The New York herald., 1876-02-29
ways as receiving vessels harbOr training ships naval

receiving Vessels naIOor tfdlnlnS naNai
depot ships Sc, &C.
THIRD RATE SAILING SECOND CLASS.
Alter which order follow the so-called third rates
OF the second class, TO wit:--Portsmouth, Cyane
jamestown. Saratoga, 81 LOUIS ~. Marys, Dale and
Pawnee the remarks applying to these vessels as
10 the sailing third rates OF the first class Two OF
these vessels, the 81. Marys and Jamestown used
for State nautical schools and one, the Pawnee a
store ship at Port Royal or Key West
Finally come the
SAILING FOURTH RATES.
Guard onward, Relief and Supply, all store ships
and useful IN that particular service.
IRON-CLAD FLEET
The cream Of the Register however, is the list OF
force OF the navy OF these there none classed
''hrst rates, aud SIX as second rates"
THE 'sEcoND RATES.
may be described foows:-
Colossus item guns, late kalamazoo, a wooden,
vessel halt rotten on the stocks at New York She is
not worth launching and plating, SINCE wooden ships.
armor plated. deierorate rapidly, iron rust and
hgneous acid not agreeing well together
Dictator 1.-TWO guns, an iron screw monitor in toler
able condition. but needs boilers and other repairs
Steams about nine knots nov, but orgrnay much
fast er aud is armed with hteen-inch smooth bores.
Massachusetts, tlour guns, wooden, screw ship, half
rotten, the stocks Portsmouth, and will probably
there remain until sold for cord wood
Oregon -four gunsl IN he condition the
Massachusetts,, only she lies at Boston.
Puritan two gunsl, good iron vessel, but as
yet unfinished. II this vessel can be finished according
TO the present plans OF her inventor John Ericsson
and without steam Bureau improvements, and is
armed with heavy rifles as the Chief OF Naval Ordnance
suggests she VIII be tough customer tor any foreign
iron clad ailoat Captain Ericsson OF course pro-
poses solid plating Tor her arnor.
Roanoke (sN guns) old wooden frgato OF the Wa
bash type cut down and armorcd heavily that she
is topheary at and can only be used Tor habor de-
fence. Shc has solid iourinch plates and three Mon
tor turfcts, with four flieennch and two eleven lch
smooth bore guns her hull Is rotten and back prob
ably broken The Chief Of Bureau OF Construction rec
ommcnds that she be repaired which moans that ne
desires 10 build a iron vessel much like the old
one as mud turtle is like gar nsh The present
Roanoke steam fast enough TO ''get out of her
own way, and mad ~ be towed from the Navy Yard to
her late anchoraee IN the North River, and back
small tugs II doubtful II her forward
and acr turrcts will turn readily, owing
10 her change OF shape nut safely planted on a mud
FIAT in New York IIarbor that she can't sink and
armed with rilcd guns, she vodd be good cased
fort and would hod her own we'll This completes the
list OF 'second rate lron-cads. or s'third
rates' there are four rs iolows:-.
Amphiirte uour guns), late Tonawanda until Ad-
mra Porter capurcd-the names OF the British Navy;
blc-urrcted, wooden, monitor plated with
laminated armor gross mistake having been made
by somebody in calculating this vessels displacement
before building, she iloatcd too low tho water when
launched and armed to carry her ammunition and
stores, so she sent round to Annapolis TO amuso
the mi1shipmen and show them how clever naval
constructors are few years atcrward she had her
name changed by way OF improvement, an insult to
blue water which old Ncptune's spouse has not yet
had chance 10 resent This vessel is now being 'rc
paired that Is rebuilt out and out with iron frame.
The character OF said frame is only known to the
initiated The laminaed armor Is not, however,
1t is said, TO be replaced by solid and Captain John
Ericsson complains in the newspapers that ''the
turrets will not stand shot from the average
rifle gun" The Bureau thinks Ericsson sad dog,
Mianlononoh -four guns, wooden hull, monitor,
plated like Tonawanda, and repairing also.
Monadnock tour guns), the same the Mantono-
moh, but "reparingp at Mare Island. Her franc
being shipped across the country by the Pacific Rail-
road, the government trying so get even with that
road the freight question
Terror Qour guns, the late Agamentcus. Her
diton is the same as that of the Monadnock-that is,
repairing" The amount of the usual annual appro-
prlation which the department has been able ITO
utilize" for this purpose has evidently been consider
able
This completes the list of ron-clad 'third rates
four in number, which 1t Is hoped, when repaired"
Will prove servIceable If not formidable for coast and
harbor defence 1t is at least, something to be thank
full for when scanning the rest of the navy st ana
trust we are deeply grateful. At all events like ST.
Paul, we can "thank God and take couragc.n
FOURTH RATE MONITORS
Finally, on the iron-ciad list are found fourteen
''lourth rates, as ollows:-Ajax, Canonicus Co
manche, Catski Jason, Lehigh, Mahopac, Manhattan,
MoDtauk, Nahant, Nantucket, Passac, Saugus and
Wyandoe, all iron screw monitors with single turrets
and armed with two hiteen-inch smooth bore guns.
None OF these vessels seems able 90 to sea
without convoy, at least the government apparently
dares not trust them alone along the coast, so
they may be classed simply for harbor defence.
They have amnatcd armor their turrcts and sides,
and some of the turrets deeply battle Scared
souvenirs OF Forts Moutrie aud Sumter during the
recent "unpleasantness. II these carry
such marks they do from the old smooth bores and
wreched rifles OF the beleagucred Coniederatcs 1t is
easy to imagine what modern rifle guns Will against
them None of tho Montauk class of vessels cn steam
over seven knots per hour and the average speed
only about 1--WE knots per hour, unarmored British
soops OF war; therefore, which carry inch rifles
yards though that would be coming dangerously
the fifteen inch smooth bore guns, but the foreign
ships which carry nine and ten inch rifles stand of
at long taw that is, Tar 500 yards and hammer
at them at their leisure. The consider.
ably larger than the usual British regulation target for
target practice At and the result OF single
inch projcctile penetrating turret would be utter
destruction 10 all within. Solid plating twelve
inch rifles will make these craft formidable for
harbor deence-nothing else WILL But better
things are scarcely TO be hoped for until the
true spirit OF reform pervades the administration of
the navy-that is, until II is that neces-
sity requires It should be the same common
sense business principles which gives his
private affairs. Nothing short OF a Board Of Naval
composed of three honest just, ablo
fearless, energetic and patriotic seamen-men hating
nepotism and all other sms and who know
just what the navy and speak the honest
truth. regardless OF personal consderations-can
bring safely of this slough OF naval despond"
MISCELLANEOUS CRAFT.
Finally we have twenty-five tugs and two iron tor
pcdo vessels-Alarm and lntrepld-both expensive
alures the former as TO speed the latter TO the OBJ
ject intended
These lao vessels of all kinds and all of
diton and PREPARATION with 337 officers of all kinds,
al OF whom the duty list Zone officer every
i've enlisted men) S5C0 enlisted seamen 500 marines,
navy yards, 81 other naval stations, large and
small, aud 5000 (or more) permanent lone may say)
navy yard employees make up what is known to the
world as the United states Navyl
A small amount of bread to "intolcrablo quantity
Of sack