Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-09
Big British BattIeship Built on
EriCsson's Plan.
ADMIRAL MAYS ADMISSION
England Indebted to America for
Design of Dreadnought.
FRANCE HAD ITS OPPORTUNITY
Submitted to That Government in
1S54-Ironclad Intruder Gives
Admiralty a Shock.

Special Cab.egram to The Star
LONDON. August 9.-The naval expert
of the Daily Telegraph says:
The British battleship Dreadnought,
which flies the flag of Admiral Sir VIII
liam H. May, as COMMUNICATIVE chief Of
the home fleet. is the descendant OF
Ericsson Monitor. She is indeed a re-
version to the original type We owe
her to America. When Ericsson designed
his revolutionary man-of-war he had the
British government in his eye. In let
ter to the assistant secretary of the
United States Navy Department in 1867
he stated that 1.-THE impregna Bile and ag-
Sressive character OF this structure VIII
admOniSn the leaders of the southern re-
bellion that the batteries on the banks
Of their rivers will no longer present bar
rierS to the entrance of the JuiuH
forces The ironclad intruder will thus
prove severe monitor to those leaders.
And then his thoughts Travelled across
the Atlantic, and he added:
There are other leaders who Will also
be startled and admonished by the BOOM
ing Of the guns of the inpregnabe iron
turret. Downing S. rect Will hardly view
with Indifference this last Y ankee no.
tion-ths monitor. To the lords OF the
admiralty the new craft will be a mon'-
tor, suggest ~ doubts as TO the pro-
priety Of completing thos TOUR steel
clad ships at three and halt million
dollars apiece.
On these and many other grounds he
concluded:
Il propose t. name the ne" battery
Monitor.
Ericsson was quite right in his anticipa-
tons. This new 'ironclad intruder,
board of admiralty of that day a shock
and changed the whole development OF
naval design.
Submitted to Napoleon III.
The Monitor was a modification of
design which Ericsson had submitted to
Napoleon Ill in 1854. Eight years had
merely confirmed his original ideas, and
when his ugly, grim. "impregnable" man
of-war made her appearance all the
navies of the world were rendered obso-
lete. Yet she was little ship as yes
sells are reckoned in these days. She was
only 30 feet long. with an immense
beam of A. feet: her deck and low sides
were pla ed and she had two 150-pounder
guns in a single turret amidships This
turret was the feature of the ship.
1t was protected by eight 1-inch steel
plates screwed together and was turned
fOunQ Dy SledUi, Ri do ~ III ms Hci $3.50
to bear on an enemy. She was the most
repulsive ship on which sailors had ever
looked-lacklng all that comeliness which
they had hitherto associated with the
great sailing men-of-war, to winch tney
still clung with pride and devotion. The
Monitor had no bulwarks and her deck
was barely two feet above the water level
while there was nothing for an enemy to
hit on the deck except the funnel and
pilot house, which, like the turret. was
also steel clad. She was the first all-big
gun ship and banished the broadside sys-
tenn of mounting guns, foc the time, at
least.
Follows American Lead.
After some hesitation, the British ad-
miralty realized that 1t had TO follow the
American lead. and three large. low, free
board, mastless turret ships were laid
down. the Dreanought. the Devastation
and Thunderer, the first ships without
sails, and thus sorrow to the seamen of
the old school. They were given nigh
er freeboard than the Monitor-about four
feet-because a British man-ot-War must
be able to meet any sea. On their sloes
they had a belt of fourteen inches or
armor Of course, of very poor resistance,
and above this. for about two-thirds OF
the entire length, was oreatwork OF
twelve inches of armor for the protection
of the base of the turret, the loading gear
and the vital communications. while an
armored deck covered in all the
ma chinery Each vessel mounted four L.
inch guns of the thrty-five-ton. muzzle-
loading type.
These ships were the British adaptation
of the ail-big- gun principle, and gave rise
70 endless controversy, for though they
offered a very small target to an enemy,
owing to the nearness of the deck TO the
water. they could not steam against d
heavy sea Their gun power however,
was regarded as marVeioQS.
Thus we came by our first ship OF the
aIl-b.g-gun principle. In the design of the
old Dreadnought may be seen the germ
of the Dreadnought of today.