THE CERBERUS

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3182, 25 April 1871, Page 3

THE CERBERUS

The Melbourne papers contain long notices of the arrival of the turret ship Cerberus, under the command of Lieut Panter, after a voyage without convoy of a trifle more than five mouths. In the course of the voyage, as our readers doubtless all know, the Cerberus experienced some of the fiercest storms that had been known for years, and far mo c violent than that which led to the loss of the Captain. As the Cerberus, like the Captain, is a low free-board vessel, Lieut. Panter had her built upon in k order to enable her to make the voyage **so that when ready for sea she was likened to an elongated gasometer fitted with masts and yards going on an experimental cruise. Her safety was every v?hit as doubtful apparently as her symmetry, as it was ascertained thatlOOOtons were carried above the water mark, and only 1800 tons below. This unusual and undesirable equilibrium caused the ship to roll quite forty-five degrees each way, and it is a current rumor in the ship that a man who was asleep ou one of the lockers at the time she rolled so heavily was thrown about thirty feet ■without touching the deck. These scenes, of course, only happened during the heavy gale spoken of. Lieut. Panter had a very high opinion of the seagoing qualities of the ship, after being told by the Admiral at Gibraltar that he should not allow his vessel to roll more than ten degrees before he cut his masts away. The following description of the construction and armament of the Cerberus we take from the " Argus" : — j Her keel was laid down in October, 1867, by Messrs Palmer, of Jarrow (the builders of the ironclad frigate Defence and the Indian trooper Jumna) from the designs of Mr E. J. Reed, the Chief Constructor of the Navy. This design is based upon the breastwork principle, propounded in 1808 by Mr Reed iv a speech on the turret system at the Institution of Civil Engineers, the object of adopting the central ar-mor-plated breastwork being to protect all the principal apertures into the ship to a height of 10ft or 12ft above the water, and thus to add greatly to the security of low-decked vessels such as this. Thus the only apertures through the low deck in this ship outside of the armour breastwork are three skylights, forgiving light and air below in a direct way when in harbor. Each of these skylights is surrounded by armour, and provided with an armor plate cover for use in action ; but without further preface we give her dimensions as follows : — Length between the perpendiculars 225 0 Length of keel for tonnage 195 7» Breadth, extreme and for tonnage 45 0 Depth in hold 16 6 Burden in tona,O.M.,No. 2,107 23-9* She has for her twin propellers two pairs of horizontal- double-piston-rod lowpressure steam engines. Their collective force is 250 h. p. nominal, but working up to 13G9 h. p. Tiey were manufactured by Maudslay, Son, and Field. The propeller, is 12ft in diameter, with 10ft 5in pitch, and 2ft |inlong. The four cylinders are 43inin diameter, with 2ft 3in length of stroke. The twin screws are fitted with Maudslay's shifting blade. She has, besides, steamengines for fanning, working her turrets, •working the capstan, and hoisting, which were constructed by the Messrs Palmer, who built the ship. Her propellers are made to make 100 revolutions in a minute, which is equal to a speed of 9-f- knots an hour.

The shape of the Cerberus is that of a long box tapered at each end. Of the ship proper, only 3ft Gin is to come above the water line, and this on occasion can be reduced to 2ft. This upper Bft 6in is plated with armor Bin thick, and the 3ft (Jin below with armor 6in thick, tapering sin and 4in towards the fore and after parts. Behind this armour is teak backing 9in and llih thick respectively, acccording to the armor. Next inside are two skins of iron plate, each fin thick, backed by a lOin angle iron frame. The keel is composed of two flat plutes, strenghtened by a continuous vertical keelson. There are also four longitudinal frames, composed of steel plates, running fore and aft the vessel on each side of the keel, the upper longitudinal forming the shelf or recess for armor. This double bottom is so constructed as to permit of being filled with water, which will lower the deep of the vessel to 2ft of the water-line as aforementioned, and is divided into compartments. There are two decks, the one below divided into eight water- tight compartments, thus appropriated : — The firsl compartment from aft as far as the breadroom ; the second, the officers' stores and spiritroom ; the third for shot and powder ; the fourth as engine room ; the fifth as boiler room ; the sixth for shot, shell, powder and provisions ; the seventh for water and provisions, and the eight for . warrant officers' stores. From the kec4 to the lower deck is 7ft 6in. The upper deck is divided on much the same principle, and includes the captain's cabin, ward room, &c, and above it i there is simply the breast-work, which occupies the centre of the ship. Outside that the upper deck is protected with two thicknesses of fiu plates, and the skylights upon it are formed of Oin armor plates, 3ft Oin high, with strong ■water tight covers. This breastwork then includes the main fighting portions of the vessel. It stands upon the midship part of the upper deck, and is 119 ft long, 34ft wide, and Oft deep, having circular ends, which are protected by 9in armor in the wake of the turrets. Elsewhere Bin armor is placed on the . side of the breastwork ; the frames are 4ft and well secured on- the upper deck 'beams, excepting where the turrets run through it, and also where the funnel, airshaft, &c, enter it Besides these. the breastwork encloses two small engines for working eoch turret, a steering wheel, cooking ranges, and the hatchwajs, leading directly down to the ammunition, as well as those leading to the fore and aft parts of the lower deck, where the crew are berthed The tur-

