The armour of the Chin Yen is distributed as follows: Amidships for 150 ft. is a 14-in. compound belt. Under-water and at the end of it this belt thins to 10 ins. Forward and aft of it is a protective deck 3 ins. thick. The ends of the belt are joined by flat bulkheads of 14 ins. Rising from this redoubt are the barbettes, 12 ins. compound. The starboard one is forward, the port somewhat aft of it.[9] The big gun hoods are quite thin, 4 ins. or less; between the big guns in the conning-tower, 8 ins. in thickness.
[Official photo.
THE CHIN YEN AT EVOLUTIONS
WITH THE JAPANESE FLEET.
1902.
The ship, it will be seen, is of the British Ajax or Colossus type—very much a “soft ender.” She is, however, given a good deal of protection in the way of specially arranged watertight compartments, and there is also a species of cofferdam.
In 1881 Elswick set afloat the Arturo Prat, a small cruiser originally intended for Chili, but subsequently purchased by Japan and re-named Tsukushi. China had two sisters built at the same time, the Tchao Yong and Yang-wei, both of which were sunk at Yalu. Particulars of the Tsukushi are as follows:—
| Displacement | 1350 tons. |
| Material of hull | Steel. |
| Length | 210 ft. |
| Beam | 32 ft. |
| Draught (maximum) | 16½ ft. |
| Armament | Two 10-in. 32 cals. Elswick. |
| Four 4.7 in. Q.F.[10] | |
| Four 1-pdr. Q.F. | |
| Two torpedo tubes. | |
| Horse-power | 2887. |
| Screws | Two. |
| Speed on trial | 16.4 knots. |
| Sea speed | (circa) 12 knots. |
| Coal | 250 tons. |
| Engines (by Hawthorn Leslie) | Horizontal compound. |
The ship has no armour deck, or protection of any sort.
In 1882 the construction of wooden ships was still proceeding in Japan. In that year they launched at Yokosuka the Kaimon, of which the measurements are:—