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second-class battleships-known as "armored cruisers”—and these will be pitted against a much smaller number of first-class American battleships. The "many eggs in one basket" is, when all things are considered, the best for battleships. America, therefore, apart from other considerations, should win. It is not very safe to prophesy anything, but the probabilities are either a "walk over" for one side, or else an absolutely indecisive but sanguinary result. There is not likely to be a mean between these extremes.

The other principal data with regard to the vessels referred to above, are as follows:-The Vizcaya is an armored cruiser, launched at Bilbao in 1891, carrying two 11-inch guns in two barbettes, and ten 5.5-inch guns, besides smaller weapons. Her displacement is 7000 tons, her length 340 feet, breadth 65 feet, and maximum draught 21 feet, 6 inches. She is propelled by twin screws, her engines developing 13,000 horse power. Her normal coal supply is large, namely, 1200 tons, sufficient to take her nearly 10,000 miles at 10 knots. Her maximum speed is 21 knots. With the exception of the Pelayo, she and the vessels of the same class are the most heavily armored in the Spanish navy. They have belt armor 12 inches thick, extending from bow to stern, but tapering off at the extremities; their big guns are protected by 101⁄2-inch armor, and the deck plating is 3 inches thick. The Infanta Maria Teresa, also built at the same time and in the same yard, developes rather more power, but is armed and protected in the same way, and is of the same dimensions. Both ships have six torpedo tubes. The Almirante Oquendo, Cataluna, Cardenal Cisneros, and Princessa de Asturias are all very nearly the same in dimensions, and all carry the same guns and armor, so that these six ships form a valuable squadron, and as the slowest of them can steam 20 knots, they ought, if combined, be able to give a very good account of themselves.

The Christobal Colon, originally Giuseppe Garibaldi II., is of rather less displacement—6840 tons—and indicates 14,000 horse power, but makes only the same speed as the Vizcaya class. Her main armament consists of two 10-inch guns and ten 6-inch, and six 4.7-inch and four torpedo tubes, so that she is powerful in this respect. She is protected by a 6-inch belt of Harveyed steel, and her guns are similarly provided. Her deck plating is 11⁄2 inches thick. Her normal coal supply is 1000 tons. She was launched at Sestri Ponente in 1896.

-The Engineer, April 29, 1898.

The Spanish Warships Carlos V. and Pelayo.

The Carlos V. is one of those ships concerning whose details there is a considerable amount of doubt. According to “Brassey." who classes her as an armored cruiser, she is of 9235 tons, carries two Hontoria 11-inch guns in barbettes, plated with 10-inch steel, eight 5.5-inch quick-firers, four 3.9-inch quick firers, and six small quick-firers. The same authority gives her a 2-inch belt and a 6-inch deck. His plans of the ship, however, give her ten instead of eight 5.5-inch guns, and 1734-inch armor on barbettes, a 2-inch skin over the entire amidships battery, but no deck. The Naval Pocket Book" description accords mostly with this plan, but the tonnage is given as 9000, and the barbette armor 9.8-inch. “All the World's Fighting Ships" corresponds with the Pocket Book" description, but gives fewer details. On the other hand, French papers speak of her positively as having a 6-inch belt; and when the ship was lying at Havre recently she looked to have a narrow belt for about one-third of the water-line amidship. The ship was then complete save for

ships designated as "armored cruisers" are well nigh impossible. There are cruisers, all called "armored," without any other distinction: (1) With armor on both guns and belt; (2) with armor on belt only; (3) with armor on the guns only. To the latter class the Spanish cruiser Carlos V. belongs, but as a general-and quite unreasonable-rule, ships with armor for the guns only, like our Powerfuls, are classed as first-class protected cruisers, while a thin 3-inch belt will dignify them with the title of armored cruisers. If we compare the majority of Spanish cruisers, the Vizcaya and Infanta Maria Teresa class with their battleship Pelayo, we see that the sole difference between them is that where the Pelayo has a belt all round her, the Vizcayas have a partial belt for three-quarters of their length and bulkheads. The Pelayo has, of course, four big guns against their two, but then she is the bigger ship.

