RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE AMERICAN NAVY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 322, 23 November 1864, Page 4

RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE AMERICAN NAVY.

[From the Boston Transcript.] On the Ist of January, 1864, the United States possessed tho fastest navy in tho world. The chief composing it had all been constructed during the year 1863. It affords us great pleasure to be able to enumerate the vessels and to name tho rates of speed which tlroy havo attained, in order to show the success which has attended the energy and perseverance of our Government in its determination to "have ships-cif-war capable of rapid movement. As ■early ns 1855, tho Navy Department beenme impressed with the necessity of having a fleet of formidable steamers ablo to steam with velocity, and whose success is the more gratifying from tho fact that all previous efforts on tho part of the authorities in the B"me line had proved disastrous failures. Congiess was asked to make an appropriation for the construction of five immense propellors, and it made it. Tho vessels wore: — The Kiogara, "Wabash, Colorado, Minnesota, and MerrimßC. It is no exaggeration to say that in all respects these vessels were absolute and unmitigated failures. The Niaugra alone was remarkable for any speed, and in her famous race with the Agamemnon, the then " crack" ship of (ho British navy, won tho applause of English and American naval constructors. The Eoanoko cst over a million of money, and, after all, could not be kept in a sea-worthy condition, having been finally cut down to the water's edge and plated with iron. The Merrimoc was getting out of repair every six weeks during her cruise in the Pacific. The Colorado was equally unfortunate, and if tho Minnesota and V abash were less successful, their usefulness hnd been of a very secondtv character. The failure of these vessels was attributed chiefly to their great size, and Congress pnd the Secretary of tho Navv endcavonred to repair the dnmago dono to tho country by huildinjr these vessels in the construction of another fleet. This consisted of the following:—

In point of serviecablcness this fleet was by nil odds the most vnhinble ever constructed for the nnvy of the United States. The names of the vessels comprising it "have pone into history, and when future generations shall rend of the opening of the Mississippi river and tlie capture of >."ew Orleans, the B>ooklyn, Pensacola, Hartford and Richmond will encife astonishment on account of the immense battering 'hey received without serious result. Rut in poin't of speed these vessels were not remarkably successful. I hey can all, ot course, steam nine nautical knots an hour, lut we doul t \> bether any of thrm has nude more than that. The Pensacola lins been particularly unfortunate, in eonscqupnccof someblw dci-s made in her machinery by parties who are criticism" the Government without measure. The Brooklyn was the only ship of the class built bv contract, and she is probably the best of the lot. The Richmond rolls teai fully—in fact, almost as much as anv iron-elnl vessel launched. After the completion of this fleet '-" "orr.pnt were so v e ll Fi ,ti fieel with their success, -which was somewhat commonly attributed to itieir comparative FmallneFS, that another fleet of steamers were built, which may be failed half gunDoats and half screw-sloops. Thev are as follows : —

Those vessels succeeded remarkably well. The Seminole was a failure, because the material put in ner hull was bad ; but none of them except the Iroquois, made more than ten nautical miles an hour J hat vessel, however, made from ten to thirteen miles an hour—a speed which was then nnprecedente.l in our navy, but which the last vear has thrown .rS 16 ' Tile Mohican. Wyoming, Pacotah and isai-rapnset have been the most successful cruisers—proving how admirably both their machinery were built. The Trcquois waß also very successful The Pawnee -was an admirable sea boat, but lier machinery was badly built in Philadelphia, and if! failure was erroneously thrown on the entire ship. Besides these a side-wheel steamer, called the Saginaw was built at the Mary Island (California) JSavy lard, and was more of a failure than anv other vessel ever built for the United States Navy-it having been impossible to fire her jruns without shakingner to pieces. The above fleet constituted the entire steam naval force of this country, excepting a few purchased steamers at the time (ho war war broke ° 1 i firßt want pereoived by Secretary Welles when ho tools charge of the navy department, was a number of shallow vessels capabie of navigating the the South. He at once went to "work and the following fleet of gunboats :— Name. Where Built. By Whom Ottawa New York ,T. A. Westervelt. Pembina New York... .Thomas Stack. New York J.Simpson. Chippewa New York—. Webb and Bell. J; In ??„ New York.... C. and Poillon iJnaailla ..,., ,Kew 'iork... .John Englisa Wissahickon... .Philadelphia. ..Tonn Tvnii. ''ciota Philadelphia. ..Tohn Birlay Itasca. Philadelphia. .Helman & Streaker. £" Ron Boston Paul Curtis. Chicura Boston r U rtis and Tilden. Boston 31 psssrp. Sampsen. Katthdin Bath, He T arrabee &: Allen. -Marblehead Newburyport...J. W. Jackman. 4? n ™ a Washington...W. &. A. Thatcher. no ' a Baltimore J.J. Abrahams Aanawa "E. Haddam.... K. &. W. Goodspeed. ® wasc " Mystic River. ..Maxon, Fisk & Co. Kennebec Thomaston.Me.G. AV. Lawrenco Aroostook Kennebunk.Ne.A. A. Sampson Kineo Portland. Me.,..,T. W. Dyer. Cayujra Ponland. Conn.Gilderslreve & Son Penobscot Belfast, Me C. P. Curtis. These crafts were very hurriedly got up, havinir we believe, been entirely finishexl 'in something like three or four months. Speed was not considered one of their indispensable attributes, and the contractors for their hulls and machinery had only ordinary woik to do. Under the circumstances, tliev did it' prettv well, and the vessels are now all on "active service, none of them having proved an absolute failure' Another fleet was then built by the Navv Department, at the different navv yards. No particular orders were issued to have them fast, and if any of have gono over the averape rate of speed it is as much bv chanco as by premeditation. The following is the

