Report of Chief Engineer J. W. King, United States Navy, on European Ships of War, &C
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Qfornell Hnioetaitg Slibrarg Sftl^aca. Neat $o«k THE LIBRARY OF EMIL KUICHLING, C. E. ROCHESTER. NEW YORK THE GIFT OF SARAH L. KUICHLING 1919 Cornell University Library VA 40.K53 Report of Chief Engineer J. W. King, Uni 3 1924 005 009 638 Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/cletails/cu31924005009638 44TH CONGEESS, I SENATE. U T" 7 (Ex. DoC, 2d Session. f ' \ No.-27. EEPOET CHIEF ENGINEER J. W. KING, UNITED STATES NAVY, EUROPEAN SHIPS OF WAR AND THEIR ARMAMENT, NAVAL ADMINISTRATION AND ECONOMY, MARINE CONSTRUCT TIONS AND APPLIANCES, DOCK-YARDS, ETC., ETC. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PBINlING OFFICE. 1877. LETTER PROM THE SECRETARY OF THE MVY, TRANSMITTING, In cofnpliance with a Senate resolution of January 26, 1877, the report of Chief Engineer J. W. King, United States Navy, on European ships of war, &c. January 30, 1877.—Referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs and ordered to be printed. Navt Department, Washington, January 27, 1877. Sir : In compliance with a resolution of the Senate, passed on the 26th instant, I have the honor to transmit herewith the report of Chief Engineer J. W. King, of the United States Kavy, on European ships of war, &c. Very respectfully, &c., GEO. M. EOBESON, Secretary of the Navy. Hon. Thos. W. Ebrry, President pro tern, of the United States Senate. — . CONTENTS. PART I. Page. Letter 11 Introduction .' 13 The British navv 15 PART II. The Inflexible.—Mastless, armored sea-going ships. Hull and appendages. De- fense. Turrets. Armament. Trials of the 81-ton gnn. Motive machinery. Boilers. Rig. Weights. Cost. Conclusions 19 PART III. The Devastation. —Design. Alterations. Dimensions and T^eights. Consumption of coal. Motive machinery. Official trials of machinery, guns, and sea-going qualities 1 '3.5 PART IV. The Thunderer.—Design. Machinery. Armament. Hydraulic-machinery for working guns 4? The Dreadmowght.—Design. Details of turret, Hull. Armament. Motive and other machinery 53 PART V. Broadside-armored ships 59 The Audacious class. Audacious, Iron Duke, Vanguard, Invincible, Triumph, and Swiftsure 62 Tie Alexandra.—Design. Description of hull. Motive power. Boilers. Obser- vations 64 PART VI. The T^^aire.—Design. Armament. Dimensions. Motive power 69 The Shannon.—Peculiarities of design. Armor-belt. Construction of hull. Ar- mament. Motive power. Boilers. Weights. Belted cruisers 74 PART VII. The Nelson and Northampton.—Design. Description of hull. Armament. Ram. Rig. Remarks. Motive power ....'. 77 The Warrior.—Old, but still efficient. Repairs. Late performances 82 The Waterwitch.—Peculiar features. Hydraulic propulsion an old idea. Poor performance. Waste of power. Coast-defense vessels. Description of the Glutton - 83 PART VIII. Cost of British armored ships.—Addition of percentage for maintenance of plant, for materials, &c., in dock-yards. Cost of repairs 87 Table of dimensions of vessel; armament, machinery, cost, &c., of the armored ships of Great Britain 94 — — b CONTENTS. PART IX. Page. Unarmoied ships of Great Britain. Inconstant, Raleigh, Boadicea, Eover, and Euryahis. Positions of cranks in compound engines. Sloops. Corvettes. Gun- yessels 99 PART X. The sloop Pelican to be engined on Perkins's high-pressure compound system. Description of vessel. Description of engines. Pressure of steam to be car- ried. Condenser. Boilers to be tested to 2,500 pounds per square inch. Dis- tilled sea-water not to be used. Other vessels on Perkins's system 117 Cruisers of the rapid type, the Iris and Mercury.—Built of steel and designed for exceptionally high speed. Hull. Motive machinery. Boilers. Tests of materials. Preparations against the privateers of the United States 122 Corvettes of steel and iron.—Names. Principal dimensions. To be cruisers 127 Trials at the measured mile.—Subsequent examination by shipwright and engi- 1 neers. Regulations for trial at the measured mile. Semi-annual trial at full power. Objections to the system and deceptiveness of the speed, as subse- I \ quently claimed. Testimony before court-martial in relation to real speed of Iron Duke SLua. Vanguard, 128 PART XI. The French navy.—Composed chiefly of broadside vessels. Uniformity of classifi- cation carried to an extreme. Teats of iron and steel for the French navy. .. 131 Table of dimensions, &c., of the armored ships of France 137 The Duquesne and Tourrille, cruisers of the rapid type.—Dimensions. Weights. Armament. Motive machinery 139 The Duguay-Tronin and Bigault de Genouilly and class 140 Table of vesSels building and proposed for the French navy in 1876 141 PART XII. The German navy.—Of late origin. Vessels chiefly built abroad 143 The Deutschland.—Dimensions. Hull. Armament. Armor. Machinery and boilers ,. 145 The Sorussia or Preussen.—Dimensions. Hull. Armor. Turrets. Armament. Rig. Weights. Materials of exceptional strength and quality 147 Other German vessels, armored and unarmored 150 Table of dimensions, &c., of the armored ships of Germany 152 PART XIII. The Italian navy.