FRIDAY, MARCH 12th, 1897. THE BRITISH FLAG-SHIPS. Plioto. R. ELLIS, Malta, Copyright.—HUDSON & KEAKh- H.M.S. " RAMILLIES." Photo. SYMONDS & CO., Portsmouth. H.M.S. " RE VENGE" HE "Ramillies" and the "Revenge" are the two flag-ships of the British Mediterranean Fleet, the *' Ramillies" T flying the flag of Admiral Sir JOHN O. HOPKINS, K.C.B., the Commander-in-Chief, and the " Revenge," the flag-ship of Rear-Admiral ROBERT H. HARRIS, the second in command. The two ships are sister first-class battle-ships of the "Royal Sovereign" type, of 14,150 tons each, and identical in speed and manoeuvring capabilities—most important points for two ships which might lead separate groups of ships in action. In action, each flag-ship's place would ordinarily be at the head of her own squadron. From the senior flag-ship all orders and signals would be made; and should it become impossible for signalling to be carried on, owing to masts, etc., being shot away, each group of ships would simply watch and follow the movements of their own flag-ship, the Commander-in-Chiefs flag-ship setting the example for her group of ships, and the second in command in his flag-ship following suit. 178 THE NAVY AND ARMY ILLUSTRATED. [March 12tr, 1S17. THE BRITISH FLEET. Photo. F. G. 0- S. GREGORY & CO., Naval Opticians, .;/. Sttand. Copyright.—HUDSOX & ',.E.IRKS. SHIPPING AMMUNITION AND STORES. ERE we see some of the incidents that would attend the setting out of a British Fleet for active service, the ships being ready coaled, and having all hands on board and sea stores taken in, ready for the receipt ot H final sailing orders. The last thing done when a warship goes to sea is to take in powder, which is received on board after a ship has left her harbour moorings and is clear of the port. In the dockyard, where each ship has been fitting, for the last twenty-four hours before unmooring, the officers and men of the ship have always a busy time, drawing stores and provisions, fetching torpedoes from the torpedo store, while gangs of men pass and repass trundling casks and cases of necessaries of every kind, and artificers hurry to and fro seeing to the finishing touches to the electrical appliances. In our pictures, however, that is now all over, and the last of the powder and shell is coming on board, while anxious groups of officers and signallers keep their eyes on the masthead of the flag-ship for the signal to weigh anchor and head for the open sea. MAL TA DOCKYARD .-—PREPARING FOR SEA. HESE are incidents that attend a Fleet mobilization, or the arrival in port of a ship, after spending a cruise at sea, for a refit, before returning to rejoin her consorts. The scene is in Malta Dockyard, and the particular ship shown is the battle-ship " Camperdown," of the Mediterranean Fleet, having one of her 67-ton guns replaced by a similar piece from T the Gun Wharf reserve. Another battle-ship of the Mediterranean Fleet, the "Trafalgar," may also be seen in dock, having her bottom scraped and under water fittings examined and repaired, to go out at the first opportunity. These are both necessary operations that have to be performed periodically, for the bottoms of ships rapidly grow foul after keeping the sea for any length of time, with consequent loss of speed and waste of engine-power. Of the two ships here seen, the "Camperdown" belongs to the "Admiral" class now being withdrawn from the Mediterranean and replaced by the vessels of the "Royal Sovereign" class. tm THE NAVY AND ARMY ILLUSTRATED. [March 121I1,1807. MB!®- m. THE BRITISH FLEET H.M.S. '' BARFLE UR. //.M.S. "N/LE: Photos. R. ELLIS, Malta. Copyright.—ItOJauW * KJMrtrtS. HM.S. H HAWKE? N these two pages are shown ships of practicallv every tvpe of man-of-war at present employed in the British O Mediterranean Fleet. First of all comes the 41 Barflcur." a first-class battle-ship of 10,500 tons and 18*5 knots maximum speed, with her guns in hooded shields above the barbettes; built in 1892 as a somewhat smaller edition of the big r4li90 ton battle-ships of the " Royal Sovereign" type. The "Barfleur" is one of the very fastest battle-ships afloat, her only rivals being found in the Italian Navy, and is considered in all essentials an ideal ship of war. The Nile" is an older ship, but equally, if not more, poweiful; a sister to the " Trafalgar," of 11,940 tons and 17 knots speed. She is a turret ship, and very strongly armoured While the heaviest guns in the "Barfleur" are 10-inch 29-ton guns, those of the "Nile " are 13-5-incn 67-ton guns, the same as are carried by ships of the "Admiral" class- except the "Collingwood' -and those of the -Royal Sovereign" class The " Hawkc' the third ship shown, is a Mardh t2th,-1x97.