Ebook Ship-Building in Iron and Wood

The question, however, whether ships with broadside guns, or ships with Captain Goles's revolving turrets, are to be preferred, still remains unsettled. It will perhaps be found that each of these classes will prove useful in a sphere of its own, and that what ever success may attend Captain Coles's ships, a considerable, if not the largest portion of our future ?eet, must still consist of ships with broadside guns. It has been assumed by the advocates of turret ships, in their arguments in their favour, that in revolving turrets alone can guns of very large calibre be used; but it is submitted that this is not necessarily the case if the guns in the broadside of a ship be placed on a traversing platform worked by mechanical appliances; and it may be remarked, that though guns worked on board ship in the way here suggested might not each have individually the same extent of angular traverse as the guns in revolving turrets, yet as all screw ships have to some degree, by judicious management of the helm and the screw, the power of revolving almost on their own axis without going ahead, this objection is very much obviated. It must not be forgotten, also, that the ship to carry a turret, to prevent her being sunk or set on fire, must be as thoroughly protected as the ship to carry broadside guns and though possibly she may be built with her sides of a less height out of the water, yet for a sea-going vessel this advantage has many counter balancing evils.