New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-08-18
DIR IRON.CLAD FLEET.
THR FIRST COMPLETE ACCOUNT OF
OUR IRON NAVY.
all the Vessels Dailt and Building Described
Forty-four Iron and Iron-Clad vessels W
be Afoat in October.

S.x.ral leppthy accounts OF the iroil-cad leet ot
a., u,;,.a sat.s have recently been printed. 1t Is
.,,os reeal..s to SAY they all imperfect, as IN
- ;,s,onca xvss AN attempt made to keep up with
o.. do;v ;ssued orders Of the Navy Department for
Oh. o,s,rnction Of ships Of the kind referred TO.
S,bo;ned IL the first and only complete rsssme OF
our new iron navy which has been given to the
public II conpreherds not only all the vessels
aaoat and approaching completion, but those which
have Just been commenced, and Of which few per-
sons have heard anything 1t Is not generally I'M
derstood that beside our Monitors, Galenas, Iron
sides Roanokes, and the ten Ericsson craft ordered
by Secretary Welles, with the approval OF Con-
rress, work has begun on an entirely new meet
some vessels Of which will be Of peculiarly ongi'
ns character The progress made by the contractors
for the ten iron-cad gunboats similar to the Monitor
has been most satisfactory. One Of those at Green
point has her nachiaery on board, and may be ex-
pected to be ready fer commission in three weeks.
The two at Chester also pushing ahead rapidly,
and will be finished about the middle of next month.
But the first iron-clad vesssl that will be ready to
Ioin the feet already serving under the United States
Gag, will be the friga,e New Irensides, which has
Just been manned and reported ready for sea at the
Philadelphia Navy-Yard.
clad vessels each is placed according to its size and
rank in the service. We have purposeiy mace The
report Of each brief but comprehensive, DO US 10
facilitate The completeness of the sketch;
The Rrigates.
THE NEW IRoNSlDES.
This vessel, being tie largest Of our rop-ciad
feet by 100 tuDs, deserves first noiice Sho Ii no
Less than $500 tuns burden, and has just been
,lo1a tplt Sha in
feet long, 81 feet inches wide, II feet deep, and
will draw Is feet of water Her frames are of white
oak, and the average thickness Of her sides is ~
inches. The plates commence four feet below the
water-line, aud IL feet long by % to ~ inches
wide. She is a sea-going steamer, and has three
Inass the topmass aud yards being capable OF being
lowered in action 80 as to leave only the lower
.nasts in view. She has very formidable battery.
1t consists Of sixteen ll.noh Dahlgren guns on the
gun deck. and two 2Oe-pounder Parrot guns on the
spar deck, The Ironsides has but three decks, the
orlop deck in consequences Of the light draft OF the
frigate being dispensed with. Her machinery is Of
great power consisting Of two horizontal direct act
ing engines with cylinders Of 50 inches diameter,
and 30 inches stroke, intended 10 make % revoiu-
ton, per minute and to drive brass four-baded
propeller Of l3 feet diameter and Is feet pitch.
The boilers are four in number, known as horizontal
tubular each being IL feet front, IL feet Deep and
III feet high, of collective force OF 900 horses
Though the boilers and machinery and coa-bunkers
occupy considerable space there is ample room for
officers quarters and the accommodation OF the crew.
THB ROANOKE.
TIL. Roanoke was built at Norfolk in 1855, and
nearly broke her back in launching. She rated with
the niagara, Merrimsc, Colorado, and Minnesota
before il was deemed advisable TO rayee her. Her
first cost was $500 00e and after few months SER
vice rs flagship Of the Home Squadron, she was re-
paired at cost Of $500, 0OO. Some time after that
after little service she again came TO New-York,
and was put in good shape at cost Of about 40 Co.,
Her last service wss in bringing here the japanese,
and on her return it was found that it would require
about 600, 900 to pu, her in proper trim again.
She is TO be clothed aInidships with thick iron
plates which extend about five feet below the
wster-ne; she will have three great revolving gun
turrets on deck, and powerful iron beak or ram on
her bow. This beak resembles huge ak, and liz
formed of plates 20 feet long, 4. inches thickthus
making inches Of iron on the front edge. Each Of
che revolving gunurres will be ~ feet inside diam
eter, and the sides will DO formed of IL courses OF
inch-iron plates. Each plate for turret is about
feet in length by 40 inches in width and inch in
thickness. Two courses of rivet holes are punched
out in esch aud they all bent cold in powerful
hydraulic press The bed-plate Of the press is of
concsye form, and the top block is OF convex FORM
A plate to be bent is placed upon the concavo bed
plate Of the press, and when properly adjusted the
pump forces up three under it, and the plate is
reduced to the proper curve against the top block.
The pressure 10 which each plate ia submitted give
Il the proper curve is 100000 pounds. BY this
method of bending the turret plates cold there is
perfect uniformity and accuracy secured for the whole
The Roanoke is still in the dry-dock Of the Navy
Yard, aud will not be ready for her officers and
before six weeks.
The Gunboats.
THE MONITOR.
several descriptions Of this vessel have been pub
l;,b.d b,is, uotioe Of her must suffice here. She
va. O, entirely MAJ, plan, invented by Capt. ErcS-
.on the 6,., rs..el Isrrr ed Of her kind. She was
built in 100 days, a. GreenPo,,,' ana launched by
Capt. Ericsson Jan. 30 Of this year. oae hss, esH
were, two hulls the upper one mailed and defensive,
the lower one light, composed Of iron three-quarters
of al inch thick. TIE upper hull is plated with
armor blk inches thick |, n ia feet long, Al feet
inches wide. The iron-cad portion outside ia per.
pendicular, five feet high. The vessel draws about
ten feet. The revolving turrt. 10 nine feet high,
twenty feet internal diameter, composed of iron
plates nine inches thick in all, with an additional
shield of three inches the side Of the port-hoe.
Tho armament consists of two ll-nch DahlTen
guns. The veseel has no unprotected part Several
naval officers affirm that the only reason tba! the
Monitor did not sink the Merimac q. Hampton Roads
ILL oF e. IL