, 1862-12-11
OUR fR0N-cLAp NAVY,
COMPLETION OF ALL THE NINE a1ozIFogs.
Launch Of the Keokuk, Catskill and Nantucket
Oh Saturday-grIal Of the WeehaHken's
Speed-The LeAIgh Reported Ready.

oHIE0~1AE LE1iLsS9G AtQOfttA kEaats
[From the New York Times, Dec 81
Saturday will prove an eventful day III the
history Of our iron-clad navy. The Whitney
battery, Keukuk, and the Ericsson batteries
Catskill and Nantucket mot Maui as reportcd)
were lannched-the first two here and the Int
ter at Boston; the Lehigh was reported ''readr
for launching prepar1tions,' - and the speed Of
the WeehaWken, another Ericsson battery,
was tried in Jersey City, her engines and ma
chinery having been previously reported in
working order.
TEE KEoKUK.
This vessel was towed off the stocks, but
when set in motion launched well, and was ex-
ceedingly buoyant. The bu1wark or outside |
armor with which the construction Of Moni-
tors has made Americans familiar, consists of |
iron plates laid over one another Thus when |
we say battery has four and half inches of |
iron armor on her sides, we mean that finch |
plates and halfinch plates are laid over each |
other and fastened. Mr. Whitney has |
adopted ,.,tae., new and novel Plan,
eood Over fh Of a1sat rolaa
plates there are bars Of iron four inches thick,
alternately with strips Of yellow pine, Of about
equal thickness. Over all these, then, there
are two Or three SIS inch plates Of iron; so
that, in reality, the exclusively iron mail Oh
L.
while the whole armor, the iron edge, wooden
lining and plates together make over six.
Many think this as good as SIX inches Of plate
iron.
e. The tnrret is somewhat similarly made.
The small batteries already in service, extept
the Galepa, have in their turrets eleven 1-inch
iron plates, all laid over each other, and con
stitutes an exclusively iron wall eleven inches
in thickness. The keoknk's turrets have the
4-inch iron bars inside OF outside the 5-S
,74 LII. L -
inches Of iron,' as stated in our first account
Of the vessel, only two inches or less Of it is
laid On in plates, the rest being edge-turned
bars, Which, as in the hull, frequently alter
nate with strips Of pine, SO that the exclu-
siEely iron arnor Of the turrct is only two
inches, willie the mass taken together is
deemed by many as strong as if Ill thc plates
were laid over each other.
The keokuk was to be a s'ten knot vessel
when she was originally designed, but more
| iron having been put on her than was inten-
ded, It is conceded that she will lose q knot
| thereby, or only make nine. The first indis-
pensable attributes Of 4 ram is strength the
second speed. Hence the most Important
the last namcd-pcculiarity Of this singular
t ship has been overlooked by all who have
written about her. She will be fast, aud her
strength is apparent to all who look at her
A steam ram must be able to catch the vessel
eEe wishes to destroy, and to strike her with
Us much velocity Us possible.
LAUNCH OF THE cATsK1LL.
The Ericsson battery CatskiIl was SUCCESS
| fully towed of, ut Grecnpoint about 10
| O'clock On Saturday. If there is any slight
difference between the two Monitor batt cries,
there is none between those constructed at
the same yard. The Pass:lic and Monitor,
which were described at length in these col.
/ umns, were bnilt side by side with the Cats
kill, at the Continental Works, the nursery
Of the original Monitor: The C.tskill is 200
feet long, 45 feet wide, 20 feet deep and will
draw . feet & inches Of water when in fighting
| trim.
LAUNCH oF THE NANTUCKET.
The Nantucket, another Ericsson iron-clad,
was launched at Bostnn on Saturday Hei
name is incorrectly reported @'A1aul'' in the
! teleEls,pIic dispatches. She has been con-
structcd at tue East Boston Atlantic Works,
The Nahant was launched also at Boston a
few weeks since, and is now nearly ready fo1
sea. These ten vessels arc so like ihe othel
Monitors that Ar. Ericsson himself could not
tell them apart. The width, length and
beam arc almost exactly the Same, is are Ill
other particulars. The Nantucket, for in
stance, is 1e9 feet from stem to stern Whit
tile Catskill is 200. Indeed, the figures art
alike, but 100 is generally called 200.
THE LEmGH REPORTED READY.
On HE same day in which the above ship
were launched, We received news that the lie
| liigli was sreportcd'-that is, she is notified
as being preparing to launch. She is on til,
stocks 1t Chester, Penn, from which the San
g;:r1on was recently launched.
The Messrs. Ranny hive contracted for her
and have already succeeded in putting atloa
one Of our bust iron-clads. The Lcl!Gh it i
unnecessary to state, is like the craft Just de
scribcd. Sic is built on plans copied from til,
| otlcr so that there is no1Iling to sayin detal
! about 1cr.
| TRIAL OF TIE IEEHAWKEN's Sized.
While New York and Brooklyn we're enjoy
| ing tEc ceremonies attending the launch .
the KeokuR and C;tskill Jersey City WA
awakened hy the roar Of steam from the Wee
lawken which was launched at Uoboken SOM
weeks since, The guns having arrived for til
turret, the greater part Of the iron work beln.
Was applied to the engine which begun to c
work elegantly. Mr.. Birkbeck, the superil1
tendent, witnessed their issitiatory motions
and was highly pleased. The engines easil,
| made fifty revolutions 4 minute, without n
attempt to lest their maximum capacity.
HOW SATURDAYS WORK. LEAVES TIE NM
MONITORS.
| A great change has been affected in the con
; dition of the nine Ericsson batteries !,y til
proceedings Of fsarurday. They are al afloa
now save one, tlc Lehigh, and she is report
cd almost ready to launch. Annexed is til
exact state Of affairs with these vessels to-day
,sss;e Xs5se o. 1te Go:si'lon o,tHase M'eFs sonro.
2. .Mont6uk. Ready !ur sea New York.
8. Wehawken. Nearly ready. -..Jersey City.
4. .Sapgan1on. Nearly ready Chester, Penn.
s. .Nahant. ...-- Nearly read " .-no:ton.
G. Patapsco. Nearly ready Wilmington, Del
S. .Cat*kil. $50. Just launched. Green Point.
8. .Leligh Ready to lnilnch Chester, Penn.