ITALY.
The characteristic development of the Italian navy has been the abandonment of side-armor as a protection to stability, and the attempt to obtain high speed and great coal endurance. This bold departure in the matter of armor is due mainly to the fact that Italy’s sea policy is governed by conditions which appeal nowhere else with equal force. “It is the combination of a large army and a powerful fleet,” writes Sir Charles Dilke, “which really makes Italy formidable; for if Italy has only the fifth army it has the third navy of all the powers. Captain à Court has admirably pointed out how, for a young country, and a country with an overburdened budget, it was not possible to build ship for ship against France, and not within Italy’s power to create a fleet numerically equal to that of France, but that it was possible to build a small number of enormous sea-going iron-clads of the first class, ‘larger, stronger, swifter, and more heavily armed than any afloat.’ Were Italy not protected by a powerful fleet, such as might have some chance of holding its own against the French in its own waters, the French fleet could be used to destroy Italian mobilization if Italy had joined an alliance against France. The Italian railway lines could be cut at many places from the coast. Not only from Toulon and Ajaccio, but also from her new port at Biserta, on the Tunisian coast, France could keep watch and could pounce on Italy.
“The great difficulty, however, in the way of Italy is caused by her want of coal, for Italy may be said to have no coal for her ships, and the difficulty of getting coal to her southern ports in time of war would be immense if she had not command of the seas. In materially increasing the number of her large iron-clads Italy has been aiming at nothing less than the command of the Mediterranean as against France; but supposing that France were sufficiently free from the risk of maritime attack elsewhere to be able to concentrate her naval strength in the Mediterranean, it would be a delusion to suppose that the Italian naval forces could hold their own against the French. TheItalian material is excellent, no doubt, but the results of Lissa are not encouraging.
“To judge from naval expenditure, Italy seems to get a great deal for her money. If we were to look at the figures we should suppose that there were five navies in the world worth counting—the British and French of the first class, and the Russian, German, and Italian of the second class; but as a matter of fact the Russian and German navies are not worth counting by the side of the Italian navy of to-day. I doubt, however, whether the Italian, German, and Austrian navies could possibly hope to hold the Mediterranean against those of France and Russia, weak as is the Russian navy, in a general Continental war, so high is the estimate which I form of the power of France at sea. Russia, indeed, spends more upon her navy than does Italy; but Russia probably does not get her money’s worth. Italy at the present moment, in addition to the two splendid ships which she has at sea, is building or equipping eight first-class sea-going iron-clads as against seven being built by France and eleven by ourselves, and she certainly seems to have, as regards the material of her fleet, achieved remarkable results at a low rate of cost.
“The Italian fleet, in the event of war, would not have those scattered duties to perform which would fall to the lot of the French and English navies. The fleet of Italy would have to defend the Italian coast against attack, and if possible to keep up the communications with Sicily and Sardinia. Massowah would have to take care of itself, and the Italian fleet would be concentrated, while that of France, in some degree, would have to be dispersed over the whole world; but unless France had to put forth on land such efforts as to need the men and guns of her navy for the defence of her own fortresses, the time of concentration in the Mediterranean would arrive, and a great strain would be imposed upon the Italian fleet.
“Those who look upon the Italian navy as being a navy of offence because it consists chiefly of iron-clads of the first class capable of holding the seas, forget the necessity imposed upon Italy by her shape and geographical position. It is impossible to defend the coast of Italy by fortifications, and there is no country so vulnerable. The mountains run down the centre of a long, narrow strip, and the strategic railway lines are easily reachable from the sea. On the south, too, Carthage once more threatens Rome. The Italian monster iron-clads are certainly not too numerous for the defence of the Italian coast, and in my belief the naval policy which has been pursued by Italy is one which wasnecessary to her existence, and she is to be congratulated upon the low price at which she has succeeded in obtaining her splendid ships.”[45]
Owing to this extent and character of the Italian coast, the government believes that absolute safety cannot be secured, and all that may be expected is the disturbance or defeat of any great attempt at invasion or bombardment. This the officials hope to effect by dividing the attention of the enemy’s fleet, so that secondary means of defence may be utilized against all attacks. The question, therefore, resolves into one of ships. If armored vessels had to resist the gun alone, effectual protection, they reason, could be given by increasing the thickness of armor; but since the invention of torpedoes, and the development of great speed in torpedo-boats, the bottoms of ships and not the armored sides will be the points of successful attack. The best vessels for their needs, therefore, will be such as are capable of making the greatest impression on any given point; that is, such as may be enabled by the partial abandonment of armor to carry enormously heavy guns, and have great speed, the highest coal endurance, and sufficient protection, by new structural devices, to meet without fear any other vessel afloat.