In both cases the guns are identically protected, a narrow barbette, with nothing below save an armored hoist. In each case a thin shield covers the gun breech-a foolish thing probably, since it is just sufficiently thick to burst a shell, and far too thin to keep anything out. Before Yalu the Chinese removed these shields from their battleships, and there was probably wisdom in so doing, though we must bear in mind that the Japanse have since replaced them in the Chin Yen. Probably, however, the new shields are of tougher armor, but on that no details are available.

We find, therefore, that to all intents and purposes the Spanish Vizcaya class are battleships of the second class, slightly armored, it is true, yet with more armor than the Italian Lepanto carries, since that "ironclad ” has no belt at all. A vessel which-save that she has a 2-inch armor over the quick-fire guns-is identical to the Italian Lepanto in the arrangement of armor is the Carlos V. She has no belt, but a very thich deck-6-inch--her big guns in fore and aft barbettes alone are armored. The arrangement of guns is, of course, quite different to the Lepanto's, but the "idea" in both ships is similar. This idea is that a belt of coal and cellulose, with a thick deck below it, is quite equal to a heavy belt of armor.. So far as protecting the engines goes this is true; and it may prove true in other ways. At the best, a belt is only a strip, liable to penetration above and below in a sea way.

The Christobal Colon could, and no doubt will, lie in the line" if there is a naval action; she is proof against every sort of shell. Except her and the Pedro d'Aragon, now building, which carry 10-inch guns, all the Spanish armored cruisers carry a couple of 11-inch guns; very good pieces, able to penetrate all the armor on the American battleships' guns.

The American armored cruisers are quite different; they are really armored cruisers. Their belts, instead of being 12-inch steel as in the Vizcayas, are of 3-inch steel only; their big guns are only of 8-inch caliber. Now, an 8-inch projectile is quite useless against the belts of the Vizcayas, or against their barbettes, and in engaging such ships shell fire alone could be depended on to do anything. Of course, shell fire is the staple attack, but the Brooklyn and New York can do nothing against the Spaniards, with their comparatively feeble 8-inch shell, that the Spaniards cannot do against them with a far more powerful gun. It is rank heresy maybe, but we cannot but hold that there is a tendency to unduly glorify the small quick fire gun or the mediumsized -inch. The chances of hitting are, of course, greater with the smaller weapon, both from its extra rapidity and its extra numerical quantity; but when the big shot does hit its effect will be, of course, far greater. However, the métier of the Spanish and American armored cruisers is quite different, and it is profitless to compare them. Spain's force is really a number of

second-class battleships-known as "armored cruisers"-and these will be pitted against a much smaller number of first-class American battleships. The "many eggs in one basket" is, when all things are considered, the best for battleships. America, therefore, apart from other considerations, should win. It is not very safe to prophesy anything, but the probabilities are either a "walk over" for one side, or else an absolutely indecisive but sanguinary result. There is not likely to be a mean between these extremes.

The other principal data with regard to the vessels referred to above, are as follows:-The Vizcaya is an armored cruiser, launched at Bilbao in 1891, carrying two 11-inch guns in two barbettes, and ten 5.5-inch guns, besides smaller weapons. Her displacement is 7000 tons, her length 340 feet, breadth 65 feet, and maximum draught 21 feet, 6 inches. She is propelled by twin screws, her engines developing 13,000 horse power. Her normal coal supply is large, namely, 1200 tons, sufficient to take her nearly 10,000 miles at 10 knots. Her maximum speed is 21 knots. With the exception of the Pelayo, she and the vessels of the same class are the most heavily armored in the Spanish navy. They have belt armor 12 inches thick, extending from bow to stern, but tapering off at the extremities; their big guns are protected by 101⁄2-inch armor, and the deck plating is 3 inches thick. The Infanta Maria Teresa, also built at the same time and in the same yard, developes rather more power, but is armed and protected in the same way, and is of the same dimensions. Both ships have six torpedo tubes. The Almirante Oquendo, Cataluna, Cardenal Cisneros, and Princessa de Asturias are all very nearly the same in dimensions, and all carry the same guns and armor, so that these six ships form a valuable squadron, and as the slowest of them can steam 20 knots, they ought, if combined, be able to give a very good account of themselves.

