The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-09-25
Aitbmunh qispatth.
ruEsnAY MORNING.. -. SEPT. Is lsso
rhe Nayr-.xailins and s,eam Vessels.


The Navy--Sailing and steam Vessels.
In the Naval Appropriation Act of 22d
June, 1860 was proviso, directing the Secre-
tsry of the Navy 10 appoint a Board of Naval
officers, engineers and constructors,to examine
into the condition of the sailing vessels OF the
service, and the cost of giving them, or any OF
them, full steam power, together with the ex-
pediency of making such change, IN view Of
the cost, condition, model. and general char
acter of the vessels. In pursuance OF this
proviso, the Secretary of the Navy appointed
a Board, embracing some of the most distin-
guished captains, engineers and constructors
who entered on the performance of their du-
ties in September last
The vessels to be examined, under this pro-
vision, consist of ten ships-of- the-iine, ten
1rigates, twenty lone sloops -of-war, three brigs
and three s,ore-ships, making total Of forty
seven vessels propelled by sails alone, carry
ing one thousand eight hundred and twenty
one guns,
OF STEAMERS there are now seven screw frig-
ates. six frst-elass screw sleeps, four first
class side-wheel steamers, eight second-ciass
screw sloops. one second class side-wheel
steamer five third-ciass screws, four side
wheel steamers OF the third class, two
steam tenders, and the nondescript craft near
Hoooken, called STEVENS war steamer, max
ing a total OF thirty eight vessels propelled by
steam, aud carrying five hundred and eight
guns. This gives us eishty-tive vessels in all
in the Navy, carrying two thousand three
hundred and twenty nine guns.
or the practicability and expectancy of
changing sailing vessels Of war into steam
vessels there is no doubt among naval men,
1t has been done on a large scale, and is now
doing every day, in the navies of England and
Francs. But the condition of many OF our
sailing vessels is such that it may be doubted
whether they can be made useful by any al
terations, except TO rebuild them entirely. OF
the ten line-of- ships, four--ihe New
Orleans, the Alabama, the Virginia and the
New York-are rotting on the stocks having
never been launched, although their construc-
tion was commenced more than forty years
ago! The Pennsylvania never made but one
voyage, from Philadelphia 10 Norfolk, aud is
rotting in the mud and oysters Of that harbo
-Four Of the liners only have been at sea. The
Vermont, which was intended PERRY 5
flag ship in the Japan expedition, has never
seen salt water. They are all ont of repair,
and, in general, the vast sums which have been
spent upon them might as well have been sunk
in the bottom of the ocean.
The fifty-gun frIgates have, in general, been
serviceable vessels and it is believed that most
of them, by the addition of steam power, might
be converted into efficient vessels-of war. The
twenty-one sloops-of-war have been always
actively employed. Four of them were origi-
nally frigates, but have been raced and have
now guns on one deck only. Il is thought that
the races could be converted into good steam
vessels, and possibly the others, unless they
are too small. These sloops, or corvettes, as
they are sometimes termed, are full rugged
ships. from eight hundred TO eleven hundred
tons, carrying from eight teen TO twenty -four
guns and with a complement of two hundred
men. A contemporary remarks that they are
by no means TO be COMPOUNDED with North
river or Tar river sloops, mistake which
was made by worthy Secretary OF the
Navy, who was very much astoCished at the
estimate fer repairing a sloop-of war, and en-
phatcally declared he could build six soops
on his river for less money than it cost to re-
pair one in the naVy-yard.
The steam vessels of the Navy are among
the most powerful and efficient of their class
In the world. The seven screw frigates are
comparatively new, having all been built
within the last five years Probably only one
OF Them the Niagara, would prove g failure
rs q H. uunS FeSSeI. she Is 4 beautiful cllp-
per, but better adapted for the merchant ser
vice than for the severer req uirements of the
Navy. She was the only one of the seven not
built at a Government yard, and it is 10 be
hoped the experiment will never be repeated.
The others have not their superors in the
world They are from 1850 to 4.59O tons, car
rying from l. to 30 guns. The four side wheel
steamers are serviceable, but this description
of vessels is not considered reliable in action
The screw sloops are powerful vessels, from
1916 10 2, 800 tons, and carrying from - to 25
guns. The gunboats, called by the Depart
ment second-class steam sloops, are eight in
number, from 69i to 1,2s9 tons, and carrying
from to guns. They are light draft vessels,
10 90 up rivers drawing only from nine to
Twelve feet of water, and are able to steam at
from ten TO fifteen knots an hour. They are
also thoroughly adapted for sea service, and
among the most useful vessels in the Navy.
at present, Of the eighty five vessels nomi-
nally liz the service, there are only about thirty
really available in time of war, and instead
of twenty five hundred guns only about eight
hundred.