The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-03-16
THE REINA RECENTE IN 1893.
How She Appeared In the North River
During the Naval Review.

Whoever visited the Spanish cruiser
| Rcina Regente when she Iay at this
! Iort with Ter consents. the Infalta Isabel
! ana Nueva Espaua. two years ago must
have been struck with her appearance Of
| solidity, strength. and fighting efficiency.
| She was far from being AZ clean and
| neat as the Blake, for example, or
| as we are accustomed 10 see American
! war ships; but with her powerful bat
! terry, her torpedo tubes, her pronounced
| ram bow, in her san raj look she was
| evidently one Of the best types Of modern
! cruisers. She had rather nigh freeboard
! and two military masts and TWO tunnels.
| one of the noticeable points i'm her was
! the god armOr protection that had been
| furnished 10 her guns especially con-
| Sidcring that she was already half a
dozen years old.
The official account Of her type and
her measurement made her protected
cruiser go feet long by 90 feet inches
beam and 10 feet and inches draught,
giving her displacement of 4,7jO tons.
She was twin-screw ship. built of steel
by the Thomasons of Clydebank Her
keel was laid on June q. 1857. and she
was launched on February (. 1883 Her
motive power consisted OF two indcpen-
dent horizontal triple expansion en-
gines each working in its own Compart-
ment capable Of developing 1l,500 in
dicated horsepower which was a notably
high power for that date. Indeed, she
was admitted 10 be the fastest all-around
cruiser in the world in her day. On
her trial trip, when using only natural
draught, she steamed several hours at
the rate of nearly 10 knots an hour or
more exactly. 1871 knots With forced
draught, in trial Of two hours. and
displacement Of 1900 to 300 tons she
achieved mean speed of 206 knots,
which was much the fastest rate attribut-
ed TO any sca-gOing war ship then anoat.
she had a very powerful battery when
IN our waters, consisting Of four 9.4j-inch
ana six 4G-inch guns besides six six
Founders, two onc-pOunders. and eight
machine guns. This waa porhaps tho
most powerful armament of all the ships
in the naval review of 1893. Hei heavy
guns Were HOntoria rifles. OF the four
9.45-nch guns two were mounted forward
and two abaft the sUpcrstructlre on plat
fo.ms raised a few feet above the deck
or the six i.72-nch guns two we're mount
ed each side on sponsons, and one on
each side in 4 recessed port. She was
fitIed with five above-Water torpedo
tubes. Her complete steel deck curved TO
about six feet below the water line. and
was three inches thick above the engines
and boilers, with one inch at the mini
mum. and with 4 3-4 inches through the
curved sides. She also had a complete
belt of celulose inside the incer skin,
at the water line. and ii is said that in |
this particular she was a pioneer. Her |
bunker capacity was 800 tons. With a total |
caoacity of 100. Her complement when |
IN our waters consisted OF seventeen Off |
c RS and $50 men. She had sho Sn herself |
repeatedly to be a good sea vessel.
Such was the Spanish cruiser that at
tracted a full share OF attention among |
the vessels that assembled in this port |
i'm April, 1895. But what gave Increased |
interest to her was the fact that she had |
been selected as the type for our own
new 5,5O0-tonner, now known as the
Olympia. The House Naval Committee,
In recommending an appropriation for
the latter, in lSSS. specially mentioned
the speed which had been made by the
Reina Rcgente while Secretary Whit
ney, in further speaking of her used
this language:
''Shs Is most effectively protected by in
nal inclined armor (protected deck) |
carries an exceedingly heavy battery,
among which are four 945-inch breech-
oadng rifles handles with great rapidity
ana ease. possesses an unusually great
'adius of action. and has developed the
greatest speed yet attained by any gener-
II service fighting ship"
While, however, this was the general
ype adopted. as the excellence and the 1
celebrity of the Relna Regente warrant
a.. the Olympia received all the improve |
nents which were 10 be expected OF
'ewer and larGsr vessel "a