The first fruits of this policy were seen in the central-citadel battle-ships,DuilioandDandolo. Apart from their novelty, the mere fact that the Italians could produce such machines with home resources was a surprise to the rest of Europe. “The rise of iron ship-building in Italy,” says theLondon Engineer, “is almost a romance. It owes its origin to the far-seeing efforts of Italy’s greatest statesman, Cavour.... Ten years ago it would have seemed ludicrous to the builders on the Clyde had they been told that a country which had no coal worth speaking of, and whose iron, though abundant, was difficult to get at, and where, moreover, not half a dozen men knew how to do the simplest iron ship-building job, would in the course of those years not only beat them in quality but in price, and would be turning out the largest, the most powerful, and the best built vessels in the world. Such, however, is the case.”
Subsequently the Italian Admiralty realized that the ships of theDuiliodesign were deficient in speed and coal endurance, and that their construction forbade the efficient use of a secondary armament for defence against torpedo and other auxiliary boats. So, after much earnest study, theItaliatype has been adopted. The account in the text needsno amplification here, except to state that in her steam trials she made a maximum speed of 18 and a mean speed of 17.66 knots per hour, although the 18,000 indicated horse-power required by the contract was not developed. Eight of her 6-inch guns, it may be added, have lately been removed.
TheRe UmbertoandSiciliaare steel barbette ships, similar to the BritishAdmiralclass without the partial armor-belt. Their principal dimensions are, length 400 feet, beam 74 feet 9 inches, mean draught 28 feet 7 inches, and displacement 13,251 tons. The engines of the former are to develop 19,500 horse-power and 17 knots. A complete steel deck three and a half inches thick protects the under-water body. The battery is to consist of four 17-inch 106-ton pair-mounted guns, carried on the fore-and-aft line in two barbettes, which are protected by 18.9 inches of steel armor. There are in addition a number of 6-inch breech-loading rifles, and a supply of rapid-fire and machine guns, and of torpedo-tubes. TheSardegna, of the same general type as theUmberto, is now being built at Spezzia.
TheGiovanni Bausan, built at Elswick between 1882 and 1885, is a ram-bowed, schooner-rigged steel cruiser, similar to, but larger than, theEsmeralda, her dimensions being, length 280 feet, breadth 42 feet, draught 18½ feet, and displacement about 3100 tons. She has an under-water protective steel deck one and a half inches thick, and cork-filled cellular compartments about the water-line. The coal supply is 600 tons, the coal endurance 5000 miles at 10 knots, and with 6000 horse-power and 116 revolutions she made on trial a speed of 17.5 knots. Her battery consists of two 10-inch, six 6-inch, and a secondary armament of rapid-fire and machine guns, and of torpedo-tubes.
