The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-02-08
THE KING WILLIAM.
The Strongest Plated ArmOr Ship
Owned by Prussia-DescriptiOn OF
the Monster Frigate, ETC., etc.

the grandest and most formidable IS
the King William, now just upon
completion at the Thames Ironworks
for the Prussian Government. The
history Of this magnificent frigate Is
rather peculiar. About three years
ago the Turkish Government wished
for an iron zclad that should eclipse
all other iron clads afoat, and be of
herself match In fair fight for almost
squadron of them. She was TO be
larger, stronger, faster, and, above
all, to carry heavier armor and heav-
Ter armament than anything yet at
tempted. These difficult conditions
Mr.. Reed, with the consent of the adj
miralty, succeeded in combining. and
the vessel was begun at the Thames
Ironworks and rapidly pushed for
the Turkish Government, its promises
of payment kept no sort of pace with
the work done, and payment at last
altogether failing, the frigate was left
on the hands of the Thames Com
pany to dispose of it as they
could. 1t was at once offered to
our Admiralty at the price the Sui
tan had agreed to give for it. But the
admiralty, while admitting the sur
passing excellence and strength of the
vessel, hesitated about the purchase,
required time to think about it, would
rather waita little. aud so on. The
Thames Company, however, did not
like waiting, and offered it to the
Prussian Government, which as in
stantly replied by an offer to buy It at
sum considerably higher than that
at which it had been offered to the
Admiralty. This tender, if we may
so call it, was taken, but hardly had
the contracts been signed when the
Admiralty appeared on the scene and
wished to purchase the frigate with
out further delay. But it was then
too late. The agreement with the
Prussian Government had been made,
, and there was no retracting. Thus
the strongest plated armor ship yet
built passes into the hands of foreign
power, and we may possibly some day
see her arrayed against our own frig-
ateS. Woe betide any of our vessels
which shall meet her! The Warrior
carries Al inch armor over half her
length, and is meant to bear 26 guns
some only 68-pounders, some 100
Founders, and four $50 Founders.
The King William, which, is as large
as the Warrior, and is designed
to have her speed, carries 8 inch
armor, with a battery of 26 300
FOUNDERS. all of Krupp's steel,
all breech- leaders, and capable, it is
said, of being fred with rs pound
charges as. often as twice in minute.
| The length Of this formidable craft is
365 feet, Is feet shorter than the
| Warrior; but her breadth is two feet
greater, being go Feet against the
| Warriors So feet. This gives. her a
greater midship section, and there
fore enables her to bear her ponder
Gus armour more easily by giving her
greater displacement; but. on the
other hand, this same displacement
makes it more difficult to move her
through water at high speed, especial
! ly since the King William is to be of
g. 600 tons burden, and to draw, at her
mean draught-load no less than 26
feet of water. The engines, however,
will be fully equal to their work.
! They are being made By Messrs.
Maudslay, and are to be of |, $50 horse
power nominal, and capable of work
ing up to the power of 1000 horses.
With this power, and guided by the
ordinary calculations, it is believed
she will realize from i3 to Il knots an
hour. There will be no less than 40
| furnaces required to keep her going
at full speed, and these will use rath :
err more than so tons of coal a day,
and her coal bunkers only hold
| 700 tons. Her construction is On
what is called the longitudinal sys-
tem-that is, series of most
powerful wrought iron Orders, or
frames, laid at intervals of Z feet
apart, and passing along her complete
ly from stem to stern. Between these
frames the wrought iron ribs are
bolted, below the water line, at inter
walls of feet apart; but above it, and
behind the armor, they are bolted as
close as to be within 2 feet Of each
other. Within both. frames and ribs
| comes another iron skin an iuch thick,
so as, to literally make a double ship,
the inner one being AZ feet apart from
| the outer. Side passages, or wings,
as they are called, running the whole
length of the structure, continue this
| double form up to the main deck.
The inner side of these wings forms
the walls of the coal bunkers, so that
even were it possible for a shot to
pass through the armored sides of the
King William it would still have to
penetrate the, iron coal bunkers
and pass through s feet of coal be
fore it could do any mischief to the
fighting crew Of the ship. The armor
is eight inches thick amidships, ia
pering gradually downwards to a
thickness of seven inches. at seven
feet beloY the water line. \ It ais 0, ia
| mars q e. In I'll % same manner towards