New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-07-09
ABOARD THE TUSCARORA
A Man-OfWa1. Described

There are few things more interesting
to landsman than the ways and manner
of those "who 90 down to the sea in ships
More particularly is this interest felt con
cerning our bulwarks and defenders on the
broad ocean. the United States naval force
Believing that any information aboard
men of war and mcn-ofwarsmen. would be
highly acceptable to the readers of the RE
PUBLICAN. we made a visit Thursday after.
noon to the United States sloop of wal
port, and is anchored in the river. nearly
opposite Canal street.
A signal TO the vessel was promptly an
swered by the coming ashore of an eight
Dared boat. the Third Cutter In a few
minutes We were ascending the side of the
vessel, and were politely received by the
officer of the deck. On making known the
object of our visit we were presented by the
officer on watch to the executive officer,
Lieutenant Commander B. II. McCalla, who
courteously showed us over, and gave us
every information respecting the vessel and
her belongings.
What will most particularly strike a
landsman on a visit to a ship like the Tus-
carora is the scrupulous neatness and hy-
percrtical cleanliness of every portion of
| the ship. From stem to stern, from star
| board to port, allow and aloft, every object
that meets the eye directly contradicts the
| ideas of most ''lubbers ashore respecting
| the idiosyncrasies of Jack" afoat. The
| vague notions derived from legends of the
bonny lass who would WED with tarry
sailor or the lovely bride of Billy Taylor
who, ito discover her true loveyer, shipped
on board a man of war. and there her lovely
lily fingers was all bedaubed with pitch and
tar all these find no verifcation in the
discipline of government vessel.
Under the polite guidance of the executive
officer, We descended to the forward part of
the berth deck appropriated to the quarters
of the crew. Here are sleeping accommO-
dations for one hundred and eighty-nine
men, being the full complement of the ship.
The necessary room for this number is OBJ
tanned by using the traditionary hammock,
Of which most shOrefOlks have some knowl-
edge. These swing on hooks inserted in the
beams above. and as they hang ready for
use are so high from the floor as to make
access TO them difficult to any but a prac-
ticed hand; in fact, going to bed at sea is
science, for the attempt of the uninitiated
generally result in pitching over on the
other side, somewhat like the clown in the
ring, when he attempts TO mount.
At an appointed time in the morning the
hammOcks are all unswung, rolled up with
mattress and blankets, neatly bound with
cords, passed up on deck and deposited in
the nettings on each side of the vessel
where they remain all day exposed to sun
and breeze, keeping them in clean and
wholesome condition.
In the extreme forward part Of the berth
deck. or i'll sailor parlance. .'chuck for
ward" is the galley" where the food of
the crew is prepared. 1t is simply Il mons
ter cooking stove, and needs little de-
scription; but no bakery, confection-
cry or cuisine of q restaurant can
possibly excel the galley and its surround
ings in intense cleanliness. We were shown
u specimen loaf of bread baked on hoard for
the use Of the crew, which, for lightneSs
sweetness and all qualities belonging to
good bread, might have taken the premium
ut a State fair. There was also ship baked
gingerbread of colossal dimensions
enough, probably, to feed the many chill
dren of the old woman who lived in a shoe
In taste it excelled any shore gingerbread.
except the most expensive. Evidently !
cookery is no neglected art on board a man |
ofwar.
Abaft the quarters, ON the starboard side |
is the department for medical stores 1t is |
very small. but cOmpactlv arranged and |
provided with all the means and
appliances necessary for the medical art
The after part of the berth deck com
prises the steerage and ward-room; the
and other officers of lower rank; the latter
the staterooms of the lieutenant
lieutenant and surgeon. The
gard-rOOm is the Sdue-a-manger of the of
icers who occupy it, and the steerage serves |
1 similar purpose To its occupants.
Before describing the vessel further. it
Will be better to say that sloop-of-war like
he Tuscarora has two decks, the spar Tor
IpperI deck and the berth Tor lower) deck
which latter is divided into ward-room.
teerage, mems quarters, and galley. 4
The ward room and steerge communicate
With each other, but are entirely separated
rom the mems quarters and galley in the
Onward part of the berth deck; each
livisiOn having its own means of access to
he spar deck above.
For tho benefit of those not acquainted |
With naval nomenclature, We may say that |
he term steerdge, applied to one of the
bove described compartments, has not the
east in the world to do with the steering or | ,
Erection of the vessel. The etvmology of
he term appears to be completely lost, nor |
ave We ever met with a nautical man who
Ould tell mhy this particular portion of a
hip is called the steerage.
Below the berth deck is the hold contain 5
lg the engine room (which for obvious ,
easons is always under the water-line), pro- I
isiOn rooms, shot and shell rooms, coal |
unkers, magazine, marine store room. | 7
aint room. receptacles for slowing the huge {
nchor chains. and various purposes; for on I
hipboard not an inch of room is wasted. $
here is also on board an apparatus for dis a
ling fresh water from sea water, SO that
le necessity to burden the ship with a a
eavy freight of water, as in old times, is '
ainly obviated.
The object OF greatest interest Oh board Y
oop of war is undoubtedly the spar or up 8
er deck, for there are placed what
'pecially gives the ship its distinctive I
laracter as war vessel, the great guns. O
he armament of man-of-war has, since ! @
le last generation undergone q total 4
lange. A vessel of the size of the Tusca- t
'ra (l0G0 tons) would, in the war of 1912, f
sve carried at least twenty guns tcannon) r
different sizes. Now, such vessel carries 4
)t more than ten, but these are of great b
ze and some of them of mOnstrOus dimen- | n
ons. Without pretending to any know t
dge of gunnery, we think it is not hazard O
& much to say thot one shot from the +
rgest gun Of the Tuscarora would probably
II az effectively as a broadside of the q
lns formerly used in vessel of her rating. 81
The battery of the Tuscarora consists of one q
nooth bore elcven-inch pivot gun, CARRYING i,
solid shot of l66 pounds or a shell of III n
funds, effective at distance of over two s
iles one ritied pivot gun, the shot for Il
hich weighs eighty pounds, and the shell v
venty pounds two rifed pivot guns the