The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-12-09
Report of the Secretary of the Navy.

From the report of Secretary Robson it
appears that the number of vessels in the
navy is 147, with total measurement of
152,412 tons, and carrying 1,105 guns.
There are twenty-six of this number, which
are sailing vessels, carrying 266 guns and
assigned at various points for school ships,
coal and supply ships. The steam vessels,
as distinguished from the iren-clads and
torpedo ships, number, in the whole, 1876,
of which, however. twenty-five are tugs,
employed as towing, ferry or torpedo
boats, at the various navy yards, or in use
as surveying vessels, or in the service of
the fish commission. Twenty-nine are in
ordinary at the yards on the Atlantic or at
Mare island. Three, viz, the Gettysburg,
Despatch and Tallapoosa are used as freight
and despatch vessels. Three more are in
commission as training and receiving ships,
at all times ready for service, and the re-
mainder are in commission on several sta
lions or at various yards ready for use.
Besides such of the new ships as are in
commission, thirty-two others, including
the largest and most efficient ships of the
navy, act as cruisers or training ships, and
twelve of the remainder, though requiring
more or less repairs to boilers and ma
chinery, could, if needed, be put IN condi-
ton for service as soon as sailors could be
| enlisted to man them.
The iron-clad fleet consists of twenty six
vessels, three of which are useless. The
remaining twenty-three, consisting of twen-
ty-one vessels OF the monitor type, and two
iron torpedo ships, are all efficient vessels
| of fbotr Clacc nd v,oUarfrl for both
defensive and offensive operations near our
shores. Five, namely, donble-turreted
monitors Amphitrite, Monadnock, Man
tonomah, Puritan and Terror, are in pro-
cess of complete repair, requiring from
four to Six months to finish, if pushed |;
while the remaining eighteen, consisting of
the Roanoke, the torpedo sloops, Alarm
and Intrepid, and fifteen single-turreted
monitors, namely, the Ajax, Canonicus,
Comanche, Catskill, Dictator, Jason, Le-
high, Nantucket, Passaic, Saugus and Wy
andotte, and all in good condition and
ready for any service at any time. This
makes eighty available ships, including six
teen iron-clads and two torpedo boats. The
secretary says that fleet of forty cruisers,
carrying 500 guns, besides fifteen iron-clads
and two iron torpedo ships, could be con-
centrated on our shores within month.
On the subject of navy yards, the report
states, for the past few years, o.appropra-
tions for new buildings or other works of
Improvement have been made for several of
them, and the small amount appropriated
for repairs and preservation has proved in
sufficient to keep the buildings, stock and
wharyes in that thorough state of repair
and efficiency which should characterize
all public works. An appropriation is
asked for building boundary wall on the
west side of the Boston navy yard and APP
preparations to supply new buildings for
several in the yard now unfit for the pur-
pose for which they are used are asked.
The secretary renews the recommendation
made in his last annual report of the valu-
able New York navy yard in its site and
territory. In this yard nothing has been
done beyond the current repairs. During
the past year new building for equipment
purposes at the New London yard mas been
completed, and the wharf accommodations
much enlarged. An additional appropria-
ton for the continuance of permanent i'm
provements at New London is recommen-
| dad