The steel cruisers mentioned in the chapter, theEtna,Stromboli, andVesuvio, are 283 feet 6 inches in length, 43 feet in beam, 19 feet 3 inches in draught, and displace 3530 tons; with forced draft 7700 indicated horse-power and 19 knots are to be developed. Their armament is to consist of two 10-inch (25-ton) Armstrong breech-loaders, mounted in an unarmored barbette on the fore and aft line, six 6-inch guns on sponsons, eight rapid-fire and machine guns, and four torpedo-tubes—two submerged at the bow and two above water in broadside. TheFieramoscaof the same class is slightly different in dimensions, and theTripoli,Goito,Monzambano, andMontebelloare rapid torpedo-cruisers, 229 feet 6 inches in length, 25 feet 10 inches in beam, 9 feet 6 inches in mean draught, and of 741 tons displacement. They were designed to develop 4200 indicated horse-power and a speed of 22 knots; but it is claimed thattheTripoli, which was launched at Castellamare in August, 1886, realized a speed of twenty-four knots, and maintained a twenty-three knot rate for fifty miles. The engines of theMonzambanoandMontebellowill be triple-expansion, and those of theTripoliandGoitoof the two-cylinder compound inclined type. These vessels have three screws, one shaft coming out underneath the keel at an angle of eight degrees, while the others are carried farther forward on either side. The armament consists of four 57-millimetre and four 37-millimetre rapid-fire guns, of three 37-millimetre revolving cannons, and of five torpedo-tubes, two at the bow, fixed, and three training—one aft and one on each beam. TheConfienza, a small twin-screw cruiser of nearly the same dimensions, carries four 4.72-inch guns, together with rapid-fire and machine guns, and five torpedo-tubes. She is to develop 17.5 knots and 2800 horse-power, and, like theTripoliclass in general, has very light steel frames and plating, and resembles outwardly an enlarged torpedo-boat. TheFolgoreandSaettaare torpedo-vessels, similar in type to theTripoli, but smaller; theArchimedeand theGalileoare armed despatch-vessels of theBarbarigotype; and theVolturnoandCurtatoneare cruising gun-vessels. Other notable additions to the fleet are the partially protected steel cruiserAngelo Emo, of 2100 tons, theDogali, and the National Line steamerAmerica. TheAngelo Emowas designed by Mr. White, and built at Elswick for the Greek government, but subsequently she was bought by the Italians, and has, under her new name, made a capital record. TheDogaliis a twin-screw, lightly protected steel cruiser, built at Elswick. The displacement is 2000 tons, length 250 feet, and beam 37 feet; on the first trial the triple-expansion engines developed 8100 horse-power and a speed of 18.5 knots, and later, with 7600 horse-power and 154 revolutions, a speed of 19.66 knots was attained. The armament is to consist of six 5-inch guns mounted on sponsons—two on the forecastle, two on the poop, and two in the waist.
TheAmericais 441 feet 8 inches in length over all, 51 feet 3 inches in beam, 38 feet 5 inches in depth, draws 26 feet aft, displaces 6500 tons, has a coal capacity of 1550 tons, and develops 9000 horse-power and a maximum speed of 17 knots on a consumption of 216 tons of coal per day. She is built of steel, was launched in 1884, purchased in January, 1887, and when refitted is to do duty as a torpedo-depot and transport-vessel. Two iron cruising gun-vessels, theMisenoandPalinuro, of 548 tons displacement, 430 horse-power, and 10 knots speed, have lately been added to the fleet.
RUSSIA.
Russia has shown a marked independence in policy and design. Penned in the Black Sea by treaties, and blockaded in the Baltic for nearly half the year by ice, she has sought in coast-defence vessels, fast commerce-destroyers and torpedo-vessels, the fleet best suited to her necessities. In 1864 a number of monitors, built mainly upon Ericsson’s system, were launched, and later four vessels, sea-going, ten-knot turret-ships, were constructed. These are known as theAdmiralclass, and range in displacement from 3754 in theLazareffto 3693 in theTchitchachoff. About 1871 a radical departure was made by the adoption for the Crimean defence of thecircularorPopoffkatype. As the shallow waters of this coast forbade the employment of anything normal in design except light, unarmored gun-boats, recourse was had to a structure of circular form, which with heavy weights could carry a great displacement upon a relatively small draught. Two of these batteries, theNovgorodand theAdmiral Popoff, were laid down, the dimensions of the latter being as follows: extreme diameter 121 feet, diameter of bottom 96 feet, depth of hold at centre 14 feet, extreme draught 14 feet, and displacement 3550 tons. The nominal horse-power was 640, and the number of screws six; the armament consisted of two 41-ton breech-loading guns mounteden barbette13 feet 3 inches above the water-load line, and of four smaller pieces in an unarmored breastwork. TheNovgorodattained on her trial eight and a half knots, and thePopoffhad a mean speed of eight knots.
The Russians were the first to solve the problem of an armored cruiser in which great speed could be combined with effective protection against the guns of a majority of the high-sea ships then afloat. TheGeneral Admiral, launched in 1873, and the best known of this class, is built of iron, wood sheathed under water, and coppered. She is 285 feet 9 inches in length, 48 feet 2 inches in beam, and with 21 feet mean draught has 4438 tons displacement. She was designed to steam 13 knots, carry 1000 tons of fuel, and have a coal endurance of 5900 miles at 10 knots; the battery and belt are armored with six-inch plates; the belt is seven feet wide at the water-line, and has, level with its upper edge, a highly curved deck of iron. The type proved so successful that it has been reproduced and improved in most of the great navies.
