The Soldiers' journal. (Rendezvous of Distribution, Va.) 1864-1865, 1864-05-11

From the N. Y. Independent.
Iron War Ships.


no department of art has more boldness and
originality of design ever been displayed than in
the application of iron to the construction of
ships for commerce and war. Our space will
confine us at present to description of vessels
of the latter class, and every intelligent person
now feels a deep interest in these.
1t is generally admitted by those who have in
vestigated the question, that the late Robert L.
Stevens, of HOboken, Ma gentleman of very
superior mechanical genius-was the first inven-
tor who proposed and commenced the construc-
ton of an impenetrable armor steamship. His
plans were laid before the American Government
more than twenty years ago, and appropria-
ton was made by Congress to carry them into
effect The building of this floating battery was
commenced, and the work on it continued for
several years. until the appropriated sum
expended. This vessel was to have a thick ar
NOR, composed of thin plates, laid in layers and
it was also designed with the capacity of being
partly submerged, to expose but small
amount of surface to the guns of the enemy. 1t
is still in Hoboken, in unfinished state and
has been repeatedly offered to the Government
upon certain conditions. Next in order of date
was the armor gunboats that were built in France
and England during the Crmean war; for the
reduction of Russian fortresses. These
vessels were very clumsy and slow, and were in
breadth of beam. They were really the first
armor vessels that were practically applied in
warfare, and their success very marked in
one instance This fact was not lost upon Louis
Napoleon, although almost overlooked by the
British. During this war, Captain Coles, of the
English navy, designed a turreted armor ship,
and the model of it exhibited to the chief
officers of the fleet A full description of it,
companed with illustrations, was published in
Bl0ckWood's Magazine for December, 1860. It is
the first published record of revolving turreted
armor vessel which the writer of this has been
able to find It's revolving turret was to be
twenty feet in diameter, and armed with two
guns. The Emperor of France, however first
fully appreciated the great importance of armed
vessels, and the plated frigate La Glorie was re-
ally the first armor ship that was built deserving
of the name. Our present has been the
means of exciting the minds of our inventors in
wonderful degree, to the construction of arrnor
vessels, and we have great fleet of such in
commission and in course of construction The
first which completed was the original Mon
itor, designed by Capt. John Ericsson; but it
must be confessed that the Confederates exhibit
ed fully more enterprise than our naval author
tiles in the application of armor to vessels, for
they covered the old frigate Merrimac with
plates, and she came forth and sunk two of our
wooden war ships that had been appointed to
watch her, and she would have annihiated our
whole wooden fleet at Fortress Monroe but for
the timely arrival of the Monitor-that impene-
trable Yankee cheese box--which checked her
victorious career. This exciting incident won
great favor for this class of vessels, and a large
number of such have been built. These vessels
have revolving, impenetrable, round towers of
iron, each containing a battery of two large