rets, two in number, one at each end of the breastwork, and about sft Gin above it are constructed to fight two 18 ton guns, and may be turned either by manual or steam power. Each turret with its guns is computed to weigh over 200 tons. These turrets are protected in front by lOin and in the rear by 9in armour, extending down a short distance within the breastwork. The teak backing is worked horizontally between stringers, which are outside of the two thicknesses of. £in skin- plating, and the tops of the turrets are protected by |in plating upon the beams. A flying deck, 20ft wide, is worked above the turrets for the whole length of the breastwork, and the ■ • nmunication from the latter to the flying deck takes place through water-tight iron trunks. All openings in this and other decks are protected from a vertical fire. The pilothouse is supported from the top of the breatswork, and extends to 4ft above the flying deck. The sides of the pilothouse are protected with 9in. armor, and its fore and after parts with Sin. armor, the teak backing being worked as before described, and upon two thicknesses of |in. planking without internal frames. The davits and other outriggers for boats, &c, admit of being lowered, so as to clear the range of the turret guns. The fresh air for ventilating the vessel is admitted by means of the air shaft, the ash shoot, and the openings in the decks over the stokehole. A fan at the bottom of the bottom of the air shaft, and another at the fore end of the boiler room, are worked by steam, and drive the air forward through main pipes under the lower deck, and aft through similar pipes at the upper part of shuft passage, and from thes? pipes branches can be led whenever required. In the course of description, we have carried our readers for a few minutes away from the guns, which are of vast interest. They are of the latest Woolwich pattern, lOin. in bore, are muzzle-loading, carry 4001 b. shot and shell, and weigh each 18 tons. The turret will revolve once iv a minute, and thus the guns can be fired as fast as they are loaded. Every aid ingenuity can suggest to ease the work of loading, &c, has been supplied. Provision is made for the recoil of the guns when fired to be broken by indin rubber. The common charge of powder is 451 b, the full battering charge is GOlb, and when twelve rounds were fired out of them on trial everything was found to work easily. They will hit at four miles distance, but are calculated to do good execution at three and a half miles/ The stores for them consist of 360 common shells, 24 shrapnel shells, and 86 were shot, being 100 rounds for each gun. The weight of the broadside of the Ceberus may be therefore stated at the enormous amount of I l,60()lb. In the pilot-house are voice pipes and telegraphs, leading to every part of the vessel, and thus in time of action the ship can be covered, and the whole ship's company directed, without a single person snowing himself to the enemy ; except that one or two men are needed to come out when the anchor is lifted. The Cerberus can from first to last present to an enemy a surface impregnable to any but the best class o artillery in the world, and while her own guns are firing with the utmost rapidity supposing even she were boarded by 100 men, they would be utterly powerless to do the vessel any harm, or even to check her firing for one moment. It only remains to say that every corner of the vessel is permeated by air shafts, through which strong currents of air are driven by steam fans, means being allowed for the foul air to escape. We might occupy two columns more in description of the very numerous appliances with which the Cerberus is fitted. Those who have seen most of the other turret vessels in the British navy, particularly the Magdala and Abyssinia, describe the Victorian vessel as immensely superior in this respect, and we only refrain from particularisation because space will not permit. In conclusion, we may state that, according to rough calculation, the entire cost of the Cerberus from end to end may be reckoned at £140,000.