THE NEW FLAGSHIP OF THE AUSTRALIANSTATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6270, 21 December 1881, Page 5

THE NEW FLAGSHIP OF THE AUSTRALIANSTATION.

J It will be seen by our latest calegram3 that H.M. s. Nelson, Commodore James Erekine, the now flagship of the Australian squadron, has arrived at Western Australia. A London correspondent gives the following :— " As an ' all round ' fighting vessel, she is eminently adapted for employment in the Southern Seas, being a swift cruiser and powerful in both means of offence and defence. Her designer, the Director of Naval Construction at the Admiralty, has spoken of the Nelson and her sister ship, the Northampton, as his ' ideal of cruising fighting ships.' The novelty of design consists in the system of armouring, by which the vital parts of the vessel are protected at the expense of the exposed parts, Which *iay be pretty well totally destroyed without the vesse ] being rendered unsafe. To accomplish this object armourplatesDin. thick", upon 10in. of teak backing, protect the hull from 4 feet above the waterline to 5 feet below it. The lower deck is composed throughout of 2in. plates, forming a covering to the machinery, boilers, &c., and for about 57 feet at the fore end there is an armoured deck 2iu. thick, terminating in the ram, whilst a similar deck extends aft to the stern. These submerged decks are intended to protect'the lower part of i the ship before and abaft, the armoured bulkheads, and especially the auxiliary steering gear provided for emergencies. The ends of the vessel above them are entirely unprotected. This horizontal armour is a peculiar feature of the ship, and beneath it there is sufficient power of flotation to ensure the vessel from foundering from any of the ordinary risks of modern warfare, with the exception perhaps of torpedoes. Internally, the Nelson is divided into 90. watertight compartments, and every conceivable precaution has been taken to provide against destruction by rams and torpedoes. Her longitudinal frames are made of steel, so as to combine lightness with strength; and, as this principle has been observed throughout, she is able to carry a heavy armament, consisting of four IS-ton guns iiud eigiio 12-ton besides half-a-dozen small guns on the upper or spar against torpedo boats. These guns are broadside mounted. The ram of the Nelson is a heavy plate, triangular in shape, set vertically, and terminating in a sharp point about lift, in advanoe of the stem. Her coalcarrying capacity is sufficient for a long voyage and for cruising in distant seas. The Nelson was built on the Clyde by Messrs. Elder and Co.