The
British Parliament debated 7 December the reports dealing with the
strengthening of the navy and the artillery. Mr. Stafford secretary of the Royal Navy reported that according to experts the fitting out of sailing ships
with screw steam power in some cases a real must was. He himself sighted
recently the fleet in the Mediterranean and he agreed with these experts.
Paddle steam warships were vulnerable with their paddle boxes for gunfire and
on board of these ships wasn’t possible to place the own armament satisfactory.
However the costs of building and fitting out of a 90-gun screw steamship of
the line were 151.800
pound somehow 40% higher as a traditional sailing ship
of 108.300 pound,
annuals costs for the first ship were 51.675 pound, for the
latter 44.355 pound.
The conditions for the personnel were not changed and if they were to changed
the results could be that not 100 men would be enlisted in 6 months due to
their wilfullness. It wasn’t possible to force them to go from one ship to
another. It was their own choice on board which ship they wanted to go. The
result was that by returning from a voyage and decommissioning of the ship the
sailors were dismissed causing possible loss of experienced sailors for the
navy for ever. The budget Stafford asked for was mend for a squadron which was
continuous serving in the Channel and consisted of 3 frigates and 3 steamboats
at the Nore, 4 sailing ships of the line and 5 large steamboats at Plymouth and
5 sailing ships of the line, 2 frigates and 6 large steamboats at Portsmouth.
