The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-07
NEWS OF FOREIGN NAvIES.

The Himalaya, troopship in the British navy,
has outlived her usefulness in active service,
and is being converted into coal hulk for
DeVonport. The Himalaya was built at Black
wall, and was launched on the Queens birth
day, May "a, 1851. She was shortly after
sold to the Government, and remained in act
i've service from February, 1854, up to within
year. The purchase price was $3.50, 900, and
nearly So 000. 900 has been expended on her
In new engines, boilers and repairs to hull
during the forty-one years service. 1t is said
that the iron hull is still in a splendid condi-
ton, good for an indefinite number of years.
The Terrible, British navy, of 1920 tons
ana 10000 horsepower, recently completed at
the yard OF j. and G. Thomson, on the Clyde, is
said to be failure. Labouchere claims that
all naval experts criticize the ship severely as
being unwieldy, with an inadequate arma-
ment, and presenting an extensive target for
either shell or torpedo. She and her sister
ship, the Powerful, are both copper-sheathed,
intended to reach a speed of % knots. The
contract price was So. 100000 for the Terrible,
and So, 1s5, 600 for the Powerful. The Column
bia and Minneapolis, in the United States
navy, of 1850 tons and trial speeds of 22.8
and 2307 knots, cost 50, 725, 900 and 81, $780,
600 respectively.
There has been quite a number of "Ter-
ribles'' in the British navy, and also several
priyateers by that name. A notable and des-
perate engagement took place December %,
1857, between the English privateer Terrible
and the French privateer Vengeance. The
Britisher was captured after stubborn fight,
in which the captain and half the crew were
killed and the remainder wounded. 1t is re-
called as singular combination of dread cir
Gums tances that the Terrible had been fitted
out at Execution dock, was commanded by
Captain Death, the f rst lieu tenant as known
as ''DeYil," and the surgeon was called
''Ghost."
Phenomenal speeds have been developed BIZ
recently built topedo-boats, notably in France
and England. The British torpedo-boat de-
stroyer Desperate made mean speed of 81 .O35
knots. or 353z statute miles, on four runs over
the measured mile course, and the Forban, the
latest French boat, made 81 knots. AS the
Desperate has a length OF 200 feet against the
Forban's 144.2 feet, the latter is unquestion-
ably much the faster boat. The Forban, how
ever, is of very little practical use as her coal
bunker capacity is only 10 tons, allowing only
very short spurts of this exceptionally high
speed. The Desperate and her class carries
from go to 20 tons of coal.
Diana OF $500 tons, copper-sheathed, built
by the Fairfield Shipbuilding Company for the
British navy, was launched in the short time
of 235 working days. The Eclipse, sister ship
to the Diana. built at the Portsmouth dock
yaru, was launcheu exactly seven months after
her first keel plate had been laid.
The Entrecasteaux, French protected cruiser,
was recently launched at La Seyne. She is of
STA tons, and intended to develop speed ole
knots. She is nearly an exact counterpart of
the United States cruiser New York.
The French Minister of Marine fayors the
triple.screw system successfully applied in
the United States cruisers Columbia and Min
neapols. He recommends the building of i'm
proved vessels of the Dupuy de LONE type TO
be $500 tons displacement and to carry two
nine-inch quiek-fring guns. The latter in
crease in quick-firing caliber from inches TO
inches is probably an incorrect statement.
Argentina and Brazil are active making ad-
dltions TO their navy. The former has pur-
chased two fine cruisers from Italian builders
of $40 tons and 90 knots speed. Brazil has
ordered several small vessels from Germany,
England and France. The Coramura, a tor
pedo gunboat OF 1890 tons, recently launched
at Ktel, is guaranteed TO make speed OF %
knots.