| Part 1 of 3 | |||||
| Name of Ship. | Keel laid. | Launch. | Condition. | Material. | Displacement. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armored. | Date. | Date. | Tons. | ||
| Puritan | 1875 | 1883 | Completing. | Iron. | 6000 |
| Miantonomoh | 1874 | ” | ” | ” | 3887 |
| Amphitrite | 1874 | ” | ” | ” | 3887 |
| Monadnock | 1874 | ” | ” | ” | 3887 |
| Terror | 1874 | ” | ” | ” | 3887 |
| Battle-ship | .. | .. | } Plans under | Steel. | 6000 |
| Cruiser | .. | .. | } consideration | ” | 6000 |
| Unarmored. | |||||
| Chicago | 1883 | 1886 | Completing. | ” | 4500 |
| Boston | 1882 | 1885 | In commis’n. | ” | 3000 |
| Atlanta | 1882 | 1885 | ” | ” | 3000 |
| Dolphin | 1882 | 1885 | ” | ” | 1485 |
| Charleston | 1887 | .. | Building. | ” | 3730 |
| Baltimore | 1887 | .. | ” | ” | 4413 |
| Newark | 1887 | .. | ” | ” | 4083 |
| Gun-boat No. 1 | 1887 | .. | ” | ” | 1700 |
| Gun-boat No. 2 | 1887 | .. | ” | ” | 870 |
| Dynamite cruiser | 1887 | .. | ” | ” | .. |
| Cruiser No. 4 | 1887 | .. | ” | ” | 4083 |
| Cruiser No. 5 | 1887 | .. | ” | ” | 4083 |
| Gun-boat No. 3 | 1887 | .. | ” | ” | 1700 |
| Gun-boat No. 4 | 1887 | .. | ” | ” | 1700 |
| Torpedo-boat | .. | .. | Not designed. | ” | 108 |
| Stiletto | 1884 | 1885 | Completed. | Wood. | 356 |
| Floating batteries | .. | .. | Not designed. | Steel. | .. |
| Part 2 of 3 | |||||
| Name of Ship. | Length. | Beam. | Draught. | Speed. | Horse-power. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armored. | Feet. | Ft. In. | Ft. In. | Knots. | Tons. |
| Puritan | 280 | 60 | 18 | 13¼ | 3,500 |
| Miantonomoh | 250 | 55.6 | 14.2 | 10 | 1,600 |
| Amphitrite | 250 | 55.6 | 14.2 | 10 | 1,600 |
| Monadnock | 250 | 55.6 | 14.2 | 10 | 1,600 |
| Terror | 250 | 55.6 | 14.2 | 10 | 1,600 |
| Battle-ship | .. | .. | .. | 17 | .. |
| Cruiser | .. | .. | .. | 17 | .. |
| Unarmored. | |||||
| Chicago | 315 | 48.2 | 20.6 | 15 | 5,000 |
| Boston | 270 | 42 | 18.6 | 15.5 | 4,248 |
| Atlanta | 270 | 42 | 18.6 | 15.5 | 3,482 |
| Dolphin | 240 | 32 | 14.3 | 15 | 2,300 |
| Charleston | 300 | 45 | 19.6 | 18 | 7,500 |
| Baltimore | 315 | 48.6 | 21 | 19 | 10,750 |
| Newark | 310 | 49.2 | 20.6 | 18 | 8,500 |
| Gun-boat No. 1 | 230 | 36 | 15 | 16 | 3,500 |
| Gun-boat No. 2 | 175 | 31 | 12.6 | 13 | 1,300 |
| Dynamite cruiser | 239 | 26.6 | 7.6 | 20 | 3,200 |
| Cruiser No. 4 | 310 | 49.1¾ | 18.9 | 19 | 10,500 |
| Cruiser No. 5 | 310 | 49.1¾ | 18.9 | 19 | 10,500 |
| Gun-boat No. 3 | 230 | 36 | 14 | 16 | 3,500 |
| Gun-boat No. 4 | 230 | 36 | 14 | 16 | 3,500 |
| Torpedo-boat | .. | .. | .. | 23 | .. |
| Stiletto | 90 | 11 | 3 | 22.9 | 560 |
| Floating batteries | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| Part 3 of 3 | |||||
| Name of Ship. | Armament. | Cost. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armored. | Main. | Secondary. | Dollars. | ||
| Puritan | 4 of 10 inch | } | 2,300,970 | ||
| Miantonomoh | 4 ” 10 ” | } | 1,637,110 | ||
| Amphitrite | 4 ” 10 ” | } | 1,590,930 | ||
| Monadnock | 4 ” 10 ” | } | 1,592,849 | ||
| Terror | 4 ” 10 ” | } | 1,891,077 | ||
| { | 2 ” 6 ” | } | Not determined. | ||
| Battle-ship | { | 2 ” 10 ” | } | 2,500,000 | |
| { | 2 ” 12 ” | } | |||
| Cruiser | { | 4 ” 10 ” | } | 2,500,000 | |
| { | 6 ” 6 ” | } | |||
| Unarmored. | |||||
| { | 4 ” 8 ” | } | 2 6-pdrs., 4 47 mm., | ||
| Chicago | { | 8 ” 6 ” | } | 2 37 mm., 2 1-pdrs., | 1,576,854 |
| { | 2 ” 5 ” | } | 2 short Gat. | ||
| Boston | { | 2 ” 8 ” | } | 2 6-pdrs., 2 3-pdrs., | 1,031,225 |
| { | 6 ” 6 ” | } | 2 1-pdrs. | ||