TheCatherine II.,Tchesme, and theSinopeare the most powerful battle-ships of the Russian fleet. The first and second were launched in May, 1886, the third in June, 1887; they are built of iron and steel(wood sheathed and coppered), have ram bows, and are of the following dimensions: length 339 feet, beam 69 feet, mean draught 26.5 feet, displacement 10,181 tons. They are encircled by a belt of compound armor twelve to eighteen inches thick, and have a complete 3-inch protective deck. Within a 14-inch armored pear-shaped redoubt six 12-inch rifles are pair-mounted on Moncrieff disappearing barbette carriages; seven 6-inch guns are carried on the gun-deck—six in broadside and one on a shifting pivot mount—and the secondary battery is composed of seven Hotchkiss revolving cannon and seven torpedo-tubes. The engines of theCatherine II.and theTchesmeare of the vertical compound three-cylinder type, and are to develop 11,000 horse-power and 16 knots; the engines of theSinopeare of the triple-expansion type, and are to develop 10,000 horse-power with natural, and 13,000 with forced, draught. The cost of each vessel will be about $4,500,000. The second ship of theEmperor Alexander II.type, now building at St. Petersburg by the Franco-Russian Company, and named theNicholas the First, is to be 8440 tons in displacement, 327 feet in length, 67 feet in beam, and have 25.5 feet draught. These ships carry a complete belt of steel armor six to fourteen inches thick and nine feet wide, and a curved steel deck, three inches thick, covers their under-water bodies. The battery is to consist of two 12-inch guns, mounted in a pear-shaped barbette tower forward; in the broadside there are to be four 9-inch, eight 6-inch, and four 3.5-inch rifles, together with a number of Hotchkiss guns. The barbette tower has steel armor, ten inches thick, and the usual torpedo-tubes are to be supplied. The estimated horse-power is 8000 and the speed 16 knots.
TheVitiasandRynda, steel cruisers, in which the vital parts will be covered by a curved steel deck one and a half inches thick, are of 2965 tons displacement, develop 3000 indicated horse-power, and have a speed of 15 knots. ThePamjatj Azowa, a cruiser of theImpérieusetype, with a partially armored belt and barbette batteries, is expected to develop 8000 indicated horse-power and 17 knots.
The rapid, unarmored steel cruiser building at St. Nazaire, and named theAdmiral Korniloff, is of 5000 tons displacement, has triple expansion engines, a curved steel deck to protect the machinery and boilers, and a cellular subdivision, which it is hoped will insure stability in case of perforation at or below the water-line. For the Black Sea fleet six heavy gun-vessels have been projected; these are theUralets,Tereto,Kubanets,Zaporojets,Donets, andChernomorets, of 1224 tons displacement and 2000 horse-power; their armament is to be two 8-inchguns, one 6-inch breech-loading gun, two 6-pound rapid-fire pieces, four revolving cannons, and two torpedo-tubes. TheBobrandSivoutchare heavily armored gun-vessels of a new type; theCoreetsandManchooriaare small twin-screw cruisers of 1213 tons displacement, and theAleutais a transport, the interior arrangements of which are designed mainly for the storage and distribution of high explosives and torpedoes.
The remarkable development of machine-gun fire on board torpedo-vessels is shown in theIljinand theSaken, a type which occupies the middle ground between the smaller class of French torpedo-cruisers and the British torpedo-boat catchers. TheIljincarries twelve revolving cannons and seven Hotchkiss rapid-fire guns, and has seven above-water torpedo-tubes, one on each side of the stem, one on the port side of the stern, and four in broadside. Russia has a most effective fleet of torpedo-boats, some of which have attained very high speeds under the usual test conditions of carrying 14½ tons of ballast, coal sufficient for 1200 miles, and a crew of eighteen. The Russian officers have already shown their skill and daring in this system of warfare, and, should they be called upon, there is no doubt that the whole capacity of these boats will be tested under the guidance of a courage and an intelligence which are unsurpassed in any other navy of the world.
SPAIN.
