The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1862-11-07


The Prince Consort and Royal Oak have
been lately launched. They are partly plated
and will be ready for service in the course OF
this year. The dimensions of these ships
are: Length between the perpendiculars, 27S
feet; breadth. extreme, IS feet ) inches
breadth, moulded, 56 feet 4 inches; depth OF
hold, 10 feet 10 inches; burthen in tons,
4,O46 1854. The ships are built in the most
substantial manner, and are of the very best
materials. Their frames have at the height
of the load line thickness of about IA inch
es, their wales are inches thick, and the
ceiling q to Inches. All the wales are CO.
aged to the timOe-s. The iron plates with
which the ships are cased from five feet below
the load line to the upper deck are f.! inches
in thickness, tapering to 3 inches at the stem
and stern. The upper deck beams are of iron,
and the deck is iron-plated with inch to [
inch plates under the deck plank. A great
many ingenious and highly practical details
are introduced in the fastening and working
of the armor plates Impossible to describe
without detailed sketches) that will render
the iron armor of these ships more efFectual
than that of any other class of ships con-
structed either in England, France or Amer
lea. The interior arrangements and fittings
are admirably planned, the ventilation perfect
throughout, the arrangements for freeing the
ships of water are of the most complete
kind and on the whole, this class of ships
gives the highest credit to its designers and
to those officers that were charged with the
execution of the plans. have not the
slightest doubt that this class of ships will
prove to be the most effectual and useful In
future naval warfare, and that We ought to
have ready in the United States at least a
dozen of similar frigates, with notifications
in their shape and dimensions to adopt them
to our requirements. Several of the other
81 gunships, vet on the stocks. will be con-
veried into iron-cased frigates on precisely
the same plan. The armament ofthese ships
will consist in 6S-pounder solid shot guns
and in 100 and 15O-pounder Armstrong ritied
guns, 81 in ALL Their masts are all of iron
and of immense strength.
The Royal Sovereign, formerly screw
iine-of-battle ship of l3l guns. is at presen,
being transformed into shield-ship, on Capt
Coles plan. ier dimensions before the con.
version were: : Length between perpendicu
lars. a40 feet Il inches; breadth extreme, 81
fee. The length remains unaltered, but hel
breadth will be increased by feet inch
making her tonnage 800 tons. The shiI
has been cut down to her main deck, whicl
has been raised 10 inches at The side. and ?,
inches in the middle, to form kind of gla
els, allowing the guns in the turrets TO b.
considerably depressed. The ship will carr,
four turreis, each one of which will contain
two l5O or even 300-pounder Armstrong
guns. The stern of the ship has been Yer,
much altered, ard the counter lowered about
10 feet, so that the rudder post may entel
the ship below the load lire, and the ruddel
head be entirely protected.
The top sides of the vessel have beer
strengthened with two thicknesses of d:ago
nal plank, of rcspec,ivelyi and 1 inches
crossing each other at an angle of I5 degrees
and the armor plates of d! inches in thick
ness will be applied on these. The ship vii
have no masts and sails, and only will b
moved by steam. Her engines have pOwe
of 500 horses, and her actual speed i. l2.2
knots per hour. Though the vessel will Cal
ry powerful armamen: it is conceded bv al
parties that vessels Of her kind, Ike all tn
rest of tie Monitor family, are only ZOO
for harbor defence, but no, fit for fighting d
sea.
There are two other classes of ships build
ing en- plans of Mr. Reed, naval architect,wh
got temporary appointment in the navy
The characteristics of these ships are ths
they are only plated little above and belo'
the loadline and the midship part of the We:
sci containing the guns. The object of ,h
design is TO relieve the ends of his vessels {
weight, and SO far his plans agree Wit
those proposed to our Navy Department l
months ago but IN rain. Here the plaL hi
found great favor with the Admiralty, and
grea, numter OF Sc gun frigates are to
transformed into ircn-cased sloops on th
plan.
A small vessel on this plan, the Enterpris
is building at Deptford dockyard- She has
: length CT $50 feet, breadth of 36 feet, ard
draught of water of l5 feet. Her engin
will be of l60 horsepower, and her speed
estimated at $50 knots She will carry
$ armamen, of Armstrong l0O-pounders.
The larger class, of which the Favori
converting at Deptford, is sample, has 4
l horsepower and speed of about IL kno
, The Enterprise will be finished this year I
: Favorite in the course of next.
: The experiments with regard to the resi-
ance of iron armor plates against shot al
S shell are continued here at Shoeburyne
r and Portsmouth, and without going into al
details, will merely mention the results
e experience gained thereby of all the ;,
TENS proposed for armor plating ships ii
adopted for the Warrior land in France
n the Gloirel have given decidedly the best