The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-07-31
SOME FREAK EARSHlPS
ONI, ~ OIC tSI0NtL DESGGN
gRFH EAR sISgSg.
aslual asaHss the asss Eamsus %
1888. the riaelAsis -Csrk lias.i
me Nstsunstlna psp~akas
"a variety 90 ~ Bls ssun Vessel.

y ... Ht4-'u=.fr..z IN war~hip curstrurtinn
.- ---uIt & a crusi" a't mp, Co met
.T-ctAl cunsiition- and prove so
mat they snon di-appsAr. Others
nn" t,atur-s 80 nagttorious that
rru tho i~Erninz % . clAS- which
steadily. In only a few casss.
Roar admiral Melville in the
TON pIH' n, have IN. freaks he-n
.. ..' enough O. remain useful AZ at
o. lgn-d
table instance u this was the IA
q ISL .ruissr v ampAnoax % tho United
$50 navy. which IN isrs Was the tastes.
,.---. q any kind in the world She and
.i.'-r ships were projected when the
A..spA WAS DESTROYING our commerce.
a 'ha ~aes q such vessels. and they
49, have done 10 most sHectuAlly.
Her -f.-'d was not equAlled I'm merchant
Steamers for nearly twenty yeara. She
Va. freak in that che vas q steamer
-,- and simple. and naturally TO make
sl,h a great speed had TO give up q largo
rat q herself to machinery and coal.
A. that time-and unfortunately for
rnA1v years after-the dominant class Of
naval officers believed in sails. Conrs-
,.i.ntly. although this wonderful ship
Nas than and has remained the pride
Of engineers and mechanics, the sailor
cTcsr- declared her . failure because shs
Rad Inadequate sail power.
Nevertheless shs was the type from
which tho fast steamers have DEVELOPED
improvements in materials. increased
economy OF machinery and other modern
sivAntAges have made many changes
m details. but for her day and environ
rlent she Was a. perfect - the finest
ships % to-day.
one OF our most famous vessels. the
original Monitor. was Chased a. . freak
" all but few during her building and
- always been 80 considered by many
- the foremost foreign naval architects.
Indeed u 10 quite probable that but for
har extremely dramatic baptism OF
fire. the monitor class Of vessels would
never have attained the vogue they had
o. our navy
As an engineer I am very proud Of this
creation Of an engineer. the famous
Ericsson; and in certain situations l still
l"iieve IN the type. but there can be no
Question that naval opinion universally
l. now against vessels Of this class for
general service
II - easy to understand Why this IL %.
The early monitors were almost unin-
hahtable az sea and were often referred
- a. iron coffins Even the later ones
while greatly improved n every way. are
not pleasant for steady seagoing. The
essential feature % q deck very near the
pa'"r technically low freeboArd-is di-
r'ctlv opposed Ia many essential features
~ an efficient battleship for the high
s"as
Although some Of the early monitors
rNe Miantonomoh and Monadnock. made
'nr- ~sa voyages. the type is essentially
'.~ tarhor defence. and was 30 intended
Indeed the Monitor was called a floating
'A''.ry
Notwithstanding the oteolsscence Of this
'"p~ - has left a lasting effect on naval
Construction in two respects, Low free
ord. Nth the consequent reduction Of
-. .arg.t offered. was proved 80 desira-
n'" that this element 10 always main
toned n far a. possible Indeed some
~ our officers who served on the early
Snonitors and later on the battleships Of
'he Oregon class referred to the ships
As only enlarged monitors
The revolving turret. which was the
vital feature 81 the Monitor. il also the
,f'a' feature % the modern battle~hip
pr twenty years the heaviest guns have
l"an IN turrets and now. with the -All
Ig gun one calibre' ship all the guns
A-s n turretS. 40 that the Drsadnought
'v-. ~ hattleShip. the latest thing in
naval architecture. il only an enlar ged
and glorified monitor. having ten twelve
inch riied guns in Ave turrsts. while the
4 a'sr civil war monitors had four eleven
inch smooth bore- in two turre,s
The success % the Monitor led to the
natural desire 70 use Armored vessels
wherever possible. and this brought out
m our Western rivers during the civil
war some freaks known n tin clhds. on
sccount ~ the very thin plating 81 iron.
In the day Of low powered smooth bore
prtillery these vessels proved useful
against the high powered fifed ordnance
~ 'o-day they would be merely a trap
fpr their crews II h worth noting. how
ever. that in the Wolseley campaign In
Igvpt 1881. where his enemy had no
artillery. light draught gunboats, which
were really Tin clads. were used on the
Nile and even to-day a few such boats
are built for river service in savage
Countries.
The influence 81 environment h here
very clear In civilized countries to re-
sis' modern ordnance would require
heavier armor than such shallow boats
could carry: hence they are not used.
tY' where a thin steel plate OF modern
max. can resist rife bullets and this
I. 'he only attack to he resisted they are
'.'il useful.
Human nature IL astonishingly con-
.raut from age tn age. and although the
EC'ual weapons used are improved so
much that We sometimes fail to trace
~" descent. vet the principles OF warfare
,".m in many ways constant We know
Thar the battering ram a. weapon "
,n-v ancient and the sea warriors evil
dartly soon learned that the ram prtn-
.IrIe a. applied To ships was valuable
40" 4 blow from the whole ship as n
lactile Was evidently the most severe
'Uai could 10 inflicted
The ancient Greek war vessel. the
rome. was ~ far hack az the Pelopon-
I,.ltn war (hfth century X. c. an excel
h'' example Of naval architecture. and
mining was a recognized feature of
f.,al lights Contrary 10 modern ideas.
hrwever the ramfning was not done
IL =