Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1861-12-21
Euylands Sieei.Ciud Ships.

1t is stated that we may shortly ex'
poet visit from the Warrior, the famous
British steel-plated frigatc. 1t this re.
0ny' Aa tsrgng lof Ourselves, from occu-
Tar examination of her framework and
accou,Iements, what kind of an antago
mist she is likely to prove. She is OF six
thousand tons burden; she has been
lred as a sea-going ship, and found to
be a complete success; her speed excels
that Of any war vessel in the world, and
her size and power are unsurpassed.
Such is the account given OF her by the
English papers, and we have little
doubt that 1t is substantially correct.
Our readers would, perhaps, like to know
a little more abort the steel-plated ships
that the British Government have butt
and are building; we have, therefore, col
Iected the following particulars on the
subject.
The Warrior is completely equipped.
Her armament consists of eight guns on
her upper deck, viz: two lO0-poundcr,
TOUR 4O-pounder, and two 25-pounder
Armstrong guus-and ,hirty-slx guns
on her main deck, ten of which are 100
Founders and the remainder 6 8 Founders,
which throw shells filled with molten
IRON. With her steel armor on she
weighs nine thousand tons, draws
twenty six feet of water, and can do
sixteea and half miles an hour. Her
power, and she is built in compartments,
each of which is both air and water
tight. Her sister, the Back Prince, is
Of precisely the same size and arma-
ment, is also fully equipped, and has
Just made her first trial trip successfully.
She steamed round from the Clyde,
where she was built, to Spithcad, at the
rate of sixteen miles an hour, and in
few days is to take her place in the
Channel fleet. Then there are two
smaller trigates-the Resistance and
The Defiance. The latter was being
fitted for sea at Shcerness, and the for
mer at the Victoria docks. They are of
800 tons burden each, and have by this
time probably joined the Channel fleet.
These four ships carry between them
one hundred aud twenty-six of the hcav-
lest Armstrong guns.
Then comes class Of ships OF which
but little is known at present, viz: the
Valiant and the Hector. These ships
are far advanced In construction, and will
be ready for sea in May next. Their
tonnage is about 400 tons more than the
Resistance, and nearly 5000 less than
the Warrior. They are $50 feet long,
SO broad, and 80 deep; they have by no
means a handsome appearance, owing to
the stem and stern being almost precise
y of the same form. The object of
this is to give increased facilities for put
ting in the armor plates. The Valiant
will differ from any other of the iron
ships, in being completely protected
above the water line by armor plates.
BY having the bow a9d stern as near as
possible SIMILAR the trouble and expense
of bending the plates will be copsidera-
bly, reduced. The Valiant also differs
from the Resistance in not having an ad
vanced PROV or beak, for the purpose of
running down the ships of the enemy
The framework Of this vessel is OF
enormous strength. The keel piece is
formed of iron plates l IA inches in
thickness, aud to this the ribs for the
sides are secured, two feet apart from
each other. AT their junction with the
keel they are two feet in depth, and ia