Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-11-13
The Navies Of Europe.

A return made recently to the British
parliament OF the strength Of European
navles gives material for forming some
estimate OF the comparative efficiency
OF the navy our government is now
building. The largest and fastest Eu-
ropean war vessels belong to Italy.
Her largest ship, the Italia" has "A
displacement of nearly $4,000 tons. or
about 5000 more than any other war
vessel afloat. Notwithstanding this
enormous bulk, the Italia steams IS
knots an hour, while the fastest armor-
clad iii the British navy is the ..Colios-
sus, $3.50 tons, which attains l5.4
knots. The italia carries the heav-
lest guns of any vessel ailoat, consist
ing OF -four breech-loading guns of l6
"a inches calibre and eight of 6 inches
callbre. Two other vessels, the ..Du-
ilo' and the ''Dandalo," nearly APP
l'o"Nh 'hc itdlld III size anu dfllld-
ment. Altogether Italy has eleven war
vessels of the first class, and is build
INC seven more, with three of the sec
ond class. She has one torpedo vessel
completed and eleven in progress, with
lifty-iive torpedo boats and ~twenty-eight
in progress.
Although England has a larger navy
than any other power. most of her YES
sells are unprotected by arlnor or only
partially so. She has twenty turret
armor clads completed and six more in
progress. Her largest guns-eighty
tom in weight and of l6-inch Galore
are carried by the '.Inflexible," but
they are muzzle-loading. One Of the
vessels now in progress, the Sans
p%ariel," with others smaller calibfe,
will carry two ll0-ton guns, and with
their completion England will then
have the heaviest battery afloat. Seven
armed cruisers of 5000 tons are build
mr., three barbette ships are completed
and six more are in progress, and there
are tw~cnty-nine b%roadsides ships also
in commission. When the ships in
progress are completed England will
have three vessels of between II 900
and $4,000 tons, built to compete in
size and armament with ltaly's three
great monsters.
France has sixteen flrst-class armor-
clads, one of II 900 tons, and thirteen
others are in progress. All the guns
are breech-loaders, while England's
armament is mostly of muzzle-loaders.
The largest French guns are fourteen
inch calibre. France has twelve armor-
clads of the second class. the largest
having a displacement of 5000 tons.
Russia has six armorcd vessels in the
Black Sea fleet and fifteen battery ships
and monitors. with five belted cruisers
in the Baltic fleet. Germany has thir-
teen armored vessels, ranging from
1000 to under 10000, and carrying
runs of not more than IA little over ten
inches calibre. She has also fourteen
of a smaller class under 1000 tons.
Austria has ten armored vessels Of
from 5000 TO oven 1000 tons.
Compared with these great fleets our
navy will appear very small. The lar
gcst of the new vessels whose construc-
ton has been authorized 10y congress
are two 6.00O-ton iron-clads. They
are, however. to have "A speed of six
teen knots an hour, faster than any
English wal vessel now ailOat. The
bill passed by the last congress pro
vides for one cruiser which is to pos.
sess the highest practicable speed and
which. hence, ought to equal or exceed
the eighteen knots an hour of the
''ltalia." There is no necessity for our
government to enter into the costly
competition of European powers in
turning out enormous war vessels. We
should. however, have as fast and we'll
armed vessels as there are in the
world, and it begins to look as if we
should get them.