Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-05-17
ON STEAM NAyIEs.
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high concernmen at the present Of special interest
and Of vital Importance Aer peace Of thirty years. Sir
Charles Napier truly observed in the discussion the other
ing the state Of the navy ought be able show, not
merely counyme but foreigners ALSO the progress
have made in the art of shipbuiing That the system
have hitherto pursued in building ships vous will be APP
parent from the following graphic and characteristic passage
from the speech of the gallant member for Maryebone
"Wih respect the Queen appeared that she was very
nearly half built the Royal Frederick, before she was
changed Bat she had failed She had been since taken
Chatham dock yard where false bow bad been stuck
her. large gpe making her four FIVE feet longer
added to her bow but that not being sufficient she had
actually get false on, it found that she could
not steer. She had actually got hustle Laughter
SO much for the Queen Renewed laughter He would
next to the Boscawen She laid down IN 1914 as
seventy -four, but in 1919 she changed into S0gun
ship and in 1884, after eight years seasoning she
ed into 70gun vessel The Union, after laying out 900
repairs upon her, pulled to pieces The Station, 46
Tigrs, 40 Jason, 46i Severn, as Porcupine 20 Plea
SAINT Is Redwing, IS; Seascout l0 and Yindictve
also all pulled pieces II the accident happened
the present Government which occurred to their predecessors
and surveyor Of the navy got it quite pos
ble that many vessels service would be
pulled pieces Independent Of that enormous number of
ships they had the following three-deckes building The
Royal Albert, built after the plan Of Mr. Lang When the
present surveyor came into office he Sr c. Napier
Of those who complained to him that they had already gone
great breadth their threedeckes and vet the ROYAL
Albert built foot broader and sixteen feet longer than
the Queen He had that fact from the builder who perhaps
might have led him into Now, when they considered
the Of the Sails and the great size of the yards
where he would ask, they get men to work them
Hear, hear. Really, when he a on one Of the
lower yards of threedecker he could imagine how he
able to do any thing whatever 1t would almost appear
that they intended going the planet Saturn for seamen
was said that fellows there had breadth of feet be-
their eyes, Laughter The other ships thelne
building were, Royal Frederick, no. Victoria, 10 Prince
OF Wales, 10 Royal Sovereign, ITO. Ordered Mar-
borough 10; Windsor Castle no. Twodeckers Princess
Royal, 90 Aboukir 80; Exmouth 80 Hannibal 80 St
Jean Acre. 80; Agiers, 80 all laid down by Mr. Symonds
These made altogether thirteen large ships from 80 ITO
guns besides which they had another pretty list of
s0gun ships building, all laid down after the plan Of Sir W.
Symonds They all commenced by the late Government
and follows The Mars, Majestic, Colossus, Lion,
Madras, Brunswick, Sanspareil. He prepared to
attach the same blame to the s0gun ships as to the Royal Albert
and the Queen, he believed beyond doubt that the
Vanguard uncommonly fine vessel She had certainly
the fault of not having single out at the stern He did
know whether the blame of that to be attached the
late Board Of Admiralty not but it extraordinary
that the surveyor should propose twelve years ago construct
ship that had not single gun at her stern, and that could
fire shot if chased by French vessel of superior power
ten times to build such ship at the present day
and yet they had the Queen unable to fire single gun from
her stern bows He trusted, however, that the gallant admi
raj would be able tell them that he had changed that rule
and that other vessels would be built with this oms
sion. They had also three s0gun ships ordered The Aga
memnon, laid down by Admiral Hayes; Irresistible laid down
by Sir w. Symonds and the Cessy laid down by the School
of Naval Architecture The class of the
50gm sates, of which two building commenced
by the late government the Constance, laid down by Sir W.
Symonds and the Raleigh, by Mr. Fnchum. In addition
these they had ordered the Severn So Fnchum Leander
so, Blake Spanner So Blake Lifey So Symonds Are
thusa So Symonds Active &c. Symonds Syb 49, Symonds;
rhes SO, Naval Architecture Chesapeake 36, Symonds
They had then of 26gun gates building, the Alarm Creole,
Maacca and the Nobe all from the plans Of Sir w. Symonds
not To bv
into the question of the smaller vessels.
1t might be concluded that different system would be pur-
sued in reference that element in the of war; we
mean vessels; but, appears from the
of the gallant authority, that the Retbuon, though Of
$40 tons BURDEN of size larger than fgate does
carry single gun her main deck and that the Terrible,
still larger, being 1880 TONS had absolutely guns
all. The complaint Is made of the Samson, of which
ship it is further said, her machinery is the possible
position. Hear this point the gallant Commodore
tHe could defy them FIRE shot through her engine
house without knocking away material part of her ma
chney, that be considered absolutely absurd talk Of
her a vessel of Hear, hear hear Then they had
the Frebrand, in which Capt Cory out and reported
that it absolutely impossible to fire off gun from her
stern OF the Vulcan he would say nothing, he had
her himself The Cyclops FIRST intended for
fngae, but obliged TO be altered. The Gorgon
exactly the way and the she brought down
to be corvette the better He to the steamsoop
Of f462 lo4 without including the machinery, which he
supposed cost much MORE and of the entire number he
would not except when he declared they only fit for
packets to carry troops. Hear. 1t impossible that
shot could enter the oil any Of them without
destroying the machinery"
The uninstruced, sefsased, pragmatcal cockney
that every sayed beyond the sound of Bowbes have
proceeded further than Woowich without peceiyng that the
Government in possession OF iron steamers and he will
Immediately cxcam, that is in vain for enemy to NEEDLE
with such pcous stuff irons but all such withered apple
johns" among the Of men should well weigh and they
ca comprehend the force of the following words Of Sir
C. Napier
"The Vulcan, OF $50 horse power, built by Mr. Laing
he presumed, the first steam vessel built for them
He himself the first person build iron vessels and to
cross the channel IN them but he would advise the gallant
admiral to attend to the effect which shot would have upon
them twas well known that wood closed to certain extent
after being pierced by shot, be plugged without diff
Guilty. but that could be the case with iron boats and he
would therefore recommend that experiments should be
tined by firing shots through plates of IRON lining OF timber
would probably facilitate the plugging after action. He
would not detan the house by going through the list Of small
steamers resolution had he believed, been adopted the
day not to guns the main deck Of those vessels
and that he thought useful decision, because they could
be got to be efficient With respect the machinery, he
would earnestly recommend Sir W. Symonds pause before
he adopted the he proposed take and endeavor
throw the machinery great deal lower"
To these charges that able officer and accomplished
speaker, Sir George Cockbu, only urge in reply that
the steam navy "begnn at time when the subject was
very well understood = that he had epcy reason 10 be-
here that the Terrible would be the finest and most perfect
Of the kind in the world and that our old Ships so
much deprecated had engaged French ships the best sail
ing TRIM had up with them, and brought down their
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