We now come to the efforts of the Government to Muld. fast vessels. The first adventures of the Alabama so startled the commercial public that there wis a general outcry for fast war Teasels. This was irfrly in 18G2, and the Navy Department set at once w provide a fleet capable of overhauling and catching her. We built three typos of vessels. The first, a fleet of screw .loops, are as follows Ticonderoga, New York ; Lackawanna, New York ; CananUaigua, Boston; Shenandoah, Philadelphia ; Sacramento, Portsmouth, N. H.; Monongohola, Philadelphia, it is in the experience of these vessels that we must look for their success or failure. It matter; little to the public and to the Government whether they are provided with this or that technicality, so long as they have been fast, or as fast as could be expected. Iho Lackawanna, after having repaired a temporary accident, which occurred at Brooklyn Navy Yard, went to sea, and made over twelve-and-a-half and thirteen-and-a-half miles an hour, for fifteen mid twenty hours, at different periods; and the record of these facts may bo found in the Navy Department at Washington. The 'J'iconderoga was still faster having made not less than fourteen knots an hour, nx is stated in a letter received by Mr Delano, the Naval Constructor oftho Brooklyn Navy Yard, from one of the engineers of the ship. The vessel left St. Thomas, West India Islands, for Philadelphia, on a given day, and from that time until her arrival at her destination, made, whenever her officers pleated to put her to lier speed, fourteen nautical, or scventeon ordinary miles an hour. This is a speed unequalled in all vessels constructed for this Government, and makes an tra in the history of our navy. The Shenandoah was some what unsuccessful in her initiatory attempts to leavo Philadelphia, but having got fairly to sea is doing very well. The Sacrainentoj built at Portsmouth, N. H., has mado thir-

teen nautical knohn, or fourteen ordinary miles an honr, ns may bo soon in a letter from Captain hor commnndor, to a distinguished oflicor at the Brooklyn Nuvy Yard. The experionco of tho Monongahela, nnd the exnet speed made by the Shenandoah, wo have no facts about ; hut ns they *m built on exactly tho same principle ns tho Sacramento nnd Ticondcrogu, to nothing save; imperfect building of their engines or hulls must their failure bo traced. If they had failed in speed, however, -vvo should have, heard it; nnd tho impression is general that (hoy are making eleven or twelve knots "an hour. Vrom flu Canandnigna, built at Boston, we have a letter stating that file made, for eleven hours consecutively, namely, from three o'clock in the afternoon till two o'elock in tho morning, twelve iiautical knots an hour. This, the iirst tlect built, for speed, has been a most admirable and definite success, ntul it is impossible to consider tho hurried manner in which tin vessels were built without, awarding great praise to those who conceived and executed them. It. may 1" right to say they were built at navy yards, which ot course is a strong argument in their favor. Anothei fleet of side-wheel steamers were built for river service, many of them being double-cnders, but thev were not built for speed ; yet each and ever}' one of them has hcen most successful in cruising, tlin Fort Koyal having, frequently made twelve nautical knots tin hour; tho Sonoma, which was here a few days since, very often steamed thirteen nautical knots an hour, nnd we understand the Tioga and Oeterora an equally successful. The names of the vessels arc :ts follows;—

Name. Where built. Same. 'Where built. Tioga Boston. Port Royal. .Now York. Tennessee ..Boston. Miami Philadelphia. Sonoma. . . .Portsmouth, ('iinerone . ..Boulentown. Mahaska... . Portsmouth. Outorora Xew York. Pmd Jones ■ Baltimc re. Conamaugh ..Portsmouth.

