War-ship in dry-dockTHE “VENGEUR:” FRENCH IRON-CLAD COAST-GUARD VESSEL.
THE “VENGEUR:” FRENCH IRON-CLAD COAST-GUARD VESSEL.
It is absolutely necessary to bring to light the matter just explained, for otherwise the present state and the prospects of the French navy cannot be properly understood, theTage,Cécile, andSfaxbeing, on the whole, the most important of the French ships which are without armor-belts. Two others there are, however, which are weaker than theTageandSfaxonly in the fact of their being without special deck protection. These are theDuquesneand theTourville, two ships approximately alike in size and construction, and both having their iron bottoms sheathed with two thicknesses of wood and then coppered, after the manner introduced by myself in H.M.S.Inconstant. Both of these French ships have attained 169/10knots of speed. They are armed with seven guns of eight tons and fourteen of three tons weight.
The remaining unarmored vessels of France must be rapidly summarized. It is impossible to neglect in this case, as was done in my article on the British navy, all the frigates, etc., which have frames of timber, because to do this would be to omit all unarmored frigates of the French navy except theDuquesneand theTourville, already described. But it is not necessary to do more than name theVenus,Minerve, andFlora, all launched prior to 1870, and all slow, and to say that there remain but four unarmored wood frigates of 14 knots speed, of about 3400 tons, and armed with from two to four guns of five tons, and eighteen to twenty-two guns of three tons. These areAréthuse,Dubourdieu,Iphigénie, andNaïade, which, although wooden ships, have all been launched since 1881—theDubourdieuin 1884. Of French first-class cruisers which do not rank as frigates (having no main-deck batteries) there are nine in number, all built of wood except one, theDuguay-Trouin, which is the fastest of them all, steaming at 159/10knots. This vessel has 3300 tons displacement, and is armed with five guns of eight tons and five of three tons. None of the remaining eight exceed 2400 tons in displacement, none exceed 15.3 knots in speed (but none are less than 14 knots), and each of them carries fifteen guns of three tons. Next come thirteen second-class cruisers, ranging in displacement between 1540 and 2100 tons, and in speed between 11½ and 15 knots; they are principally armed with 3-ton guns. There is another vessel, theRapide, in this class, but I only know of her that her tonnage is 1900 tons. Of cruisers of the third class there are fifteen, ranging from 1000 to 1400 tons, and principally armed with 3-ton guns. Their speeds vary from 10 to 13 knots; one, however, theHirondelle, steaming at 15½ knots. The French have likewise thirty-five vessels, “avisos,” etc., of which about one-half are from 1400 to 1600 tons, and the remainder are from 720 to 1000 tons. About six of them reach or approach 13 knots, but most of them range between 10 and 11 knots, some of them falling as low as 8 knots. I have further to make mention of two very fast vessels—for they are to steam 19½ knots—now under construction, named theSurcoupand theForbin, each of 1850 tons, and each armed with two 3-ton guns. There is also a vessel of 1540 tons, named theMilan, which steams 18 knots, and is armed with five very light (24-cwt.) guns. The French navy possesses also ninety-nine vessels, most of them carrying guns (many of 3 tons, some of 5 tons, and one or two of 8 tons), and also twenty-eight steam transports, varying in size from 1200 tonearly 6000 tons, the largest of them, theNive(of 5680 tons), steaming 14 knots.
The navies of Europe, including the British navy, have undergone of late considerable expansion in respect of their very fast unarmored steel vessels, the designing and successful construction of which have been brought about by improvements in the quality of ship steel and in steam-machinery, notably as regards the latter, by the employment of “forced draught.”[27]These are called torpedo-vessels, as distinct from torpedo-boats. There are in process of completion for the British navy eight of 1630 tons (theArcherclass), each carrying six 6-inch 5-ton guns, and estimated to steam with forced draught from 16 to 17 knots; two of 1430 tons each (Scoutclass), carrying four 5-inch 2-ton guns, with an estimated maximum speed of 16 knots; and two of 785 tons (Curlewclass), called “gun and torpedo” vessels; speed, 15 knots; armament, one 6-inch 89-cwt. and three 5-inch 36-cwt. guns. There is also a class of “torpedo gun-boats” (the official designation, but not one which expresses any very manifest distinction from the last-named class), which are of a very notable character. This (theGrasshopper) class, of which each vessel is of only 450 tons displacement, is to be supplied with engines of 2700 indicated horse-power. The diagrams onpage 90exhibit the general form and particulars of these very remarkable little vessels, which are expected to steam at fully 19 knots (22 miles) per hour. Against the above torpedo-vessels of the British navy are to be set, in the French navy, four torpedo-cruisers of 1280 tons, 17 knots speed, carrying each five 4-inch guns; and eight torpedo despatch-vessels, each of 320 tons, and designed to steam at 18 knots, carrying machine guns only; such machine guns being also carried, of course, by all the fast torpedo-vessels and gun-boats, both French and English, previously referred to, but in their cases in conjunction with their other guns. These 320-ton torpedo-vessels of France are to be driven by machinery of 1800 indicated horse-power.