On January 12, 1887, a new naval programme was announced by the Spanish Government, and the following types and numbers of vessels were designated as necessary for the modern fleet:
1. Eleven protected steel cruisers: eight to be of 3200 tons, and three of 4500 tons displacement. The armament will be of the 9.45 or the 11-inch calibre Hontoria breech-loading guns, mounted on central pivots, with smaller pieces in broadside and a secondary battery of rapid-fire guns and torpedoes. All the ships are to be constructed on the cellular system, with double bottoms and water-tight compartments, are to have triple-expansion engines and twin screws, and are expected to attain a speed of 19 knots with natural, and 21 knots with forced draft.
2. Six steel torpedo-cruisers of 1500 tons displacement and a speed of 23 knots. They are to mount central-pivot guns from 6.3 to 7 inches in calibre, in addition to a number of smaller broadside guns, revolving cannons, and torpedoes.
3. Four torpedo-cruisers of 1100 tons displacement, to develop aspeed of from 18 to 21 knots, and to be furnished with a heavy primary and the usual secondary battery.
4. Twelve steel torpedo gun-boats, six to be of 600 tons displacement, and six of 350 tons, with a speed of not less than 16 knots.
5. Sixteen steel torpedo gun-boats of 200 or 250 tons displacement, with a speed of 14 to 16 knots.
6. Ninety-six torpedo-boats, 100 to 120 tons displacement, with a maximum speed of 24 knots, and a coal endurance of 1500 miles.
7. Forty-two torpedo-boats of 60 to 70 tons displacement.
8. One transport of 3000 tons, to be equipped as a floating arsenal or machine-shop.
9. Twenty steel steam-launches of from 30 to 35 tons displacement, built on the life-boat system, and fitted with triple-expansion engines, to drive the boats from 12 to 14 knots per hour.
The cost of the new fleet will be:
When these vessels are finished Spain will have the following fleet:
In theReina Regentethe Spanish government expects to have the fastest cruiser afloat. Her keel was laid in the Thompson’s Yard at Clydebank on June 11, 1886, and she was launched February 24, 1887. She is built of steel, is 320 feet in length, 50 feet 7 inches in beam, has a sea-going displacement of 4800 tons, and with her full capacity of coal and stores on board, a displacement of 5600 tons. The motive power consists of two independent, horizontal, triple-expansion engines (each working in its own compartment), which are capable ofdeveloping with forced draft 12,000 indicated horse-power and a speed of 20.5 knots. The battery will consist of four 9.45-inch Hontoria rifles, mounted on platforms raised four feet above the deck, and situated two forward and two abaft the superstructure; of six 4.72-inch Hontoria guns, two mounted each side on sponsons, and one each side in a recessed port; of eight 6-pounder rapid-fire guns, six revolving cannons, and five above-water torpedo-tubes. The ship has a complete steel deck, curving from about six feet below the water-line to its horizontal height; this latter section is about one-third the width of the ship, and is three inches thick over the engines and boilers, and one inch thick for the rest, while the inclined and curved sides are four and three-quarter inches thick. To assist in excluding water when pierced, a complete belt of cellulose extends around the ship inside the inner skin, and about the height of the water-line.
The torpedo-boat chaserDestructoris not only a good sea-boat, and capable of making a long passage at high speed, but has proved herself to be one of the fastest vessels afloat. She has 350 tons normal displacement, and when fully loaded and equipped 458 tons. Her engines have developed 3829 indicated horse-power. During ten days in November, 1886, a maximum speed of 23¾ knots was attained, and on December 13th of that year she reached a mean speed for four hours of 22.65 knots, and an estimated coal endurance of 5100 miles at 11½ knots, and of 700 miles at full speed. In January, 1887, she ran in twenty four hours from Falmouth to Finisterre, thus covering the 495 miles at a mean speed of 21 knots.
ThePelayo, a barbette ship of theAmiral Duperréclass, has a complete water-line belt of steel, 6 feet 11 inches wide, and from 11.8 to 17.72 inches thick. The steel armor on the barbette towers is 11.8 inches, and the protective deck which extends throughout her length is 3.5 inches thick. The dimensions are as follows: Length 344 feet 6 inches, beam 66 feet 3 inches, draught 24 feet 8 inches, and displacement 9902 tons. The armament consists of two 12.6-inch 48-ton guns in the barbettes; of two 11-inch guns on sponsons, one each side; of twelve 4.72-inch guns in broadside, and of one 6.3-inch piece in the bow. The secondary battery is composed of fourteen rapid-fire and machine guns and seven torpedo-tubes. The contract horse-power is 7000, the speed 15 knots, and the coal endurance (the supply being 700 tons) is sufficient for 885 miles at 15 knots, and 2340 miles at 13 knots. The five ships of theInfanta Isabelclass are launched, and the small steel cruisersIsla de LuzonandIsla de Cubaare rapidly approaching completion.
