Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-06-30
GREAT NAVAL DISPLAY.
The Queens Diamond Jubilee
Closes with a Review at
Spithead,

Of Queen Victoria. The Prince OF wales,
representing her majesty, reviewed a fine
fleet of foreign warships representing all
the maritime nations of the world, the
proudest, strongest and swiftest of these
craft being the United States cruiser
Brooklyn, flying the flag of Rear Admiral
Miller. and the heir apparent also inspect
ed about thirty miles of British warships,
in which were 100 fighting ships of diff
ferent classes, carrying about 900 heavy
guns, manned by over $4,000 men and of
about $4,000 tons in all.
Each maritime nation sent an admiral
in his flagship to witness the review.
They formed a line abreast of the Brit
ish battlesEips where they were favora
bly, placed to compare their own naval
architecture with that of other nations.
Each nation sent its best available ship
and magnificent display resulted.
The British Training Ships.
An interesting feature of the British
fleet was the training chips, which COM
prised three of the early ironclads,
squadron Of cruisers which usually win
ters with training crew on board in the
West Indies or in some other warm latl-
tude, and a feet of training briggs which
cruise in the neighborhO0d of the British
ports.
The British fleet assembled June %
and was drawn up in four lines extend
ing from abreast of Portsmouth harbOr
to a distance of about five miles to the
westward. Following the precedent Of
former naval reviews there was free ac-
cess to the review ground up to the
hour named for the official inspection,
when all vessels with visitors anchored
in their assigned positions and the tour
of the fleet was commenced by the
Prince of Wales.
As usual on such occasions the Trinity
yacht Irene led the way, the Victoria
and Albert, with the Prince of Wales
on board, being accompanied by the
royal yachts Osborne and Alberta. the
admiralty yacht Enchantress, the Cunard
liner Campania with the members of the
House of Lords and House of Commons
on board. and vessel conveying the for
eign ambassadors and their suites.
The commander-in-chief of this port,
Sir NOVEL; Salmon, V. c.. X. c.. B.,
transferred his flag from the Victory to
the battleship Mars one of the latest ad-
d tons to the feet and which has been
built and fitted out in two years. a great
advance in rapidity of construction. The
battleships Jupiter. Victorious and Re
no Sn also made their first appearance in
the commissioned fleet.
These four ships, as well as the Males
tic and Magnificent, are armed with the
new 12-inch wire guns, of which each
ship carries four mounted en- barbette,
two forward and two aft. These guns
have a range of about fifteen miles. In
firers, eighteen 12-pound quick-trers and
twelve 3-pound Hotchkiss, and are fitted
with FIVE torpedo discharge tubes.
The Powerful and the Terrible.
Another important addition to the feet
was seen in the two cruisers Powerful and
Terrible the former commissioned for the
China Slation-veSSels of $4,000 horse
power and a speed of twenty-five knots.
They include i'll their armament two nine
pinch guns aud Il number Of Quick-hrers
and MaXimS.
All the warships will be Illuminated
this evening with ''rainbOws" of electric
lights extending from the stem 20 the
bow. over the mastheads. In addition,
the hulls of all the vessels present Will
be outlined by electric lights. There will
be no moon visible and the effect CT
simultaneous lighting up every ship of
the gigantic fleet and switching the cur
rent off may be expected to be magical.
On the occasion of the visit OF the ltal-
ian squadron to Spithead in 1893, when
they were welcomed by a fleet of Eng
lish ships, the electric Examinations
formed one of the prettiest featuces of
the feteS
The naval guests include Rear Ad-
miral H. r. H. Prince Henry of Prus-
sia,, *. G. Vice-Admiral H. r; 81 the
Z. S. n, and other distinguished flag CT
fcers.
Banquets. balls. garden parties, dock
yard visits and athletic sports will be in
Guided in the programme which it is sup
posed will fill the week subsequent to the
review.
International exhibitions have become
common occurrences, and the Spithead
review of 1897 may be regarded as a
great international naval exhibition from
which doubtless the seamen and con-
structors of the various nations will car
ru ra lJ1on 10 NJ
Some Previous Reviews.
The waters of the Solent have previ-
Dusty witnessed many magnificent re-
views of the naval forces of England.
On April %, 1856, at the close of the
Crimean war, a great review was held
there when there were columns of screw
lineup battleShips-at that period the
latest development Of naval pOwer-Of
screw frigates and corvettes, fleet of
side-wheel vessels, and of floating bat
teries" of the Merrimac type, while four
squadrons of 160 gunbOats brought up
the total number of ships to 24O. This
feet carried 1902 guns and was of &c.,
GIL horsepower. Admiral Sir George
Seymour was in chief command of this
fine fleet, which was reviewed by her
majesty on BOARD the royal yacht Vic
tOria and Albert.
The changes in naval architecture
which have taken place during the last
nifty years nave swept away all these
wooden vessels the classes to which they
belonged no longer exist, the sole re-
naming vessel which still takes the seas
being the royal yacht Victoria and AL
bert, which today flies the standard Of
the Prince of Wales at the naval re-
view. Probably a more beautiful YES
sci of her class has never been launched
and the recent announcement that the
model of & new steel yacht to replace
her has been submitted to the Queen
was not read without regret.
The next great review held at Spithead
was on July II, 1867, when her majesty,
accompanied by the Sultan Of Turkey,
reviewed a fleet of wooden vessels and
ironclads (of which the most modern of
the latter were the Minotaur, Achilles,
Warrior, Black Prince, Bellerophon and
Lord CLYDE. under the command of Sir
Thomas Paisley, Bart. K. c.. B.
On June %, 1873, the waters of Spit
head were again the scene of naval re-
view-this time in honor of his majesty,
the Shah of Persia.
On August 13, 1878, her majesty in
spected the fleet at Spithead, and on July
%. 1887, on the occasion of the Queens
jubilee, a large fleet was again assem-
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