Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1853-09-17
THE AMERICAN. NAVY.

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We have not seen for some time so fun, and as We
believe correct notice of our Navy, its material
and condition. as the following, furnished by the
Washington Correspondent Of the Philadelphia In.
quirer:
The subject of our Navy has recently attracted
general attention. and an impression very correctly
exists upon the public mind that in its present state
it is entirely insufficient for the wants of the country,
under ordinary contingencies, and quite below
the standard which the immense commerce of the
nation requires, and is also disproportioned to
large maritime The fault of this state of
things rests exclusively with Democratic Congress,
which has for years past steadily refused to grant the
estimates of the Navy Department for building new
vessels The consequence is, that our Navy is not
only not increasing, but, so far vessels
cerned, has actually retrograded and such have
been the necessities of the service that there
appropriations for vessels, the Department
has been obliged to take the money appropriated
" for repairs and it to rebuild old ships; and
though this operation goes under the name of REPAIRS
it is really an entire construction. You may
readily imagine what sort of repairs they when
the old Congress frigate which originally of 36
guns and about l 900 tons, is now double banked
frigate of 1000 tons, mounting 60 guns. The old
Franklin "a is undergoing of these repairs,
which will consist of stripping her of tmbers and
plank down to the very keeel, by using all her good
and sound tmbers for the reconstruction of a new
Franklin, 60 feet longer and much broader than her
old namesake, giving her screw propeller, and
mounting on her battery of Paixhan guns throw
ing 1O-inch exploding shells She will no doubt be
the finest and most powerful ship in the Navy. lam
very glad that the present Secretary of, the Navy
has decided on this plan, for greatly want just
that kind of vessels and hope the complexion of this
ship will induce Congress to authorize the building
and equipment of dozen similar ones.
The three heavy A gun frigates which were in our
Navy during the last with Great Britain Ghe
President, United St@tes and C0nstit~tion0 have
been the Immediate of changing the naval
architecture of all the maritime nations of the world
In order to cope with these vessels after first
victories during that war; Great Britain hastily raced
of her small seventy fours, by removing their
poop and spar decks and leaving them with their
two-deck gun batteries complete; and she also, for
the same purpose, built five six what she called
SO gun frigates, but actually mounting 60 guns At
that period the ordinary tonnage of IA gun ship
was 1900 to 1900 tons; of 36-gun frigates 1000 to
1900; and of sloops-ofwar 400 to 600. The new
fgates that the United States began during the
(Gue7riere, Jdca &c.) were 1900 tons. After the
war, and when Congress determined to make large
andpermanent increase to the Navy, the lneof battle
ships were moulded for ships of 1000 and 1920
TONS the frigate 600 to 800, and the sloopsowar
700 The European nations, of course, adopted the
same system, and at present we have sloops-ofwar,
like the Germantown jamestown, &c. of 900 tons;
frigates Cumberland, Potomac, &C., of 1000 tons,
and line battle ships of 1900 TONS to say nothing
of the Pennsylvania of $500 tons. The new Mace
DOMAIN which is flushed deck ship, is, believe,
nearly l. 400 tons, and cannot be designated under
any other class than sloop-ofwar as she has only
her spar-deck battery and of her guns are I'M
to dimensions; but with the frigate's spar-deck
moved, and her former gun-deck is now her spar
deck; but instead of mounting 18 Founders, her
present battery is 80 Founders. Only to think of
sloopofwar of 400 tons mounting long thirty twos,
and with crew of three hundred men!