The New York herald., 1872-11-07
REVIEW AND DECADENCE OF THE
NAVY---l829 TO 1872.
Report Of the Secretary Of the Navy-The Actual
State Of Our Navy at the Present Time
Number Of Vessels in Commission-The
Rotten State Of Our Iron-Clads.

Rotten State Of Our Iron-Clada
The deplorable condition into which the vessels
comprising the United States Navy have fallen does
not appear to be generally known to the enlight-
encd citizens OF country which, from Its forward
state In the march OF civilization and advance
men should be able TO place before the eyes OF the
world and OF its own people naval force fully able
to guard the interests Of the nag 1t represents at
home and abroad. The American people seem TO
be unaware OF the actual state OF affairs, and many
who have hitherto induged In golden visions OF the
great naval force which we have at hand In tor
pedoes, monitors hne-0fbattle ships, &C., will
have their dreams dispeed by glance at the
real condition OF the United States Navy 1t appears
scarcely credible that we have not single vessel
that may really be called man-ofwar; but such Is
the case the few vessels we are possessed Of being
built after old models andImahy OF them have gone
through the process Of rebuilding many times that
the words Of Gideon Welles himself may be quoted
In this instance. Unfortunate indeed would be our
condition should the country be suddenly involved
in hostities with any one Of the principal mari
time Powers OF the world. In 1866 the navy OF the
United States was composed OF 2os vessels Of all
kinds, mounting On aggregate, II In commission OF
1,743 guns. In 1868 there was reduction in the
NUMBER and In the last report Of the Secretary Of
the Navy the following statistics represent the
total naval force OF the United States-
Vessels on the navy list, or all classes and sizes,
l75, OF which twenty-nine are sailing ships, and the
remainder sidewheel steamers or sailing vessels,
with auxiliary screws. Fifty of these are In service,
attached to the several fleets stations as cruis
ers despatch boats, hospital, store, receiving and
practice ships, and these, including the tugs and
small tenders In use at the various navy
yards and stations, constitute the force
In commission for all the purposes Of
the naval service. OF the above number
only % are In foreign service. or the remaining
1875 vessels ore getting ready for sea, 50 moni
tors, only two Of which are now In commission, the
balance being laid up OF various stations, prnci-
pally at League Island, where in the water Of
the Delaware their iron bottoms deteriorate with
far less rapdity than In the salt water OF the other
stations; II are under repair at various yards IS
are on the STOCKS never having been completed,
and the balance are laid up in ordinary, for the
most part unfit for use, having been built Of un-
seasoned wood, and, as the Secretary OF the Navy
In this direction our cruising navy now by no
means respectable for nation OF our rank and re-
sponsbllities will soon almost wholly pass out OF
existence as an arm OF our national POWer.n
THE DECADENCE OF THE NAVY.
Since the year 1929. when the navy, during the
existence OF the Board Of Navy commissioners,
may De said to have started into life the service
has but for short time increased in efficiency and
as ISIS we had in Commission twentytwo vessels.
mounting 626 guns; In 1843 we had forty0ne vessels
in commission, noun ting 09s guns in 1852, thirty
six vessels with 967 gums In 1854, thrtysix vessels
mounting 8s4 guns; In 1853, forty three, mounting
an average Of about six per annum, or about 24O
guns in oil, and we have now 500 guns less than we
had in 1s4s. There does not seem to be any good
reason for this decadence OF the navy. Since
increased @ 9 nS9AtS more than twsnty-six milllons,
responding degree. Our citizens are engaged in
commerce in the most distant countries, and the
United States have gained position among the
our fleets were much superior to what they are at
present. These are the facts from which statesmen
navy nav % should carry COO guns less than in Is4s Or
the twelve first rates five are built OF white oak
9 @ be to
plete and launch those that In the best state Of
preservation very soon. or the cost OF replacing
expensive. The Guerriere has been 80 much
damaged BY accident ona,n;n and decay that
so is now not on sSe ssoeEs 5Rsras a the 1e k
Yard, Is not considered worth completing, and will
be broken up The California, flagship In the Pa
c1c, will not, ut the expiration OF her present
cruise, be worth the cost OF the repairs required
In the second rates. the Albany may be considered
cannot be repaired, the Congress- Severn, flagship
Of the North Atlantic fleet, and Worcester Will not
be worth the extensive and expensive repairs re-
quired at the expiration OF their present cruises
Those Of the third rates. twelve in number, have
nearly all been repaired and been made available
the fourth rate, the Dacotah, Kearsarge and Tusca
rOra require expensive repairs.
There are nineteen vessels OF the NTH rate OF
which six are sailing ships, two captured blockade
runners valuable for special service, seven built OF
white oak timber, very much decayed and rcquir-
ing thorough repairs the remainder are in service.
or the receiving and practice ships number have
been condemned, some are In commission as prac-
vessels can only Be Called anxaries to the navy,
which could be supplied from the merchant ma
rne.
CONDITION AND EFFICIENCY OF SHIPS ON STATIONS.
Of the vessels composing the several neets in
commission not more than eighteen are In condi.
as unseaworthy, and almost all require consider
able repairs to bring them to their most efficient
state.
sells will have to be thrown aside as unit for active
service. They were hurricdly built for special
OF unseasoned white oak timber, could not be re-
paired to any advantage These vessels are the
Congress, Nantasket, 9unneba,ug, Resaca, Wor-
In two years. then the navy Will lose ten efficient
vessels, carrying l2s guns; and there is not one
ship building to supply their places.
No American steamers run on the Atlantic route,
two only TO Brazil and three or four to China. Ali
OF these are unfit for war purposes. Nearly every
nation OF consequence is outstrppng us in the race
for naval supremacy. The Turks are going largely
into the building OF iron shps-owar, torpedo ves-
sells, &C., and increasing the number OF their arse
nails and docks
Prussia, which two years ago was not considered
q naval Power at ALL has commenced the increase
OF her navy grand scale and is laying out large
depOts and constructing yards While England is
rapidly attaining perfection In her iron.cads she is
also dev0ting much attention to very fast class OF
vessels designed to cruise against an enemy's COM
merce Besides the 100 irOn-clads, home and reserve
vessels on duty, she now has In commission l91 fast
screw frigates, slo0ps and gunboats the various
stations giving protection to British subjects In all
parts OF the world
IR0N-CLADs.
In reporting the condition OF the iron-clad ves-
sells very little be said In their favor. Forty OF
the ityone vessels are OF less than 500 tons meas
urement, cannot carry modern battery, have very
little speed and consequently cannot be OF much use
In fighting an enemy in an o1ing or In protecting
q harbor. They built In violation OF established
principles OF naval architecture and have been ofno
practical service to the country. The deck beams
cayed. Four OF the largest class built In the navy