New-York tribune., 1870-08-23
THE GREAT NAVIES.
NO. U.-PRTSSIA.
CRITICAL SURVEY BY OUR SPECIAL CORRE-
SPONDENT.


the naval establishment of Prussia is likely TO afford
her friends little occasion for congratulation; but
the fault is certainly not nine 1t is doubtful if out
of all the nations the face of the earth so great
ana culpable disparity can be found between the
land and naval forces. With ample pecuniary re-
sources, great intelligence national pride sea-coast
extended enough to afford facilities for naval de-
velopment, and the knowledge of the rapid and
threatening growth of her Trans-Rhenan rival
Prussia has supiney allowed this terrible crisis 10
oveTtake her without making such provisions 10
meet il as must have been suggested oy ,he
instinct Of self-preseTvation, TO say notmhg VI
desire for territorial aggrandzement Inc men az
the head of her affairs must have foreseen that In
case of war with any of the Great Powers strlct
blockade of her coast would have been enforced soon
after the commencement of hostilites, and that her
rapidlv-c-rowne commerce would be at the mercy of
ber ANTAGONIST or antagonists The lessons of the
American war. and of the AustrO-Italian war,
seem 70 have been almost unheeded by her,
although she was strainiag every nerve to in
crease the effectiveness of her land forces
in all possible ways. She has neglected
her plain duty to at least make her navy capable of
performing police duty, to say nothing Of defending
her seaboard and the mortifing result is that her
steamships and saihDg-veSsels tied up at their
wharves in whatever ports they found themselves
hardly dare show their prows outside of harbor.
Suppose it had been different and she had made
proper use Of the time and means at her command,
what a different tale would have to be told by the
historian Of the mighty struggle that is now going
on! If her navy had been brought up to anything
like the condition of her army her flag might to-day
be flying tliumphantly over French ports, and the
power Of her enemy humbled by victories at as
brilliant rs those which have been won by the won
derful strategy Of Won Mole and the Crown Prince.
THE wAR-sHIPs OF PRUSSIA.
The Naval Register of Prussia bears the names of
more than so vessels carrying a total of than
800 guns. This looks on paper like formidable ma
val foTce-qute sufficient, it would seem to prevent
the blockade of any port but if we deduct six
only six-from this number the remainder are not
worth the counting Twenty-Five of these high
sounding war-ships small gunbOats, with but
two or three light guns each-too feeble to attack
resist powerful enemy too slow TO do even police
duty crcditably. The progress of improvement in
naval architecture, consequent on the American war,
has left the Great Powers of the world mot only
Prussia but all of them, the United States ncluded
with vast number of useless hulks on hand the
mere cost Of repairing which is sheer waste of
money. SO rapid have been the strides made in this
direction, that in most of the dock-yards of the
world expensive ships made after the old models
have been condemned while yet on the stocks incom-
pleted
OF the best six ships of the Prussian navy, one has
displacement of ,2S0 tuns of 1,503 tuns of
4.04 tuns, one Of 500 tuns one Of 1900 tuns and
one, the KONG Wilhelm, of S761 tuns. OF these,
two plated with four-and-a-half inches of irOn
two with five inches the RenOwn with six inches
and the K0nig Wilhelm with eight inches. Those
with the thin plating have but little speed and are
inferior ships. They are armed with Krupps eight
incl brfn oud-O Tha ic
wooden ship, built in the most thorough manner,
but being plated with only six-inch iron with 10
inch backing Of teak has not that resisting quality
that such a ship should have. Armed as she is with
tour lO-inch Kupp guns, and thirty "a, ~, and 96-
FOUNDERS the two very important features of
ofensiveness and defensiveness ought to bear some
comparison with each other. This ship, moreover,
has no speed compared with the ron-clads recently
built in this country, while her going qualities
have not yet been fully tested to enable to
speak understandingly on the subject.
THE KING WILLIAM
The King William is as ia well known, the most
formidable vessel that flies the Prussan flag. She
was built on the Thames here by Bell of the Thames
Iron Ship-bulding Company, originally for Turkey,
but as the Sultan could raise the necessary funds
she was purchased by Prussia She is of irOn double
bottOmed, with watertight compartments, and eight
inch amor. Between the fore and miZzen-masts
there are athwartshp iron bulkheads, six inches
thick incOSng the space for II KTupp 9i-inch steel
titles Her armament is % broadside and one pivot
gun The plating amidships stated is eight inches
thick. hut above the gundeck at the ends it is ta
pered 10 only six inches There is much skill dis
played in the construction of this ship and if she
had two screws instead of only one and fewer guns
but of larger calber, she would be altogether the
most formidable sea-fort now afoat Her great
lenofh 1863 like that of fhp ROcham hpau
vents her being maneuvered with proper rapdity in
an engagement. 1t is not very probable, how
ever that she will take any very active part
in the present contest, for the reason that,
notwithstanding she is more than match
for any ship in the French navy, (the
Rochambeau probably not excepted, yet as she can
count on no support she will hardly venture to
gage alone the French fleet that now infests the
Baltic. Whether this war will develop any new
ideas in naval architecture depends very much upon
whether other Governments than the two present
bclgerents take any part in it. If it be confined to
France and Prussia, the latter will undoubtedly con-
tent herself with the removal of her beacons and
buoys the sowing of tOrpedoes in her harbors, and
suffer her commerce to take snch care of itself as il
can Ii would be great pity if no naval engagement
should occur to show what egregrious fOllies have
been committed in the construction of iron-clads.
The King William could carry, in smooth water, in
her casemates ten 15-inch guns, on her present
draught and having plating that will resist the shot
from any French ship except the single gun on the
ROchambeau, it is possible that she might destroy
the Baltic fleet if she could engage them singly
by pairs, as they approach the coast. 1t too
bad that this noble ship count so little sup
port for if she fights at all she must fight the entire
French force, and with the possibility if not proba-
bity that her fate would be that of the Atlanta in
Mobile Bay.