The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-03-03
THE IRoN-c1AD "MoNARcH."
Interesting Description OF the Ship-Hel
Armament, Speed, Construction, Oh
GERS, &c.

The British ron-clad ship ot-war- Monarch,
now at Annapolis, is attracting grea; deal OF
attention at the hands of the Northern papers
The following is detailed description of this
remarkable vessel:
The Monarch is vessel of commanding ap-
pearance, of 509S tons. She Is $50 feet IN
length, 81 feet inches beam, and draws 2S
feet. Her engines are HOO horse power Her
battery Is carried In two of Captain COwper
Coles turrets, with three chase guns OF less
calibre mountednt the cxtremities and pro
tected by en- apinored casemate. The weight
of the hull, with skinpatlng and extra girders
included, Is 1914. tons; the other weights, boil
ers, machinetY, epars, &C., amount to 1857
tons. The htffi, Which is of iron, is protected
by scven-inch iron armor on the most import
ant parts, and six inch on the other parts, the
plating being supported by twelve lncnes OF
teak backing, with one and q half inch thick
ness Of skin plating and an arrangement OF
longitudinal girders, which are worked at In
tervals of about two feet, thus forming net
work of framing in conjunction with the strong
vertical frames inside the skin-platlng, which
are about the same distance apart. This de-
vice has proved so satisfactory as regards the
efficient support it gives to the armored side
that it has been adopted in oil British IRON
clads built since the famous Bellerophon,
THE TURRETs.
The turrets of tile Monarch are 2G feet 6
inches in diameter, and are constructed on the
same principle as her side armor. The iron
plating on the turreL Is inches IN thickness,
is laid upon teak backing OF IL inches. Win
an iron skin of Ii inch. Each turret Is pierced
for Two guns, and near the portfolios the
plating is increased to ten inches. The turret
bed rests upon the main deck, additional sup
port being given to the deck Immediately be-
meath by u combination of iron pillars and sup
ports. On the main deck armor-plated bulk
heads are placed athwart the ship, inside OF
which are the turrcts, engine funnel and steer
Ing apparatus, the latter intended TO 0e useu
when the ship Is In action. These blukheads
are similar in construction to her sides, win
the execution that the war armor Is only 3
inches in thickness, laid upon teak backing
of 10 inches, and the usual skin-platlng stiflen-
ed and supported by the ordinary longitudinal
girlers and frames. The entire central por-
tion of the Monarch Is thus enclosed and pro-
tected by shot-proof sides and bulkheads,
which enclose the turrets and ships machinery.
The turrcts urc thus deprived of their primary
and supreme advantage-that of providing an
all-ronnd fire for the guns, and more especially
q head fire. The deprivation, her builder says,
Is CONSEQUENT upon the determination OF the
admiralty to adopt foreCasIles, which are In
tended TO keep the ship dry In steaming against
o. head sea, and to enable the head sails TO De
worked. It was to make up somewhat this
loss of head fire from the turrets that the TWO
6t-ton guns were put on the forecastle OF the
main deck. The forward turret guns are ca
pable only of firing ut an angle OF not less Ciiah
10 degrees with Tie vesseFs keel. Ine a1cer
turret lunettes are the same, and the ~ de-
grces lost is made up by placing 6s-ton gun
In nm armored casematc similar to the forward
one. which keeps the circuit ofire unimpaired,
except in force, or rather weight oil metal.
ARMAMENT.
The gums in the turrets are an unusual height
above the water, the Monarch navins llge, e.
board" of upward of II feet, which enables tne
runs to be fought ut a height OF lG feet ABOVE
thc water. The bulwarks within the range Oh
the turret guns are hinged, and when The YES
sol Is cleared for action, they are allowed 10
Lanr alongside of the vessel out of the way.
Th,. turrct runs, four In number, are known
as twenty-five ton guns, anu are flneu, thro"-
inr six hlIndred-pOllnd shot. These guns are
twelve inches in diameter OF bore, anu are
charged with seventy pounds OF gunpowder,
irving 10 the shot when fired an Initial velocity
of l2[2 feet per second, the total "enerSy' Of
the proiectie at 1900 yards being 5lG3 loot-lons.
The three GJ-ton guns employed Ut the eAIreni-
tiles are rilled, The diameter OF bore Is Z
inches. The projectie used weighs l!5 pounds,
and ~ pounds of powder are used IN ootai1-
iur an initial velocity Of l43O feet per second,
The total energy of the projectile at 1000 yards
being 1l43 loot-tons.
SPEED.
Tho snccd of the Monarch has attracted much
Intention, and has on several occasions eX-
cerdrl IA knots. Her highest rate of speed,
otIiciaIIy recorded, is 1887 knots, the highest
Httained by any of the British armor-clad ships
nj load draft From table recently pub
ished by the chief constructor of the royal
navy, E. J. Reed, C. B., some idea can be
gained of the time and distances some OF the
iron-clads can steam before the coal
Is exhausted: