Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-12-25

ored leet ~ eaCh END OF the snip winch
has been prscticed in the British ships
of the "InHexible and 1" Admiral {"
types is displayed in the line.of. battle
ships Of the Continent. In France, in
need, two such ships were laid down
under some temporary ihtluence-viz.,
the /" Brennus " and the "Chsrles Mar
tel" but thsy appear to have soon
fallen under suspicion, and there has
not been, TO my knowledge. any great
disposition to complete them for SER
vice. know not what significance is
to be attached to the fact, but | OBJ
serve that these two ships have been
omitted Altogether from the iron-clad
ships of France published so recently
as May, 1856, in the Unirersat Regis
ter Of shipping, which Lloyd's Register
Committee " believe will be found the
most complete list that has yet been
published" Ii seems not improbable,
therefore, that the dangerous system
of exposing two thirds Of the ships
lerg,h to destruction from all kinds
and every kind Of naval guns, even
the smallest, which prevailed in the
British navy for more than twelve
years, and which has now happily
been superseded in the powerful new
ships Nile" end " Trafalgar" OBJ
tanned but little more than momentary
approval in France, and is likely to
have led to the condemnation Of the
only two ships in which 1t was attempt
ed-a result which is creditable alike
to French science and to French saga.
city.
In Italy the " ln1exi5le" system
(which has met in France with the fate
we have just seem obtained temporary
favor, and was adopted in the Duilio "
and the " DandolO," two very large
ships, Of goo tons each, OF a speed
exceeding fifteen knots, and each carry
ing four l00-ton guns in turrets.
Although these ships are $40 feet in
length, even the armOred belt amidsh'ps
If " belt in any sense so short a strip
of armor may be called is but 10 feet
long, leaving therefore 233 feet OF the
ship at the ends wholly devoid OF water
line protection. As the author Of the
" citadel system" cannot regard such
sn arrangement as this as a fair and
reasonable embodiment of it, the dis
cIepancy between the armored and un-
armored portions being greater in these
two ships than even in the Ajax
and " Agamemnon," which are per-
baps the worst examples Of the abuse
Of the citadel system in the British
navy. IL is to the credit Of the Italian
Government that ships Of this type
were not repeated in their navy and i,
is but right to point out that there were
excuses (which probably ranked in the
minds Of the designers as ra2-4Hsl for q
more extreme proporilonate Il nltatl1n
Of the clladels being adorgzd in the
4" Duillo and " D8nj0l0 than in the
" Ajax " ard " AgaHemHon." Among
these we're the possession by the la
liam ships Of heavier srml2en, AMI "
far greater sgeam-power and speed Tran
the British ships p0sseSsei--l mat. Or |
which has given rise 20 Rev develop |
merts in the British navy and proba- /
by a.sO the adoption Of som,Ttatinor (
wa'eT-,ilos as means Of attaining tho 7
superior speed.
But even the observance Of ,he sbor3 .
general principle is not alone al thl.
IS desirable in armored lIae-0foatt'e
ships. Il is not well 10 Leave even SD
much Of the ends OF such sh.as wholly
exposed as may lead 90 the speedy loss
in action of her s;eaming or steering
POWERS. The armor belt should be of
sufficient length 60 fairly guarantee the
ship ogalrs. prCmpJ dlsabiemont IN |
action, ard 10 10 this Il must be carried
very much nearer to the bow and stern
than ], has been in the cases Of the
Italian ships q" Dullio and " Dam
3ol0 - now under notice. On the
-tLcr band, where ships are f0rmel /
win fine Ta.er-linos and the t8o OPP
'osite sides arc consequently cry near
% eS1A O'hef ioT many 'eV'' 't is ''''e
Unnecessary 10 cover lno,A WIN @I-nII.
~ uoUl @NCy CoHpll.'o 'o'" S0i ',,'
NO SIDES al sucn pats j. very small I
md consequently penetration cAh le1
'ul llt,Ie water INTO the snip ana "o
'ut !it'Ie harm. IL Is matter lot 'ho
.Aercise OF professional judgment "heFc
o draw the line between me armored
ND the unarmored paris. In the ne"
British ships " Me and " Trafalgar,
which have eAci;ea great admiration ~
England, there are about sixty iee' OF
ength at each ena leit without armor'
md as the ships have line lines, on1 are
nevertheless Of considerable breadth al
.iAty feet from The ends IL seems pro-
1ablo that good Judgment has been
hown by their designers ID this matter
Inns question Is one Oh pCiulAIy con,
l-eIaIi9h IN me "eslsn Oh 'ulpoliAa'
u 'lV''H SI.ro' o ~ ,no 42',,'o,' ,
= 49, e. w t.-77.1N - - ,oal,rn,,;o.
ointment have s:oadfas;ly RETAINED
rom fOlION M the example SET DF tue +