Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-01-18
Gbe Obio 6tatessprarr 81
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The Iron -Cassd FrigAte Warrior
From The London Times, Dec. 90.

Inc lrOH-Chbeu 1EibhVo WhfEtOt'
From The London Times, Dec. 90.
From the yard of the Thames Iron Shipbuild
ing Company will this day be launched, BY
Lady Pakington, the first armor-plated steam
frigate in the possession of Great Britain. The
French have already got their mysterious Gloirt
afoat, about the success Of which such utterly
irreconcilable statements are circulated. In ad
dition to this, they have four others 80 well ad
yanced that their launch may at any time take
place, and no less than ten are being hurried
forward toward completion. Before next Christ.
mas, then, France will have at least fifteen sail
of these tremendous engines Of warfare aAoat,
and England will have four-one the Warrior,
to be launched this day; the Black Prince, q
sister vessel to the Warrior, building at
Glasgow; the Resistance, building at
Messrs. Palmer's yard, near Newcastle,
and Defence, at Millwell. The two
first-named are 5O-gun friqates of up
ward of 5000 tuns; the two latter are 16 gun
corvettes of 5000 tuns. This is small setoff
against the sudden stride taken by our great ally
10 this matter-a stride 80 sudden that, allow
ing for the exercise of every available means
on our part in the way Of both public aud pri-
vate building yards, it pieces the French navy
In this matter at least two years ahead of ours.
The Russian Government are preparing their
plans and schemes Of prices for the construction
by contract Of six frgates, sister vessels to the
Warrior In every particular, save in such i'm
proved details as giving the sides a much great.
er angle, which the experience gained during
the last few months by the trial Of Mr.. Jones'
plan shows, must in future be adopted with all
iron ships, intended to be really invulnerable,
According, therefore, to present appearances,
England is likely to be left behind in the race
by Russia, and to be dstanced by France.
1t is not our purpose now to discuss the com.
parative merits of the plans on which the Eng
lsh and French vessels are respectively built
Were it 80, we think it might not be difficult
to show that the superiority in this matter is as
yet 80 great on our side as to make one vessel
like the Warrior almost q match for two like
La Gloire. It will be time enough to turn to
such matters when we see the Warrior fairly
off the stocks, and at her moorings in the river.
It will be sufficient in this notice to give an
outline of her enormous strength and huge di.
mensiona, and explain the methods by which
the Admiralty have overcome the difficulties
that existed in constructing really shot proof
frigate. At the first outset, the idea OF any
iron cased vessels, whether for steam rams or
frigates, found no favor with the Admiralty,
and it was not till the result OF French expert.
ments as to the resistance which they offered to
shot became known in England, with the sddi-
tonal fact that our ally had already begun TO
construct several such ships, that the Admiralty
at last began to bestir themselves, though up 10
the present hour iron cased ships are looked
upon with a lenient rather than favora-
Bile eye. Since that time, however, official
opinions would appear to have undergone con-
siderable modification, and the Admiralty have
been compelled to accept much they formerly
condemned; and, on the other hand, to condemn
a good deal of work on which they formerly in.
sisted. In the first design sent in to the Admi
rally by the Thames shipbuilding Company, the
shape proposed for the bows Of the Warrior was
exactly after the outline Of swans neck and
breast when swimming. and thus. the point or
beak intended to strike an enemy's vessel wap
the "breast," which was placed under the water
line in the ships bows. In the Admiralty model,
and Of course that on which the Warrior has
been built, the outline of the bows seen from
the broadside forms kind of obtuse angle, the
point or "nose," as it Ia called, just level with
the water. This peculiar shape, however, has
been concealed under long, false cutWater and
a magnificent figure head OF o colossal warrior,
so that, looking at her as she is now on the
stocks, there is no difference, except in her eX-
b6mtly luO AOEWhtuI huu btCdb plbO uO'
tween her appearance and that Of any ordinary
fine frgate.
So long an interval has elapsed since we last
noticed the plan on which this gigantic vessel
was to be built that brief recapulstion of her
chief dimensions, together with the general
principles Of her construction, will not be with
out interest on this occasion. Her dimensions,
then, are: extreme length over all, 420 fest
ditto breadth, SO feet; depth from spar deck to
keel, al feet 6 inches. Her tonnage is no less
than 6,l17 tons, builders measurement. The
engines have just been completed by Messrs.
Penn g. Sons. They are of $50 nominal horse
power, and are probably the most magnificent
specimens OF machinery that ever left even Mr..
Penn's celebrated works. These extraordinary
machines, however, deserve separate and de-
tailed notice Of themselves, and on future oc.
casion we shall be able to give full decription
of them to our readers. Their total weight with
boilers, will be $50 tons. and for these the War
ior is only able totow $50 tons of coal, or little
more than enough for six days steaming. The
armament reckoning her as so gun frigate, with
masts and stores complete, will weigh from 1000
to 500 tons, which will give her with hull and
armor, total weight, when ready for sea, of
about 5000 tuns, or about the weight of the
hull of the Great Eastern when launched. With
the fine lines, great length, and immense horse.
power of the Warrior, speed of not Hess than
IA knots is counted upon as certain. One row
Of the armor plates with which the greater part
Of the broadside will hereafter be covered, Is |
already in Its place, covering space of S feet
deep by 2l4 feet long, on each side. Only.the
lowest. row has been thus bolted, and more than
this 1t would be unwise to place, as the i'm
mense weight might strain the ship during the
launch The others will be bolted in her peice
by piece, while in the Victoria Dock. That all
the crew under cover of these armor-plates
will enjoy the most perfect immunity from the
heaviest shot and shell in the world, will be cas-
lily understood when we point out the tremen-
1ous strength with which the chip 10 construct
ed and fastened together in every part.
There Ia no external keel to the ship, but an
inner kind Of girder, which acts as q keelson,-
This is formed Of immense slabs Of wrought
scrap iron IA inches thick, and feet 6
inches Deep To it are bolted the ribs-mas-
sive wrought.iron T.shaped beams an inch
thick, and made in joints five feet long by two
deep up to five feet below the water line, where
their depth is diminished 80 as to form deep
ledge or angle, on which the armor. plates and
their teak lining rest These immense ribs, ex
cept where the portfolios intervene, are actually
only % inches apart. Above the keeIson, and
inside the ribs, are Eve immensely strong boz
Il ,yhnla - IL.