—Great advances made in the past quarter of a century 153 The Duilio.—Dimensions. Hull. Position of turrets. Armor. Armament. The hnndred-ton gun. Construction of gun. Weight of projectile. Trials of the gun. The targets. Revolution in guns, ships, and armor. Ram. Motive power. A most formidable ship 155 The Dandolo.—Differs only in motive machinery from the Duilio. Engines and boilers 161 The Christoforo Colombo.—Cruiser of the rapid type. Dimensions. Battery. Motive machinery. Estimated speed 17 knots. Wooden hulls are not strong enough to sustain the power necessary for the speed 162 Italian dock -yards of Venice, Castellamare, and Spezia 162 Table of dimensions, &c. , of the armored ships of Italy 164 PART XIV. The Russian navy.—General description of vessels 165 Circular armored ships.—^The Novgorod and Admiral Popoff. Description by Mr. E.J. Reed. Dimensions. Advantages of the system. Objectionable features. 169 Table of dimensions, &c., of the armored ships of Russia ,... 172 PART XV. I The Austrian navy.—Mistake of building wooden armored ships 173 The Tegeihoff —Dimensions of hull and machinery, weights, cost, armament, &c. Detailed description of peculiar features of construction and armor 175 Table of dimensions, &c., of the armored ships of Austria 178 — CONTENTS. 7 PAET XVI. Page. Armored ships.—Total estimated tonnage and cost. Nafflber of vessels belong- ing to various nations. Not tested yet except at Lissa, and that battle not decisive for or against armored ships 179 Table of dimensions, &c.,of the armored ships of Turkey 183 Table of dimensions, &c., of the armored ships of Holland 185 Table of dimensions, &c., of the armored ships of Spain 186 PART XVII. Compound engines.—Extracts from former report on this subject. In Europe simple engines are almost obsolete. Rapidity in substituting the compound for the simple engines. Lloyd's inspectors state the saving in fuel to be from 30 to 40 per centum 187 Naval compound engines.—Begun in England in 1871. Report to Parliament. Number of vessels ordered on this recommendation. Introduced soon after into France, Italy, and Germany. Certain objections to the system untenable! 192 Comparative merits of the simple and compound engine. —Experiments on the i Swinger and Goshawk, The Mallard and Moorhen. Experiments of the Allen Line on the Polynesia and Circassian 194 PAET XVIII. Corrosion of marine boilers.—Generally called galvanic action. Doubtless caused by the action of redistilled sea-water. The use of pure rain-water seems to be a preventive. Experience of Messrs. Perkins and Milan. Admiralty circular. Precautions in the merchant service 199 Preservation of boilers in Her Britannic Majesty's vessels not in commission. Two systems, the wet and dry 201 Water-tube boilers.—Difficult to carry high steam and yet make the boilers tight and safe. Extracts from paper of Mr. Plannery. Boilers of the Montana, Pro- pontis, Birkenhead, Malta, Gertrude, &c - 201 Boiler explosions.—Report of the chief engineer surveyor to Lloyd's on the ex- plosion of the Ihunderer's boiler 209 Boilers of the mercantile marine.—Either cylindrical or elliptical. Composition tubes used instead of iron ones. Spring safety-valves used instead of those with, levers. Adams's spring safety-valve. Extracts from Lloyd's Rules and FormulsB for boilers 214 PART XIX. Sea-valves and cocks.—Should be always accessible and visible. Serious acci- dents have occurred when otherwise placed. The Knight Templar, Europe, Greece, Am6rique, Ormesly, and other examples. Water-tight bulkheads should extend above the water-line.- -- 217 Steering-gear.—^Essentials. Reasons for using steam or other power. The ordi- nary arrangement. McFarlane Gray's gear. Unimportant objection to steam- gear. Hydraulic gear. Description of Brown's gear. Unimportant objection to hydraulic system. Other uses for the gear than steering. Brotherhood's system - 220 PART XX. Manufacture of steam machinery for the British navy.—^Policy of fostering en- gineering works. These establishments build, the dock-yards only repair, naval machinery. Drawing up specifications and awarding contracts. Designs ac- cepted are not invariably in accordance with specifications 225 PART XXI. Offensive torpedo warfare.—The Ziethen. Motive machinery. Arrangement for ' ejecting the Whitehead or fish torpedo. Preparing and discharging the tor- pedo. Weak point of the instrument. Nations which have purchased the right to use it. Reported price paid. Experiments for its improvement and development. In England, the Vesuvius and other vessels fitted for the pur- pose. The Uhlan - ;,",V"V no? Spar torpedo-boats.—Swift vessels of small size. Torpedo-boat for Holland ^Si The Oheron experiments.—Description of vessel. Damage sustained. The tor- pedo more destructive than a projectile from the heaviest gun. Small vessels a necessity. Experiments needed in stopping leaks 236 e CONTENTS. PART XXII. Page. British naval dock-yards.—Portsmouth. Chatham. Devonport and Keyham.