The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1861-02-13
Progress of Naval Architecture.


1t was said of Napoleon tho Great.
when he was an exile at st. Helena, that
II some person were but TO elevate his
old grey coat upon pole, in some corner
OF France, all the rest of Europe would
quake. IL is pretty much the same with
ills successor, the present Emperor. All
Europe watches every movement of
Louis Napoleon with the most sensitive
interest, aud his prolific genius keeps all
the nation of the Old World busy. In
nautical skill, and in all that concerns the
manning and maneuvering of ships. Emo
land has long maintained decided spre.
riority; but with that scientific grasp Of
intellect for which the ruler of France is
distinguished, he, sometime ago, conclu.
ded that it was perfectly possible TO con-
struct war ships, so invulncrable in their
character, as to give them the same ad-
vantage over Others more ably manned
but less skillfully constructed, which a
soldier, furnished with coat Of mai, has
over nude antagonist In carrying out
his ideas, he hus produced La Gloire, a
great war frigate covered with thick plates
of steel, and perfectly proof against shell,
and almost so against solid balls.
Mr.. III. Vivian, member of Parlia.
ment, in writing to the London Times re-
specting the La Gloire, gives it as his
opinion that the best wooden war sbips
are as useless in her presence as the old
flint musket is before the Mimic rifle
Ten vessels of the same class are now
building in French dock. yards, so that
England must endeayor to meet sthe is
sue Of supremacy, when il comes by equal
If not superior ships. In order to en-
counter such vessels as the La Gloire on
equal terms. two giant iron frigates are
now being built in Great Britain. and
these are intended TO be very superior in
steam power as well as general construc-
ton. One of these frigates called the
Warrior, is now building in London, and
the other, called the Black Prince, by
Napier u Co., at Glasgow. The follow
ing is a brief description Of the latter
vessel: As you enter the yard of Messrs.
Napier, the first object which attracts at
tention is great iron framing resembling
what we might fancy would be tho skele.
ton of the Great Eastern. 1t is at pres
ent surrounded by scafolding, upon
which several hundred workmen are bust
ly engaged like bees around hive. Tho
Black Prince is to be 420 feet long; her
breadth, So feet; depth, AZ feet. She is
to be divided into eighteen watertight
and two great Armstrong
ritled guns are appointed for each bulk
head. The bottom is constructed of plates
1 t inches thick, and the sides lined with
plates Sths of an inch thick. Over this
is to be laid teak wood planking, foot
thick; and the teak is TO be covered with
wrought iron plates, each 151 feet long,
8 feet wide, and Al inches thick. All
these iron plates are made in the best
manner. They are tongued and grooved
on the edges and ends, so that they fit
most accurate into one another, and mako
joints throughout the whole
hull. All the iron plates are cut and
punched close to the vessel, whereby the
fitting Of them is rendered very conve-
nient. When completed, the Black
Prince will be 10000 tuns burden, and
her screw engines, now being built by
Penn & Co., of London, will be 1850
horse power. No person can have an adj
equate idea of the great size and strength
of such a ship without actually behold
ing it, but the account given will convey
such an idea rs will ut once render il an
parent that no wooden frigate coulG pos
sibly compete with it.
In addition to the above, we find some
further information on The same subject
in the London Engineer. 1t states that
the entire shells of the Warrior and
Black Prince are made of the best scrap
iron, which has been found far superior
to common rolled iron for resisting shot
The ribs which spring from the keels are
feet inches apart, and are T-shaped
beams; and inside of these another set
Of iron beams run along the whole length
ut intervals OF 8 feet, and all strengthen
I'd with enormous iron girders. Tho
lecks are to be covered with timber, sup
ported on huge iron arches. The engines
are to be so protected that no shot will
be able to reach them, and the stem and
stern may be completely riddled and yet
.he frigate will float. When finished, each
Of these vessels will certainly be levi
athan of the deep"
Scientific American.