Ancient and Modern Ships (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos or missing text. Not indexed. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1906. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER III. INFLUENCE OF THE ADMIRALTY ON SHIPBUILDING IN IRON AND STEEL. Hitherto reference has been chiefly made to merchant ships. The structure of warships belongs, however, essentially to the domain of civil manufacturing industry, and has, moreover, exercised from time to time a powerful influence upon the structural features of purely mercantile vessels; consequently, an historical sketch of iron and steel shipping which ignored what has been achieved with war vessels would be wanting in completeness. It has been previously mentioned that so early as the year &3?a frigate was built of iron by Messrs. Laird for the Mexican Government, and that some favourable experience with an iron vessel called the Nemesis was gained in the China War in the year 1840, but that, nevertheless, there was great prejudice at the Admiralty against the use of this material. The experience gained by the English and allied fleets in the Crimean war proved that unprotected wooden warships were totally incapable of withstanding the effects of shell fire. During the progress of the war, armour-clad batteries were, on the suggestion of the Emperor of the French, constructed both in this country and in France, and three of the French batteries were actually used in the bombardment of Kinburn in 1855. In 1856 the two paddle-wheel iron gunboats named the Bann and the Brune'/yvere designed and constructed by Mr. John 8079. D Scott Russell for the Admiralty. These boats were built on the longitudinal system, with fore and aft bulkheads dividing the side bunkers from the engine and boiler rooms, and with iron decks uniting the tops of these bulkheads with the sides of the ship. They were each 140 ft. long on load water line; 20 ft. beam, 8 ft. 6 in. deep, and only 4 ft. draught. Th...