Scientific American Volume 49; Supplement (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900 Excerpt: ... usual classifications overboard, going instead to something like the old rating system of the past. Owing to progress in offense and defense, it is not possible to get more than a loose equality in the rates; however, I have made my lists with regard to what they may prove. Speaking generally, a first-rate ship has had to conform to most of the following conditions: --(a) The vitals so protected that no projectile stands much chance of reaching them, even at close range. (6) The main armament must consist of the most powerful armor-piercing guns. These must have central loading positions, and be generally not liable to be easily put out of action by small shell. (c) The secondary armament must be well protected and powerful. (d) The ship must generally be able to beat down the fire of a ship in a lower class. In the tables following, ships of the same type are bracketed. A (B) to Russian ships signifies Black Sea Fleet. An indicates that the ship has beeu re armed more or less thoroughly, or is about to be. (M) Indicates muzzle-loading guns; (O) old type breech-loaders of no higher value than our muzzle-loading pieces. Ships not yet completed are put in italics. It will be noted that the "Royal Sovereign" class are excluded from this list of first-rate ships. They are powerful vessels, but their secondary guns are poorly protected, while their big guns, loading end on as they do, form an immense target for small shell. It is hard to see how they could be fought in anything like close The Rating Of Warships. action. The "Canopus" class, weak on the water-line, may barely deserve inclusion, but their armament is good, and water-line hits are sure to be very rare. The "Bouvet" and "Massena" are very near the border line, ...