The Christobal Colon, originally Giuseppe Garibaldi II., is of rather less displacement-6840 tons and indicates 14,000 horse power, but makes only the same speed as the Vizcaya class. Her main armament consists of two 10-inch guns and ten 6-inch, and six 4.7-inch and four torpedo tubes, so that she is powerful in this respect. She is protected by a 6-inch belt of Harveyed steel, and her guns are similarly provided. Her deck plating is 11⁄2 inches thick. Her normal coal supply is 1000 tons. She was launched at Sestri Ponente in 1896.

-The Engineer, April 29, 1898.

The Spanish Warships Carles V. and Pelayo.

The Carlos V. is one of those ships concerning whose details there is a considerable amount of doubt. According to Brassey." who classes her as an armored cruiser, she is of 9235 tons, carries two Hontoria 11-inch guns in barbettes, plated with 10-inch steel, eight 5.5-inch quick-firers, four 3.9-inch quick firers, and six small quick-firers. The same authority gives her a 2-inch belt and a 6-inch deck. His plans of the ship, however, give her ten instead of eight 5.5-inch guns, and 1734-inch armor on barbettes, a 2-inch skin over the entire amidships battery, but no deck. The Naval Pocket Book" description accords mostly with this plan, but the tonnage is given as 9000, and the barbette armor 9.8-inch. “All the World's Fighting Ships" corresponds with thePocket Book" description, but gives fewer details. On the other hand, French papers speak of her positively as having a 6-inch belt; and when the ship was lying at Havre recently she looked to have a narrow belt for about one-third of the water-line amidship. The ship was then complete save for

her big guns, and our illustration is from sketches and photographs taken of her then, about Christmas, 1897.

The coal capacity

She was launched shipbuilding would Her cost is reported

To look at, her arrangement of armament seems certainly similar to that of the Edgar class, saving always the fore-and-aft barbettes. These, like those of some Italian cruisers, do not correspond, the after one having the plates apparently set at an angle, while the forward one, which rises out of a slight turtle back, has vertical sides. Further details of the ship are: Length, 380 ft.; breadth, 67 ft.; draught, 25 ft. There is, unfortunately, no way of determining whether this is the mean or maximum draught. The maximum horsepower, forced draught, is 18,500, the trial speed 20 knots. -normal-is 1200 tons, but 600 tons extra can be stowed. at Cadiz in 1895, and in the ordinary course of Spanish not have been completed for some two or three years yet. at £750,000, £150,000 more than the Vizcaya class, which have a stout belt and an identical armament; 600 tons less coal capacity, 2000 tons less displacement, and 5000 tons less indicated horse-power in the case of Vizcaya, but very little less in the case of the Cisneros. Our Blake cost less than £450,000-roughly £50 a ton. Our Undaunteds, small Vizcayas, armed identically as the Blakes, cost about £50 a ton also. The cost of the Carlos V. works out at £83 a ton, of Vizcaya class £85 a ton. The Carlos V. has six above-water torpedo tubes, and probably two submerged tubes; but here again no really authentic information is obtainable.