BlueprintsBRITISH TORPEDO GUN-BOAT OF THE “GRASSHOPPER” CLASS (SIDE VIEW).THE “GRASSHOPPER”—PLAN OF UPPER DECK, POOP, AND FORECASTLE.
BRITISH TORPEDO GUN-BOAT OF THE “GRASSHOPPER” CLASS (SIDE VIEW).THE “GRASSHOPPER”—PLAN OF UPPER DECK, POOP, AND FORECASTLE.
It may be observed with regard to these small craft furnished with such enormous steam-power (in proportion to their size and tonnage) that there is much uncertainty as to the speeds which they will attain.Not only are the builders without experience of similar vessels by which to guide themselves, but where the proportion of power to displacement is so great, slight differences both in hulls and machinery, no less than in immersion and trim, may produce unforeseen results. As designers who fail to realize promised speeds are liable to be discredited, while those whose vessels surpass their promised speeds may be unduly praised, it is but reasonable to expect that the promised speeds will usually even be more than realized. This has been the case with theBombe, the first of the French torpedo despatch-vessels which have been tried under steam, and which, under the promise of 18 knots, realized no less than 19½ knots on the measured mile. It should be added that all of these extremely fast small craft in both navies are propelled by twin engines and screws. As great public interest will be felt in the trials of these very novel and special vessels—asmere steamers no less than as war craft—it may be well to give their names, to facilitate their identification hereafter.
English Torpedo Gun-boats:Grasshopper,Rattlesnake,Spider,Sandfly—each having a displacement of 450 tons, 2700 horse-power, 200 feet length, 23 feet breadth, 8 feet draught, and a speed estimated at 19 knots.French Torpedo Despatch-Vessels:Bombe,Couleuvrine,Dague,Dragonne,Flèche,Lance,Saint-Barbe,Salve—each having a displacement of 320 tons, 1800 horse-power, 194.3 feet length, 21.4 feet breadth, 5.1 feet draught, and, with the exception of theBombe, a speed estimated at 18 knots. The actual speed of theBombeis 19.5 knots.
English Torpedo Gun-boats:Grasshopper,Rattlesnake,Spider,Sandfly—each having a displacement of 450 tons, 2700 horse-power, 200 feet length, 23 feet breadth, 8 feet draught, and a speed estimated at 19 knots.
French Torpedo Despatch-Vessels:Bombe,Couleuvrine,Dague,Dragonne,Flèche,Lance,Saint-Barbe,Salve—each having a displacement of 320 tons, 1800 horse-power, 194.3 feet length, 21.4 feet breadth, 5.1 feet draught, and, with the exception of theBombe, a speed estimated at 18 knots. The actual speed of theBombeis 19.5 knots.
Besides the above vessels, the two navies (English and French) are provided as follows with torpedo-boats: The English have nine small (56 feet long) and slow (14½ to 15 knots) of wood; fifty small (60 to 66 feet long) and slow (15 to 16 knots) of steel; nineteen others of greater length, but all less than 93 feet, and of speeds varying from 16 to 19 knots; six of 100 to 113 feet, and 19 knots; fifty-three of 125 feet in length, and 19 knots; and two building,viz., one of 135 feet in length, and 22 knots, and one of 150 feet in length, and 20 knots; in all, one hundred and thirty-nine torpedo-boats, of which the 135-feet boat carries four 3-pounder quick-firing guns, and the 150-feet boat carries five 6-pounder guns of that kind. The French have nine under 70 feet in length; forty-one under 100 feet in length, steaming at 17 to 18 knots; eighteen of 108 feet in length, somewhat faster; nine of 113 feet in length, steaming at 22 knots; and fifty-one of 114 feet in length, steaming at 20 knots; in all, one hundred and twenty-eight torpedo-boats, all armed with machine guns only. As the nine slow wooden boats of the English navy can hardly be regarded as torpedo-boats at all, it may be said that of torpedo-boats, built and building, the English have one hundred and thirty, and the French one hundred and twenty-eight, of which the English have seventy-nine completed, and fifty-one building and completing, and the French have sixty-eight completed, and sixty building and completing. The English navy is therefore slightly, but only slightly, in advance of the French in the matter of torpedo-boats proper, while in respect of extremely fast sea-going torpedo-vessels of 320 and 450 tons respectively, the English have three under construction and one completed, while the French have one (theBombe) completed and seven under construction.