-] T/f£ NAVY AND ARMY ILLUSTRATED. 181 THE BRITISH; FLEET. H.MS. " ASTR^A:* H.M.S. "SYBILLEr Photos. R. ELLIS, Malta. CopyriglU.-HUDSON & KEARNS. H.M.S. " ARDENT/' first-class cruiser, of the highly successful "Edgar" type, a vessel of 7,350 tons and 20 knots speed, and capable of rendering immense service on reconnoitring duty. The "Astraea" and the "Sybille" are second-class cruisers, the former of 4,360 tons, and the latter of 3,400 tons, but both of 20-knot speed. They are two recent additions to the Mediterranean Fleet, and in the event of war would prove helpful auxiliaries to the British Admiral, particularly at present when, by the detachment on special service of the first-class cruiser "Gibraltar" (to the East Coast of Africa), and of the first-class cruiser "Theseus," and the second-class cruiser "Forte" (to Benin), Sir JOHN HOPKINS' Fleet: is, temporarily, somewhat below its normal strength in cruisers. Lastly, we have the torpedo-boat destroyer " Ardent," one of the five vessels of her class now doing duty in the Mediterranean. The " Ardent " is a 28-knot boat of 265 tons, and has throughout, so far, proved herself reliable, and one of the best of her class. 182 THE NAVY AND ARMY ILLUSTRATED. [March 12th, 1897. THE ITALIAN FLEET. THE BA TTLESHIP '' SICILI A.' Photos. CO-.r; VECCHI, Spczia. ADMIRAL CANEVARO AND THE OFFICERS OF THE "ITALIA." DMIRAL CANEVARO is well known to the officers of our Mediterranean Fleet, for he was one of the most promi­ A nent Italian officers concerned in making the arrangements for the reception of Sir MICHAEI, SEYMOUR'S squadron, at Leghorn and Naples, in the summer of last year. He is in command of the first or active squadron of the Italian Fleet; and, in connection with the present crisis, is in charge in Cretan waters, not only of his own squadron, but as senior officer on the spot of all the ships of various nationalities there assembled. The " Sicilia" is one of the newest and most powerful of the modern first-class battleships of the Italian Navy, and carries Admiral CANBVARO'S flag in the Levant. In respect to speed she may be said to dispute with our "Barfleur" the palm of being the fastest battle-ship in the world. When launched at Venice, in July, 1891, the '*Sicilia" was christened by Queen Margherita herself, who, after the benediction had been pronounced on the vessel by the Patriarch of Venice, attached a consecrated ring by a ribbon to the stern as the ship entered the water, according to the old Venetian usage of " wedding the ship to the sea." March 12th, 1897.] THE NAVY AND ARMY ILLUSTRATED. 183 THE ITALIAN FLEET. I THE CRUISER MARCO POLO. Photos. CONTI VECCI1I, Spezi THE CRUISER " LIGURIA. Photo. 5 YitiUND^ cr CO., Portsmouth. THE CRUISER " STROMBOLir HESE three ships, the " Marco Polo," '* Stromboli," and 44 Liguria," belong to the Italian Flying Squadron of fast T cruisers which is permanently kept in commission as a Training and Emergency Squadron in the Mediterranean. The " Marco Polo," the first of these ships, is an armoured cruiser, built in 1892, of 4,583 tons and 19 knots speed ; the " Stromboli " is a deck-protected cruiser of 3,427 tons ; the 44 Liguria," a similar vessel, of 2.281 tons, of between 18 and 19 knots speed. An important fact about the Italian Navy to be remembered in connection with the present crisis is the large number of ships which, during the last three years, the Italian Admiralty have kept permanently commissioned and actively employed afloat, thus affording the best possible training for officers and men. In this the Italians have followed the example of our own Admiralty. 184 77//; NAVY AND ARMY ILLUSTRATED. [March 12th, 1807. THE ITALIAN FLEET. THE BATTLESHIP "ANDREA D01UA" Photos. CONTI VECCHI, Sfiezia. THE BATTLESHIP "RE UMBERTO" IN DOCK AT SPEZ1A. PEZIA, in the Riviera of Genoa, where we show the Italian first-class battle-ship "Re Umberto" in dock, is S the chief of the three great Naval Dockyards and Arsenals of Italy. All the largest and most powerful ships of the Italian Fleet are invariably fitted out at Spezia, where there are five dry docks, three of them capable of taking the largest first-class battle-ship afloat, with two building slips. Every care also has been taken to supply Spezia Dockyard with workshops of the most modern type, which are fitted-up with the very best machinery obtainable from England, Germany, and elsewhere. Spezia Dockyard, which covers an area of about 629 acres, including basins, dry docks, and so forth—employs in ordinary times as many as four thousand hands.