| Atlanta | { | 2 ” 8 ” | } | 2 47 mm., 2 37 mm., | 1,031,225 |
| { | 6 ” 6 ” | } | 2 short Gatlings. | ||
| Dolphin | 1 ” 6 ” | } | 2 6-pdrs., 4 47 mm., | 460,000 | |
| } | 2 Gatlings. | ||||
| Charleston | { | 2 ” 10 ” | } | 4 6-pdrs., 2 3-pdrs., | 1,017,500 |
| { | 6 ” 6 ” | } | 1 1-pdr., *Amt | ||
| Baltimore | { | 4 ” 8 ” | } | 4 37 mm., 2 short | 1,325,000 |
| { | 8 ” 6 ” | } | Gatlings, *Amt | ||
| Newark | 12 ” 6 ” | *Amt | 1,300,000 | ||
| Gun-boat No. 1 | 6 ” 6 ” | } | 2 6-pdrs., 2 3-pdrs., | 455,000 | |
| } | 1 1-pdr., *Amt | ||||
| Gun-boat No. 2 | 4 ” 6 ” | } | 2 37 mm., 2 short | 247,000 | |
| } | Gatlings, *Amt | ||||
| Dynamite cruiser | { | 3 ” 10½ ” | } | 2 3-pdrs., 1 1-pdr., | 350,000 |
| { | (Dynamite.) | } | 2 37 mm., 2 short Gat. | ||
| Cruiser No. 4 | 12 ” 6 ” | } | Not yet determined. | 1,500,000 | |
| Cruiser No. 5 | 12 ” 6 ” | } | 1,500,000 | ||
| Gun-boat No. 3 | 6 ” 6 ” | } | Same as Gun-boat No. 1. | 550,000 | |
| Gun-boat No. 4 | 6 ” 6 ” | } | 550,000 | ||
| Torpedo-boat | .... | } | 2 rapid-fire guns. | 100,000 | |
| } | 5 torpedoes. | ||||
| Stiletto | .... | } | Not yet determined. | 25,000 | |
| Floating batteries | .... | } | 2,000,000 | ||
| *Amt = Auto-mobile torpedoes. | |||||
Thanks to the force of public opinion, liberal appropriations have been made for the navy. Leaving out of consideration the double-turreted Monitors, the additions to the fleet have been the cruisers Charleston and Baltimore, the No. 1 and 2 gun-boats, the cruiser Newark, the two armored vessels, the torpedo-boat, the dynamite cruiser, the No. 4 and 5 cruisers, the No. 3 and 4 gun-boats of No. 1 type, and the floating batteries. The Stiletto, if accepted, will be bought from the Herreshoff Company; all the rest, except the battle-ship, are to be or have been constructed by contract in private yards. Of the new ones the Charleston and No. 5 cruiser will be built at San Francisco; gun-boat No. 2 at Baltimore; the dynamite cruiser, gun-boat No. 1, the Baltimore, Newark, and cruiser No. 4, at Philadelphia, and gun-boats Nos. 3 and 4 at New York.
The steel partially protected cruiser Charleston is, except in details of internal accommodations, a duplicate of the Naniwa-Kan, which was in turn a progressive development of the type-making Esmeralda, inasmuch as she has greater speed, more powerful armament, and superior protection to stability. The plans of the Charleston were bought abroad simply because they could not be made here; and notwithstanding the twopenny-ha’penny criticisms this action evoked, its wisdom has been justified. The Charleston has neither poop nor forecastle, and the unhampered ends give in action perfect freedom of fire for two 10-inch guns, which are mounted in low, thin-plated barbettes, situated on the ship’s middle line, at a distance of sixty feet from the bow and stern respectively. These pieces are without armor protection, except that offered against machine-gun fire by a two-inch segmental shield. Between these heavy guns a high waist stretches amidships, in which six 6-inch breech-loaders are mounted on sponsons or in projecting turrets. The secondary battery includes two 6-pounder rapid-fire guns, eight machine guns, and four above-water torpedo-tubes. The 10-inch guns must always be brought back to the fore-and-aft line for reloading, and their ammunition is passed through steel tubes which extend below the protective deck. The engines are double-compound, situated in separate compartments, and in the Naniwa-Kan the type developed 7650 horse-power and 18.9 knots.
