The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-09-23
AN ARNlOR DELTED CRUISER
Orlando, the Latest Addition to the Dri,i,,
Navy. just Launched


Navy. just Lnunchcd.
(Londcn Correspondence OF Cincinnati 'Enoujrcr ,
Orlando, the first of the "armor bcltcd
cruisers" building for the British navy,
was launched on the Tyne few DAYS
ago by Palmers Shipbuilding Company
(hmlted:) She is 300 feet long, Sc feet
vide and 81 feet deep, with q normal
draft OF II feet and a total displacement
OF 5,O0O tons. She is built of mild steel,
with belt Of "compound" or sstecl-
iaced armor 5! feet deep and 10 inches
thick on a G-lnch teak planting, which
extends Tor ZOO feet on each sido. On q
level with tho top Of tho "bclt'-that is
II 1cct above the water linc-and run
nlng 1or the same length, there is a steel
dcck z inches thick, which at Il distance
OF 5O feet from each end slopes down
ward Mt an anglo of 80 degrees, with
deck and plates 3 inches thick. The
openings of tho decks arc protected by
nrmor ~; shutters or shcll-proof gratings.
The engines, boilers, magazines, etc,
arc placed beneath this protective deck,
and the navigation of the ship and the
firing Of the guns will be directed from
a "conning tower" covered with armor
plates twelve inches thick, placed at the
fore end of the ship, and communica-
ton to the various parts of tho shin will
pass through steel tubes eight inches
thick. Tho ship is divided into one
hundrcd watcr-tight compartments, the
Dulkheads i'll some parts being cXccp-
tionally strong. The engines and boilers
occupying four water tight compart-
mcnts) arc placed in the middle of the
snip, with coal bunkcrs on each side five
tcct wide. Beneath the engines and
boilers there is double bottom, divided
into compartments, to be filled with bul-
last water. There is an open space be-
tween the bunkcrs and the shin's side.
The magazines arc placed in tho middle
line of the ship, fore and aft of the en-
glncs, with Storo-rooms, shaft tunnels,
etc, on oithcr side. She will have two
sets Of engines, one for each screw, Of
the t'triple-cxpansion type" with forty
two-inch steam cylinders, indicating n
horse power of $500, and will steam
nineteen knots per hour. She has foul
boilers, with six corrugated nucs each,
capable of working to a pressure Of 13G
pounds per square inch. Her stccrine
gear is placed aft. below the water line.
and she has oight tubes for dischargine
torpcdocs. Her armament will consist
of two twcnty-twoton guns, ten five.ton
guns and sixteen Hotchliiss Quick-tirino
guns for throwing six and three e-Dound
shot. The twcnty-two-ton guns will be
placed on the upper deck, mounted on
automatic carriages placed on revolving
platforms and protected by steel shields.
The siX-ton guns will also be placed on
the upper deck, five on each side. OF
the small guns fourteen will kc placed
on the main deck and one at the top of
each mast. Her ships company will
consist Of 400 officers and men. for
whom accommodation is provided on
the main deck. The builders have made
rapid progress with this ship, rs the con
tract MAS only given them in April of
last year. They have another ship of
exactly the same plan now building for
the British government. The contract
price for the hull and engines, each ship,
is E224, 600.
Talking OF armamCntS one is reminded
that the Victory, Nelson's old flagship Mt
the battle Of Trafalgar, was one of the
ships inspected by the ''cOlonial and In
dian Visitors' who were the guests of the
naval officers at Portsmouth ten DAYS
ago, and comparison between her
armament and that of one Of the modern
ships illustrates very strongly the rcvo-
luton that has taken place in naval
architecture and ordinance since the be-
ginning of the century. While the Vic
tory carried lOl guns at the battle Of
Trafalgar, the entire weight of her
broadsidc was only l, 1G0 pounds, while
one gun of the Inticxiblc will throw n
projcctilo Of LOO pounds. In other
words, one of the modern cighty-ton
guns will throw Il, ,lrly five hundred
pounds more metal than the whole anna
mcnt Of the largest British ship engaged
Mt Trafalgar. The gross tonnage Of the
Victory was 200 tons, while the Inlcxi-
bic has displacement of II, 400 tons.
The former is n wooden sailing ship of
the old "thrcc-dcckcd line of battle"
type; the latter is twin-scrcw iron
armor-platcd tuwct ship, carrying four
guns. The InilcNiblc took prominent
part in the bombardmcht of Alexandria.