“The British navy,” says another writer,[21] “is not in danger, and the British navy, whatever its shortcomings, is relatively far stronger than its thoughtless detractors would have us believe. Our ships do steer and our ships do steam—at least as well as those of other powers; and, what is more, our ships will ‘fight’ and our ships will ‘win,’ in spite of the dismal forebodings of interested panic-mongers.
“With the resources at our command, our armaments afloat admit of a rapid development, in which no other country can compete with us. A French writer has truly said, ‘La puissance d’une marine est moins dans son matériel à flot, que dans l’outillage de ses arsenaux, et dans la puissance productive de ses chantiers.’
“As a maritime power we are unequalled, and if we be true to ourselves we shall remain so.”
In 1886 the fighting-ships of the British navy were summarized as follows:
| Ships. | No. | Guns. | Displacement. | Horse-power. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARMORED. | Tons. | |||
| In commission and in reserve | 50 | 508 | 339,750 | 241,390 |
| Deduct ships of doubtful value | 7 | 137 | 50,780 | 30,970 |
| Total reliable armored ships | 43 | 371 | 288,970 | 210,420 |
| UNARMORED. | ||||
| In commission and in reserve | 197 | 1121 | 221,957 | 245,692 |
| Deduct ships of doubtful value | 15 | 76 | 27,760 | 27,470 |
| Total reliable unarmored ships | 182 | 1045 | 194,197 | 218,222 |
| Armored ships building | 12 | 148 | 89,660 | 114,000 |
| Unarmored ships building | 21 | 112 | 24,650 | 53,250 |
| Total | 33 | 260 | 114,310 | 167,250 |
| Armored ships being completed | 10 | 93 | 84,880 | 84,750 |
| Unarmored ships being completed | 10 | 90 | 26,790 | 41,800 |
| Total | 20 | 183 | 111,670 | 126,550 |
| Total armored ships | 72 | 749 | 514,290 | 440,140 |
| Total unarmored ships | 228 | 1323 | 273,397 | 340,742 |
| Grand total of ships | 300 | 2072 | 787,687 | 780,882 |
During the last year thirty-seven vessels of the following classes were stricken from the list, viz., five armored ships, seven cruisers of the third class, sixteen gun-vessels, one despatch-boat, and eighteen special service gun-boats. The total net value, excluding ordnance equipments, of the fleet when it is kept at a normal war strength is $191,568,720, and the annual ship-building expenditures required to sustain this standard of efficiency is $8,793,440. This is a very cheap insurance upon the property, material and moral, which is at stake.
The following table shows the armored and partially protected ships now under construction or lately finished:
| Name of Ship. | Tons. | Horse- power. | Speed. | Total Cost. | Armament. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TURRETS. | |||||
| Trafalgar | 11,940 | 12,000 | 16.5 | £844,318 | 4 67-ton, 8 5-in. |
| Nile | 11,940 | 12,000 | 15.5 | 889,421 | 4 67-ton, 8 5-in. |
| Victoria | 11,470 | 12,000 | 16.75 | 829,979 | 2 110-ton. |
| Sanspareil | 11,470 | 12,000 | 16.75 | 825,468 | 1 10-in., 12 6-in. |
| Edinburgh | 9,150 | 7,500 | 15.4 | 683,609 | 4 45-ton, 5 6-in. |
| Hero | 6,200 | 6,000 | 15.5 | 421,500 | 2 45-ton, 4 6-in. |
| BARBETTES. | |||||
| Anson | 10,000 | 12,500 | 17.5 | 752,288 | 4 67-ton, 6 6-in. |
| Camperdown | 10,000 | 11,700 | 17.5 | 743,074 | 4 67-ton, 6 6-in. |
| Benbow | 10,000 | 10,850 | 17.5 | 810,633 | 2 110-ton, 10 6-in. |
| Howe | 9,700 | 11,500 | 17.0 | 720,771 | 4 67-ton, 6 6-in. |
| Rodney | 9,700 | 11,500 | 17.0 | 726,482 | 4 69-ton, 6 6-in. |
| Collingwood | 9,150 | 9,570 | 16.5 | 670,752 | 4 44-ton, 6 6-in. |
| Impérieuse | 8,500 | 10,344 | 17.21 | 559,901 | 4 9.2-in., 6 6-in. |
| Warspite | 8,500 | 10,242 | 17.25 | 558,449 | 4 22-ton, 6 6-in. |
| BELTED CRUISERS. | |||||
| Immortalité | 5,000 | 8,500 | 18.0 | 302,920 | 2 22-ton, 10 6-in. |
| Aurora | 5,000 | 8,500 | 18.0 | 308,585 | 2 22-ton, 10 6-in. |
| Australia | 5,000 | 8,500 | 18.0 | 290,613 | 2 9.2-in., 10 6-in. |
| Galatea | 5,000 | 8,500 | 18.0 | 290,300 | 2 9.2-in., 10 6-in. |
| Narcissus | 5,000 | 8,500 | 18.0 | 290,751 | 2 9.2-in., 10 6 in. |
| Orlando | 5,000 | 8,500 | 18.0 | 299,905 | 2 9.2-in., 10 6-in. |
| Undaunted | 5,000 | 8,500 | 18.0 | 299,525 | 2 9.2-in., 10 6-in. |
| PARTIALLY PROTECTED CRUISERS. | |||||
| Mersey | 3,500 | 6,000 | 18.0 | 236,435 | 2 8-in., 10 6 in. |
| Severn | 3,500 | 6,000 | 18.0 | 234,282 | 2 8-in., 10 6-in. |
| Thames | 3,500 | 5,700 | 18.0 | 227,980 | 2 8-in., 10 6-in. |
| Forth | 3,500 | 5,700 | 18.0 | 221,913 | 2 8-in., 10 6-in. |
In the notes upon the next chapter, additional data referring to gun-boats and torpedo-boats will be found.