In the twin-screw cruiser Baltimore a longitudinal water-tight bulkhead joins the double bottom, which runs under the engine and boilers to a protective deck that extends the whole length of the ship, and is three inches thick on the flat top and four inches thick on the sloping sides. The machinery consists of a pair of triple-expansion compound engines which are to develop 18 knots and 7500 horse-power with natural, and 19½ knots and 10,750 horse-power with forced, draft. There are two separate engine-rooms and two boiler-rooms, and the normal coal capacity of 600 tons will be sufficient for 1800 knots. Additional space is provided for 300 tons more, and with this total there ought to be an endurance of 8000 miles at 11 knots, and of 14,000 miles, or 75 days’ steaming, at 8 knots. No sails except storm-sails will be provided. The Baltimore is to have a poop and forecastle, on which four 8-inch guns with direct fore-and-aft fire will be mounted. On the main deck six 6-inch guns will be carried in broadside, and the secondary battery and torpedo-tubes are effective and well disposed.
The maximum price fixed at first by Congress for the Newark was less than any of the bids received, but at the last session the appropriation was increased to $1,300,000, and the contract was awarded in August of this year. The Newark is a bark-rigged, twin-screw cruiser of 4083 tons displacement. A double bottom extends through 129 feet of her length, and a protective deck, which rises fifteen inches above the water-line amidships, runs uninterruptedly fore and aft. Four feet above this the berth-deck is built, the intermediate space being greatly subdivided and utilized for stores. Numerous water-tight frames are worked in the double bottom, and wherever practicable the cellular construction is employed. The engines are to develop 6000 horse-power with natural draft, and 8500 horse-power and a maximum speed of eighteen knots with forced draft. This vessel has a poop and forecastle, and the guns are carried on the upper deck. The main battery consists of twelve 6-inch centre-pivot guns, furnished with segmental shields, and mounted on sponsons so as to obtain the greatest arc of fire; the two guns nearest the bow and stern converge their fire at a point 400 feet distant from the ends of the ship, and those in broadside can be concentrated within 100 feet of the ship. In addition to the secondary battery given in the table, there are six above-water torpedo-tubes.
The development of naval construction cannot be proved more conclusively than by comparing the new cruisers with those which were first laid down. In the Atlanta, for example, the builder guaranteed that 664 tons of machinery would produce 3500 indicated horse-power; but the Charleston must, before acceptance, develop 7000 horse-power for 710 tons of machinery; that is to say, the energy for weight has been doubled within four years.
The twin-screw gun-boat No. 1 is the prototype of a class that now include three vessels, and a very promising nucleus it is for a fleet to which the defence of the country’s coast must mainly be intrusted. The ship is to be built of steel, with a three and a half inch complete water-tight deck, so arched as to have a spring of about three feet in its greatest width, and a crown that will nearly reach the water-line level. There is no double bottom, but the number of water-tight compartments is very great, and coffer-dams surround the engine and fire-room hatches, and are carried to a height of eighteen inches above the main deck. The complement numbers 150, and the rig is that of a three-masted schooner, with a sail area of 4400 square feet. The machinery is estimated to indicate 2200 horse-power with natural draft, and 3300 with forced draft, and consists of two independent compound engines placed in separate compartments. The speed is given as sixteen knots, but it is probable this rate will be considerably exceeded. The main battery consists of six 6-inch guns, the secondary of two 57-millimetre rapid-fire guns, two 37-millimetre revolving cannons, and one short Gatling. Four of the 6-inch guns are mounted on the poop and forecastle—two forward, two aft—and the other pieces of this calibre are carried on sponsons amidships, so as to have a large arc of fire about the beam. The elevated guns are eighteen feet above the low-water line, the centre ones ten feet, and all are mounted on central pivots and fitted with protective shields. The torpedo armament is of great relative importance; of the eight tubes supplied, the stem and stern ones are fixed and fitted with under-water discharge, while the other six can be trained, and are distributed four forward and two aft. In gun-boat No. 2 the machinery is to develop 900 horse-power with natural, and 1350 with forced, draft; the engines, boilers, and magazines are placed beneath a steel deck three-eighths of an inch thick, which amidships is twenty-seven inches below the water-line at the edge and eight inches above at the crown. The armament consists of four 6-inch sponson-mounted guns, two 47-millimetre guns, two 37-millimetre revolving cannons, and one short Gatling. She is barkentine rigged, with a plain sail area of 4480 square feet, and has a slightly ram-shaped, cast-steel stem. The complement is 100.