AUSTRIA.
Austria has under construction this year the two armor coast-defence vessels described in the text: theTiger, a 3800 ton protected cruiser of the latest type, and theMeteor, a torpedo-cruiser of theLeopardandPantherclass. These last-mentioned important additions to the fleet are 224 feet long, 34 feet beam, 14 feet draught, and of 1550 tons displacement. They differ from the EnglishCondorand the FrenchArcherin these particulars: first, the steel protective deck is not continuous; secondly, the engines are of the vertical, inverted, triple-expansion type; and thirdly, the engine cylinders are protected by steel shields surrounded by coal or sand-bags. The armament consists of four large-range Krupp guns, mounted in sponsoned turrets, of numerous machine and rapid-fire pieces, and of four above-water torpedo-tubes. Under natural draft 17.6 knots, and with forced 18.9 knots, were accomplished.
The 87-ton torpedo-boatsFalkeandAdler, built by Messrs. Yarrow & Co., are 135 feet long, with 14 feet beam, 5½ feet draught aft and 2¼ feet forward. The engines are of the three-cylinder, compound, surface-condensing type, and developed 1250 horse-power and 22.4 knots in fighting trim. The coal supply of twenty-eight tons is expected to give an endurance of two thousand miles at ten knots. Their armament is composed of two machine guns and two torpedo-tubes, which discharge straight ahead. TheHabicht, a 90-ton torpedo-boat, built by Schichau, was designed to develop with a load of 14½ tons a speed of 20½ knots, and to have a coal endurance of 3500 miles at a 10-knot rate; but on trial she realized 21.77 knots for three hours. It is understood that future boats will be much larger, approaching 300 to 400 tons displacement. The budget for 1887 provides 720,000 florins for torpedo-boats and vessels.
Though Austria holds a secondary place as a maritime power, she is, of all the Continental nations, the one most liable to precipitate the next great war, and it seems strange, therefore, that she does not try to acquire a great number of those special classes of ships which, after all, are the only logical answers the weaker naval countries can make to the more powerful.
“While the Austrian military position, in spite of the desire of the emperor for military reform, is still weak, I cannot find words too strong to praise the political ability with which the Austrian empire is being kept at peace and kept together. The Austrian empire is a marvelof equilibrium. The old simile of a house of cards is exactly applicable to its situation; and just as in the exercises of acrobats, when seven or nine men are borne by one upon his shoulders, it is rather skill than strength which sustains them; so, if we look to the Austrian constitution, which we shall have to consider in the next paper in this series, it is a miracle how the fabric stands at all. At the same time it is impossible for Austria, although she can maintain her stability in times of peace, to impose upon either her Russian or her German neighbors as to her strength for war. Prince Bismarck is obliged, with whatever words of public and private praise for the speeches of the Austrian and Hungarian statesmen, to add the French and Russian forces together upon his fingers, and to deduct from them the Austrian and the German, with doubts as to the attitude of Italy, doubts as to the attitude of England, and contemptuous certainty as to the attitude of Turkey.
“If Austria could have presented Prince Bismarck not only with an English alliance, but with an English, Turkish, and Italian alliance, he might possibly have allowed her to provoke a general war; but with the difficulties attendant upon a concession of territory to Italy, except in the last resort, and with Turkey at the feet of Russia, it was difficult for Prince Bismarck to go further than to say to Austria, ‘Fight by all means, if you feel yourself strong enough to beat Russia single-handed. France and Germany will “see all fair,” and you can hardly expect anybody effectually to help you.’ Prince Bismarck deals with foreign affairs on the principles upon which they were dealt with by King Henry VIII. of England, when that king was pitted against the acutest intellects of the empire and of France. His policy is a plain and simple policy, and not a policy of astuteness and cunning, and almost necessarily at the present time consists in counting heads.”[47]
There have been no additions of any importance to the fleets of the other European powers since the publication of Sir Edward Reed’s article, and their policy has in no way been changed from that epitomized in the text. The apathy of Germany is inexplicable, and as for the others, there seem, except with Turkey, perhaps, no good reasons why they should strive to create fleets, as they are either too poor to build and support them, or their dangers from maritime attack are not great enough to make a large navy necessary.
