi la the Lied for the reasons assigned in the diagram.
ta", tbsl,hth and 12th trials which took pace before the
the baraialaYinn Fish and the Pantaloon were the two first,
ieltsplan being second in the one, and Cruiser in the other,
aSoth. a'e and Wa' erwitch occupying the two last places
•
141aadas- 11'3 s eonel
tides a comparison of the sailing qualities of the
tif" Iho.. „ undo call of the heads.
tittr()t)s,2tva,•.tabilities for lirlynr t'; ,hOWII by the reports
to wh7eli elyo the ficirreel of inclination at
"A
the%luting each of the tliats. aliktd ill g
ine V'eal %°'l3
444
the aaaation, I must state that I could not help remark-
-1 ureme stiffness of the Espiegle when compared

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