The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-03-29
An Iron Clad Navy...What BnGalnd an1
france have Got, and America VIII

Have.
From the New York Journal Of Commerce.
With the lessons before us, the United States
Government has no other alternative but 10
provide itself with an iron.clad navy. The
warning received in Hampton Roads, with all
its cost of life and property, will prove to DC q
salutary admoniti0n if it shall stimulate to pre-.
paration for more dangerous enemy. There
is a prevalent distrust Of oil the ordinary means
Of defense, as compared with batteries that are
movable and invulnerable, so that Mr.. Hale's
bill authorizing the construction of an iron clad
steam ram, iron-clad steam gunboats, and the
completion of Stevens battery,-also the prop
position to transfer the Congressional appro-
priation for Notifications to the building of
vessels of this character, meets with general
favor. The list of vessels already contracted
for by the Government, or proposed, is as fol-
lows:
The Monitor.
The Galena, built at Mystic.
The powerful vessel at Philsdelphia.
The Adirondack. l
The Stevens battery. l
The Naugatuck, built by Stevens.
Iron-clad gunboats ordered by Congress- 20
Iron-clad frigates, recommended by Senate
naval committee. 20
The iron ram, do i
Gunboats ordered by Massachusetts,. 2
Total 40
As long ago as the year 1854, pending the
Crimean war, the experience gained pointed
unerringly to this result. When powerful
British steam frigate got ashore near Odessa,
she was quickly torn in pieces and burnt by q
small Russian battery sent against her. And
at Bomarsund, huge allied feet found its eff
forts unavailing till the ships guns were land
ed and protected by earthworks. So in the
subsequent attacks on Odessa, Cronstadt and
Sebastopol, the same truth was forced home
that new safeguards must be devised to resist
the terrific missiles of modern invention
More convincing than all was the attack of the
French on Kinbun (exactly one year after the
first futile bombsrdment of Sebastopol,
when strong fortress of ffty-one guns and
twelve mortars, was speedily reduced by
three iron cased batteries. Though the lat
ter took position only 800 yards distant,
the shot of the enemy had no effect. With
characteristic sagacity the Emperor Napoleon
Immediately proceeded to turn to practical
account the experience thus obtained; so that
shortly before the conclusion of the war with
Austria, French gunboats were in readiness to
lombard Venice or Trieste. He also fastened
the construction of the iron frigate Gloire, for
sea service. England, meanwhile, trusted more
W NV PShoeAosnS pOWSi VI hCi
gus, and it was not until the year 1859, after
this weapon had been shown by experiment to
be powerless to injure seriously the complete
protection of the ships side, the British
Government ordered four iron. clad vessels to
be constructed. Now let US see what progress
these two leading powers have made. As
stated in the British Parliament on the oath
ult., after full investigation, France has four
iron ships afloat, and two more will be launch
ed three months hence, viz: The Glorie is at
sea, the Invincible and Normandie have made
| trial trips, the Corronne will have trial trips
in few days, and the Magenta and Solferino
are within three months of completion. Last
year, the English people were startled by
statement from the Prime Minister to the
| effect that ten additional ships had been laid
down in the French dockyards, but the fact
now appears that none of these vessels are in
such o state of forwardness as to make it prob
able that they will be launched before another
year. What England has accomplished is thus
| stated by the Admiralty:
''We have two large iron vessels afloat-the
Black Prince and the Warrior. We have two
smaller vessels-the Defense and the Resist-
ance-afoat. Two others are building of size
between the Warrior and the Defence We
have laid down the Achilles at Chatham
There are also five line-of- battle ships being
plated with iron, for which the money was
voted in the estimates of last year. Six others
are to be built, on account of which e25O, 600
was voted in July last. Thus altogether we
have built or are building iron vessels of an az.
gregate burden Of about 5000 tons, while
France, when she has all her iron vessels af1oat
will only have about $4,000 tons We have
now four irOnsides af1Oat, of 49, 900 TONS against
four French ironsides of Il, 900; so that we are
at present superior to France in this respect"
Yet England does not rest here. Adopting,
as true principle, the idea that o few guns,
carrying heavy shot, are more effective than
those Of inferior calibre-the latter making no
impression against iron plated vessels-the
Admiralty are directing attention to sColes's
cupolas I" Having made successful experiments
with one of these last year. it is now proposed
to construct ship of about 2, 500 tons, to car
ry twelve breech-loading Armstrong guns in
six cupolas, the vessel to be without rigging,
as she is intended for coast defense. She will
draw only twenty feet Of water, and have adj
dltlonal advantage of moderate cost In all
this, the reader cannot fail to note the fact that
this plan is substantially the one already adopt.
ed in the. United States with eminent success,
as illustrated by the exploits of Ericsson s
steam battery monitor, the latter however,
containing one essential feature not contempla.
ted by English naval architects, l. e., the rotary
''a ~ "hioA TUG guns may De pointed with |
out reference to the motion of the ship. 1t is |
also a remarkable fact, that in these devices of
modern intellect, apparently indicating great
progress, we are reverting to ancient usages. |
Inc tendency is to greater dependence on per- |
s0nal prowess as exhibited by maiEclad war |
riors of the olden time. few brave men. pro. |
tected by iron plates, must fight our battles on |
The sea- and instead of the Martelio towers and |
walled turrets Of the Old World, we shall yery
likely adopt revolving towers of iron, or their
equivalent in some other form.
DIsAAY AND DESPERATION AT THr Souru The |