The Pelayo was launched at La Seyne 11 years ago. She is of the same type as the French Marceau, having her four big guns disposed lonzenge-wise on the French system. This ship is of 9900 tons, with a complete 18-inch steel belt and 19-inch on the heavy gun positions. The protective deck on top of the belt is 31⁄2-inch steel. The big gun hoists are 11.8-inch steel. The big guns are two 12.5 Hontorias, one forward and one aft, and an 11-inch Hontoria in each of the side barbettes. She has only recently left La Seyne, where a very complete refit has been partially carried out. Niclausse boilers have been fitted of 9000 indicated horse-power, in place of the old ones of 8000 indicated horse-power. The engines used to be vertical compound, and the screws two with four blades each. The maximum coal capacity was 800 tons, but she can probably stow 1000 now. The boilers are much lighter than the old. A reduction has been made in the secondary armament. It used to be one 6.2-inch breech-loader on the forecastle, twelve 4.7-inch breech-loaders on the main deck in an unprotected battery, one 3.5-inch breech-loader, and two 2.7-inch breech-loaders. The new armament, so far as one can gather, appears to be only eight 5.5-inch quick-firing Canet guns, Brassey" gives nine 5 5-inch guns, and six smaller pieces. The saving in weight was to be applied to putting armor over the battery, bulkheads, and shields, but from all accounts only the latter had been fitted when she left La Seyne in consequence of the nearness of war. Being light, she will therefore be able to stow extra coal without undue submersion-an important thing, seeing how hampered for coal Spain is. There are seven above-water torpedo tubes. -The Engineer, May 6, 1898.

The Spanish Cruiser Vitoria.

66

We have, on several occasions, called attention to the great work undertaken by the La Seyne works in transforming the Spanish frigates Vitoria and Numancia and increasing the fighting power of the Pelayo. Although differing greatly in value, these three vessels, for different reasons, constitute

factors of great importance in the naval reorganization which Spain is now carrying on. The two first mentioned are to be entirely reconstructed, while the Pelayo will be simply improved by a change of boilers, involving an economy in weight.

The important changes to be made in these ships have been pushed with great energy. The Vitoria, already finished, left Toulon on March 1st for Carthagena, to take on board her new artillery. The Pelayo, which has just gone into dock at Toulon, after her trial there, has been put in condition to proceed to Spain with all dispatch. There only remains, then, the completion of the work on the Numancia, which is being carried on with the greatest energy.

The Vitoria, a photograph of which taken in Toulon is given herewith, is an armored frigate, launched in 1865 by the Thames Iron Works. Owing to progress of every kind, so many modifications in the construction of warships have been necessary in the thirty-three years since the Vitoria first saw the light, that it was hardly possible to make use of this old frigate without having her completely reconstructed. It is not without interest to notice, however, that in the Vitoria, as in the Numancia, built in France in 1863, the main characteristic of defensive power (having the whole hull completely armored) happens to be exactly in harmony with modern ideas applied quite recently to certain armored cruisers of various navies. As a result, the Vitoria and Numancia carry iron armor, varying in thickness from 14 to 11 cm. (5.5 to 4.3 inches) protecting all the freeboard of the ship up to the upper deck; the gun ports even are armored. This armor is covered with a layer of wood which conceals its nature, one quite formidable for the period in which the vessel was built.

The Vitoria possesses the following characteristics:

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Her sail area having been greatly reduced, the Vitoria possesses for motive power only a single screw driven by a low pressure engine made at the Penn works. This engine, capable of developing 4000 horse power, and of giving the vessel, under favorable conditions, a speed of 11 knots, is fed with steam from eight boilers of the Admiralty type, the fire tubes of which open into the two smoke-stacks. The old boilers have been replaced by eight new ones of the same Admiralty type.

But above all, the installation of new artillery and the results secured thereby constitute the most important improvement made in the vessel. The Vitoria was originally armed with eight 9-inch Armstrong guns, mounted broadside and throwing projectiles weighing 250 pounds; and three 7-inch (18 cm.) Palliser guns, one bow-chaser forward, and the two others amidships in the redoubt.

These pieces have been removed and arrangements made to receive the following pieces which have been since mounted on board in Spain:

1. Six 6.3-inch (16 cm.) guns, Hontoria system, distributed as follows: two forward in the bow, in the ports formerly existing there; two amidships, one on each side in the armored redoubt of the deck, on center-pintle carriages; two aft, one on each side in the upper deck in sponsons forward of the poop, mounted on center-pintle carriages and provided with revolving shields.

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