Tho next class of vessels to be named should hetreated most critically, as tho fiovernment conceived them with the determination to make them fast, and issued the most stringent instructionstotheeontraetor.to insuTC that characteristic. They art- not intcndei. to be ocean steamers generally, being intended more for coast service, chasing privateers and cruisers, Ac. Thev arc as follows:

Known speed : Agawam, 12 knots ; Massasoif, VJ knots: Osceola, 11 knots ; Hassacus, 11 knots. The following vessels were not tried: Ascutney, 'lusco. Lennpee, Slatfabesett. Mingoe, 3letaeemet, jlendota. Mackinaw, Otsego, i'ontoosnck, Tontine, Patuxct. Peoria, Shamrock, Taeonv, Tallahor-sa. Tallahoina. Wyjihising, Wynooska, Algonquin, Chicopee, Chenango, Eutali.

Tliev, me all of 074 ton* burden, 2-10 leet long, ."If) fee l wide and 12 deep, being all moved by side w 1 eels. Wo rcgiet to say that the hulls of tl.> m wliieh have been bu'lt by contiact are, as a eeneiai thing, n is-eiiible fai'uus. A lew wnb since t!'. writer surecee, d in kno< king half the 1 all li of!' wit) a siiiiilo kiek fjem a stn up i< ot : luit this fault must he laid at the door of the contractors and of the eflicer who received them or. the pint of the Government, because the vessels "built (in the same plans hv navy yard contractors are some of the finest specimens of naval architecture executed in lliis country. "We believe the Hiamrcek. Mackinaw. Teoti, Alj;onquin, Taeonv. fa.'sanis and others of this class huilt by naval constrictors aio capable of going tosca fur any 'enpth of time in the roughest wiather. The failures of the hulls of some of the vessels hus nothing to do with their spied. Four or five of them have been tried, and as the same piinciple is carried out in the eomfructii n of all these to be completed, will succeed as well as thoe which have bun tried. The Sassacus has made seventeen ordinary miles an hour, wi h the current against ber, but in smooth water, and her engines wen; not working to their exticmc force at all. IJer commander feels confident 'bat she can make in ordinary weather a like speed at any time. The Agawam was sent from Portsmouth, N.H.. to chase l the"Al»h»ma, anel bet'ere she got iiito exceedingly rough water m- dc eleven and twelve knots easily. 'J he Tutali, which has been for s< ni< time' at A\ ashinpten, having e-xpeiiments trieel on board, has made thiitein knots, and the Osceola :s equally successful. Several vessels whieli are r.ot yet tried, have huel their erfrir.es wmkinp alongside the whaifs, such as the 3fetae ome-t an<l others. '1 f.e experiments with the m thus fur are lr'gt lv successful, and show that time is r.ot the h a.-t doubt of theii milking as good spied at sea as tin ir predecessors.

Name. Where Built. Tons Guns. Philadelphia 2360 .. If. TVnsnoola Ponsneola 21")' .. K'« T5rool(lvn Now York 2070 .. 10 Hartford Boston 19S10 .. 10 Richmond Norfolk 1929 .. 10

Name Where Built Tons. Guns. Mohican.. PorfFtnouth, N. H 094 fi jSarropRriset Boston P04 " f, Troquois New York lOlfi .. fi 41?' n ' r,ep Philadiljili'a 1280 " -l Wyoming Philadelphia 51517 " 6 Daootah ...... ..Gosport 998 p Seminole Pensacola 301 ;s

Namo. "Where Built. Tons. Guns. Kearsage Portsmouth, N. H. .. 10'20 ,, 1;; Oasipee Portsmouth, N. H. .. 1020 .. 13 Housatonic .. Charlestown, Mass .. 1020 .. 13 Washusett. ..Charlestown, Mass .. 1020 ' i i:; •Tuniata .:. ...Philadelphia, Pa 10'20 .. l:; IVcarora Philadelphia, Pa 1020 .. ];; Adirondac New York 1020 .. ly Oneida XuwYork 10.0 !. 13