The Portland daily press., 1895-01-14
ENGLAND's NEW WAR SHIPS.
Vessels of the Magnificent. Powerful, LaF
bot, Linnet, and Havoek Topes.

llGr ludu QUITS, VI Ou ApIil L AhStOo " 49, :
l. Much interest is already felt, therefore
as to what the coming year will probably
bring forth in the way Of new construction.
The programme announced year ago IN
cluded about Ito vessels OF all types. to oe
spread over five years, and ending March
81. 1899. The total naval estimates Tor the
present year were S84, 1893, 246, or Sl5, lSS'ooo
more than for the preceding one, OF WHICH
$50, ,999, $50 went to new construction alone'
in addition to an available balance OF about
Sl,0l5, ,46O. This sum forms an enormous
contrast with our corresponding hguies.
1t was admitted that Great Britafn's fleet
was to be made at least equal to that OF
France and Russia combined.
A few months ago the launch OF the
Magnificent, the first of the great battle
ships of 14.9OO tons displac cement, included
in the new programme, showed with what
wonderful celebrity British war vessels can
be built. Only about year after her Keel
was laid she took to the water, and her sis
ter ship. the Majestic, whose keel was laid
Feb. last, will be f1oated out next month.
This facility allows the British to see what
France and Russia plan in the way of bat
tie ships, and then better 1t and turn out
ships before they can inish theirs.'
These battle ships include the Magnificent,
Victorious, and nlustrious, assigned to Chat
ham: the Majestic. Prince George. and
Caesar. to Portsmouth,; the Hannibal, to
Pembroke; the Mars. to Laird Bros, at
Birkenhead; the Jupiter, to Messrs. j. T..
Thomson, Glasgow. They are all of Mr..
W. Fl. Whites design. Taking the Magn1fi-
cent as tho type. we find her to have
length of $50 feet. an extreme ofeadth OF
rs. a mean draught of ~ 1-2, and displace-
ment of 1890 tous. Triple expansion en-
gfnes are designed for 10000 indicated horse
power at natural and 12,000 at forced
drauent. with l6 or l6 l-2 knots speed in the
former case and II 1-2 in the latter. The
battery includes four 12-inch w1re-wound
guns. mounted in pairs in two armored par
bettes, forward and aft. and provided with
3-nch shields revolving with the gum
twelve 6-inch rapid-fring guns, and sixteen
l2-pounders and twelve 3-pounders. VI
her five torpedo tubes, four discharge below
the surface. The 12-inch guns can be loaded
in any position, either by hydraulic or hand
power, and also have fixed loading stations.
The belts of the new vessels, being of Har-
veyed steel, allow some reduction in thick
ness, but the total weight OF protective
material on the hull and protective deck
and around the guns is greater than in the
Royal Sovereign type. The cost of this
arnor is 100000. The armor on the two
pear-shaped barbette is fourteen inches
thick, and the side plating extends SO as to
protect their lower parts, forming central
citadel extending over theslarger part OF
the ships length. The freeboard is In
creased over the Royal Sovereign type. and
the forward heavy guns are carried higher.
While they have the same amount of coal,
900 tons, at load draught, their total stow
age capacity is 1900 draught. which gives
a much greater radius of action-indeed,
6,T7O miles at ten knots. The Magnificent
has seven decks, and carries seven anchors,
three of the latter Weighing five and a
quarter tons each.
Besides these battle ships. half of which
are to be finished in the fiscal year ls97-9S.
and the remainder in the following year.
half dozen second-class battle ships of
about 5000 tons are contemplated, COM
pletely armored on the broadside and carry
ing all their guns in case mates instead of
turrets and barbettes. Meanwhile four
extraordinary protected cruisers are to be
built. Two of these, the Powerful and Tel
ribIe, are under consi ruction at Barrow-in-
Furness and Glasgow respectively. These
enormous vessels have length of 500 feet,
a breadth of n, and displacement of IA 200
tons. A most striking feature will be their
indicated horse power of $4,000 each. sur
passing our Columbia and Minneapolis. with
a speed, also, of 22 knots under natural
draught. They will carry Belleville boilers.
af
draught of ], 500 tons, with total bunker
capacity of 5000. thus exceeding anything
in orr service. They will be improvements
on the Edgar type, with great height of
freeboard and long forecastle and poop, al
lowing the bow and stern guns to be fought
and the speed to be maintained in heavy
weather. protective deck of four inches
tapers to three at the ends. In this battery
are two 9.2-iLch guns, twelve 6-inch rapid
fire guns, carried in bros dside; twenty
eight smaller pieces. and four submerged
tubes, while the hull is sheathed.
Next we come to six protected cruisers of
the Talbot type to be finished this year or
early the next. namely, the Venus, Diana,
Juno, Doris, Iris, and Dido. They will have
about 5000 tons displacement. $500 horse
power under forced draught. l9 IL knots.
and batteries of five 6-inch and six 4.7-inch
guns. Eighteen more vessels of this type
are to be laid down, making twenty-four in
all in the new programme.
Mention must also be made of dozen
unprotected cruisers of the improved and
enlarged Linnet type. of which. two. the
Phoenix and Algerine. assigned to Devon
port, are for service in Chinese waters.
They will be of about 1,C50 tons displace-
ment, or about like our Machias and Cas-
tine and carry six 4-inch guns and four g.
Founders. A powerful tug. the Dromedary,
of $50 tons and $50 horse power at natural
draught, is also among the new vessels,
while the Minot. troop ship for the In
dian Government. was launched last
spring.
AS to torpedo boats. the naval estimates
for the pending year provide for forty two
of the Havock type, including some ordered
in advance of the estimates. The new
programme proposes it is said, to increaes
the whole humber of these frst-class torpe-
do boats to sixty-four, ON the basis of four
for each battle ship. built for the Channel
and Mediterranean squadrons. Accounts
have already been given of the success
achieved by the Havock. Hornet. Ferret,