Holland has lately launched theJohan Willem Friso, which is the last of six large cruisers, “of which the others are theAtjeh,Tromp,Konigin Emma der Nederlanden,De Ruyter, andVan Speyk.... All these vessels are built of iron and steel, sheathed with wood to four feet above the water-line, and coppered. They are of 3400 tons displacement and of the following dimensions: Length 262 feet 5 inches, beam 39 feet 4 inches, and mean draught 18 feet 4 inches. Their armament is six 6.7-inch Krupp guns (one carried in the bow, one in the stern, and the others in broadside), four 4.72-inch Krupp pieces in broadside, six 37-millimetre revolving cannons, and a supply of Whitehead torpedoes. The engines drive single screws, and have an estimated horse-power of 3000, which has been slightly exceeded by some and not attained by others. The speeds vary from 14.1 knots to 14.7 knots. The coal supply is 400 tons—sufficient for six and three-quarter days’ steaming at full speed or for thirteen days at ten knots.”[48]
Denmark has theValkyrien, a steel cruiser of 2900 tons, fitted with a good battery and five torpedo-tubes, and designed to develop 5000 horse-power and 17 knots. Her new double-turreted, armored, coast-defence vesselIver Huitfeldthas developed a maximum speed of 15.6 knots.
From data furnished by First-lieutenant Tasker H. Bliss, U. S. Artillery, the peace strength of the principal Continental nations may be summarized as follows:
A rough analysis of these figures shows that in strength of army Russia is first, France second, Germany third, Austria fourth, Italy fifth, and England sixth; and that in naval strength England is first, France second, Russia third, Italy fourth, Germany fifth, and Austria sixth. The cost of each nation’s navy is in direct proportion to its strength ofpersonnel; but in armies England, though last in numbers, changes place with Italy, which supports its forces with the least expenditure. It may be added that in total cost England, with next to the smallest force, pays more than Germany, with the third largest in numbers.
The percentage of expenditures is as follows:
An examination ofLloyd’s Universal Register of Shippingfor 1887 shows that the present condition of European navies may be popularly stated in this manner: England has 6 guns capable of penetrating 36 inches of unbacked iron, and 16 others which can penetrate 28 inches of the same material; Italy has 20 guns which can penetrate 33 inches of iron; France has 14 guns which can pierce 27 inches, and 14 others able to penetrate 25 inches of unbacked iron. Russia has 20 guns and Spain 2 which can pierce 24 inches of iron. No other power has any guns capable of equivalent results. In other words, of guns able to penetrate 24 inches of unbacked iron, France has 28, Italy 20, Russia 20, Spain 2, and Great Britain 22.
In war-ships of 20 knots and above, England has 1, France 1, Italy 10, Spain 2, and other European nations 4; of 19 knots speed, England has 11 ships, France 10, Germany 3, Italy 2, and other nations 9; of 18-knot ships, England has 5, France 7, Germany 2, Italy 6, and other nations 6. English supremacy is, however, chiefly seen in 17-knot ships, of which she has 25, mounting 181 guns; France, 4 with 20 guns; Italy, 5 with 40 guns; and other nations 4 with 19 guns. England has 11 ships of 90 guns that can steam 16 knots, whereas France has 3 only of 58 guns. At 15 knots, France has 16 ships of 214 guns, and England 12 ships of 126 guns; and at 14 knots, France has 28 ships of 334 guns, and England 15 ships of 252 guns. Summarizing these figures, it appears that with speeds above 14 knots England has 80 ships of 795 guns, France 69 of 699 guns, Germany 35 of 285 guns, and Italy 41 of 201 guns.
Out of a total mercantile tonnage now afloat of 20,943,650, Great Britain and her colonies own 10,539,136. The total steam mercantile tonnage of the world is 10,531,843, and of this Great Britain and her colonies own 6,595,871, or nearly two-thirds of the whole.