Thanks to the fact that nowadays more and more books are digitized we are able to read books that are some times for decades no longer available for the public for several reasons. That's quite a pity while these books contains useful information while the archives are destroyed, incomplete or nor accessible. Main compared the British navy with the major naval powers at that moment in the world like France and the United States.
P. 60:”At the beginning of the year, then, it appeared that the French had altogether twenty-six iron-clad vessels of all kinds, while we had twenty-seven. The remainder of their fleet bore no comparison with ours, nor did the sailors employed come up to ours by one
P. 61: half. In this they had one advantage over us, in that their navy only cost them about six instead of ten millions. Towards the end of the year, they had thirty-three vessels either completed or commenced, while we have thirty-five. These ships we will, for convenience sake, divide into two parts, the sea-going and the coastguard. Of the first class there are seventeen, which are all men-of-war, varying from 3,347 to 6,737 tons; two of them are wooden ships, part plated with iron; three are coated with iron, 4-7 inches thick; one, the Couronne, which was the first real iron ship, has 45 inches of iron on her broadside, and 3 inches of iron on her bow and stern; then we have a compact little fleet of nine vessels, all built on one model, with uniform armaments, crews, rig, speed, and tonnage, which are cased with iron 4-7 inches all over, and are in many ways superior to the Couronne; then we have the Heroine which differs only from these nine vessels in that it is entirely an iron ship; and lastly, there is the Belliqueuse, which is the most formidable attempt at an iron-clad in the French navy. It is built of wood and coated with 5-9 inches of iron, and is, like the Magenta, reduced to the size of a frigate. The average speed of these ships is 13 knots an hour, except in the case of the fleet of nine already alluded to. These all go at the rate of 14-5 knots an hour. The armaments of all consist of from thirty to forty 66 and 50-pounders, except the Belliqueuse, which only carries twelve 66-pounders. The remainder of the fleet, which is for coast service, consists of sixteen small vessels, with a tonnage of from 1,220 to 1,550, and going at the rate of 7 knots an hour. There is one exception to these in the Taureau, a formidable battery cased with 5 feet 9 inches of iron, having a tonnage of 2,500, and going at the rate of 13 knots an hour. This then is the size of the French iron fleet which now exists. But besides these there are two ships being built with turrets; which are not, however, to be used like the cupolas of the Royal Sovereign, but will be central forts powerfully protected by armour. The ram at the bows will be so constructed as to assist their progress in the water. Besides these, three vessels are soon to be commenced at Cherbourg, called the Belico, the Boule Dogue, and the Cerberus, which are to be built on the plan of the Taureau. So that in the course of about two years, the French fleet will consist of about forty good fighting vessels, and will not therefore be much inferior to our fleet. We cannot fail to notice one point when we attempt to compare the two navies, namely the poverty-stricken character of their armaments. A 66-pounder is apparently their largest gun, while we have, at all events, determined upon a 200-pounder, and intend to have a few 300-pounders. Then as to ships, the most remarkable point is the contrast between the uniformity of the French fleet and the heterogeneous nature of ours. Our ships are of all sizes, shapes, speeds, and armaments, whereas the French fleet is peculiarly
P. 62: compact. In both there are advantages and disadvantages, of which it is difficult to say which has the balance of the former. The French cannot certainly approach our Minotaur or our Agincourt or our Bellerophon; and her old Magenta, Solferino, and Gloire, are manifestly inferior to our Warrior, Black Prince or Achilles. All that can be said is, that in numbers they are hardly inferior to us.
Source
Robert Main. “The Navy in 1865” in: British army & navy review. Vol IV, London 1866.
P. 60:”At the beginning of the year, then, it appeared that the French had altogether twenty-six iron-clad vessels of all kinds, while we had twenty-seven. The remainder of their fleet bore no comparison with ours, nor did the sailors employed come up to ours by one
P. 61: half. In this they had one advantage over us, in that their navy only cost them about six instead of ten millions. Towards the end of the year, they had thirty-three vessels either completed or commenced, while we have thirty-five. These ships we will, for convenience sake, divide into two parts, the sea-going and the coastguard. Of the first class there are seventeen, which are all men-of-war, varying from 3,347 to 6,737 tons; two of them are wooden ships, part plated with iron; three are coated with iron, 4-7 inches thick; one, the Couronne, which was the first real iron ship, has 45 inches of iron on her broadside, and 3 inches of iron on her bow and stern; then we have a compact little fleet of nine vessels, all built on one model, with uniform armaments, crews, rig, speed, and tonnage, which are cased with iron 4-7 inches all over, and are in many ways superior to the Couronne; then we have the Heroine which differs only from these nine vessels in that it is entirely an iron ship; and lastly, there is the Belliqueuse, which is the most formidable attempt at an iron-clad in the French navy. It is built of wood and coated with 5-9 inches of iron, and is, like the Magenta, reduced to the size of a frigate. The average speed of these ships is 13 knots an hour, except in the case of the fleet of nine already alluded to. These all go at the rate of 14-5 knots an hour. The armaments of all consist of from thirty to forty 66 and 50-pounders, except the Belliqueuse, which only carries twelve 66-pounders. The remainder of the fleet, which is for coast service, consists of sixteen small vessels, with a tonnage of from 1,220 to 1,550, and going at the rate of 7 knots an hour. There is one exception to these in the Taureau, a formidable battery cased with 5 feet 9 inches of iron, having a tonnage of 2,500, and going at the rate of 13 knots an hour. This then is the size of the French iron fleet which now exists. But besides these there are two ships being built with turrets; which are not, however, to be used like the cupolas of the Royal Sovereign, but will be central forts powerfully protected by armour. The ram at the bows will be so constructed as to assist their progress in the water. Besides these, three vessels are soon to be commenced at Cherbourg, called the Belico, the Boule Dogue, and the Cerberus, which are to be built on the plan of the Taureau. So that in the course of about two years, the French fleet will consist of about forty good fighting vessels, and will not therefore be much inferior to our fleet. We cannot fail to notice one point when we attempt to compare the two navies, namely the poverty-stricken character of their armaments. A 66-pounder is apparently their largest gun, while we have, at all events, determined upon a 200-pounder, and intend to have a few 300-pounders. Then as to ships, the most remarkable point is the contrast between the uniformity of the French fleet and the heterogeneous nature of ours. Our ships are of all sizes, shapes, speeds, and armaments, whereas the French fleet is peculiarly
P. 62: compact. In both there are advantages and disadvantages, of which it is difficult to say which has the balance of the former. The French cannot certainly approach our Minotaur or our Agincourt or our Bellerophon; and her old Magenta, Solferino, and Gloire, are manifestly inferior to our Warrior, Black Prince or Achilles. All that can be said is, that in numbers they are hardly inferior to us.
Source
Robert Main. “The Navy in 1865” in: British army & navy review. Vol IV, London 1866.
