SHORT AGE OF SUPERPREVIEW

The prototype for the “Merrimack” and the company was sailing frigate “Congress” in turn, a direct descendent of the famous “oak of the frigates” Hammasa such as “United States” and “Constitution”. Project their armament included twenty-eight 229-mm guns Dahlgren in a sealed battery, added twenty-203 mm barrels over the old model.

 

However, this time the trick with the “disguised” unconditional superiority of the Americans managed only partially. Although the length of new SuperPreview exceeded that of a British 90-gun screw battleship for a good 15 meters, and artillery power was definitely impressive, the most important thing for the “destroyers of Commerce” requirement — high speed — luckily the British, remained unfulfilled. Five courts have established steam engines of three different types, but they were not too successful. Two-bladed propellers with a diameter of more than 5 m could really provide for couples only 6-node speed (although the maximum record was reached 8.8 per node, in the service of the frigates on average gave only 5.2 per node). The joint action of machinery and sails depending on the wind new supergravity showed 6.5 to 7 nodes — clearly less than pure sailing ships. In addition, overloaded with guns, they had very strong and sharp pitching.

 

With all these building failures a major nuisance for US was the reaction of Britain To this time the British did not complain about the “unfair play” of their potential opponents (and the possibility of another war the former metropolis and colonies remained very high), and just responded with its own series of similar vessels. In 1855 — 1857 “mistress of the seas” laid down three pairs of frigates, also wooden, but it was comparable in strength overseas. The project, compiled by Balduino Walker, based on the experience gained during the Crimean war. Caught in the history of shipbuilding as a “large frigates Walker”, screw ships with a displacement of 3,700 tons (the first pair — “Doris” and “diadem”) to 5645 t (last “Mersey” and “Orlando”) are considered distant predecessors of battlecruisers Lord Fisher. Fallow they can develop from 11.5 to 13 knots — almost twice as many of their overseas rivals. Not inferior to “English” and armament from twenty to thirty bomber 10-Dujmovic on the gun deck, plus ten or twelve of 32 (the first units) or 64-pounder (last) barrels on the top.

 

While the British were not satisfied with numerical parity. The six purpose-built frigates were added to the five converted from pure sailing ships still on the stocks. Type “Immortality” also proved to be very successful: his representatives have progressed as 12 knots under sail and under steam. Their Creator, the General overseer of the fleet, William Simons, made an interesting way of improving the strength of a very long wooden case, combining customary for frigates that time, the forecastle and poop deck mounted solid. Although weapons, “English” was a bit weaker than their opponents (thirty-203 mm bomber guns and twenty 32-pontook), of an aggregate of cruising qualities they are not inferior to overseas.

 

It is appropriate to say a few words about the problem of the strength of the hulls of large frigates. The increasing size forced the engineers to once again think about replacing wood as the primary shipbuilding material; it would seem that the iron has all the advantages: it is more durable and lightweight (when equal to the size of the phone) than wood. Iron merchant and passenger vessels already for decades plied the seas and oceans, showing good quality, but the Admiralty all the major Maritime powers still long shied away from innovation Reasons enough: for example, in England there was such a backlog of shipbuilding timber, which would be enough to not less than one and a half decades. In addition, the underwater parts of the iron housings are rusted and very overgrown in the warmer southern waters, drastically reducing the rate. For many years it was the tradition to cover their one or two layers of wood sheathing, over which is still superimposed thin sheets of copper. Of course, such a “sandwich” is much less subjected to a tropical anti-fouling, but noticeably heavier, and most importantly, raised the cost of iron ships, and so initially went very cheap. The military objected because the thin metal easily penetrated by nuclei, and would not provide the protection that guaranteed thick wooden hull. Therefore, at some point fairly effective was the compromise in the form of a composite set, when iron was forged or cast the keel, the frames (all or part), Fort and sternpost assembled in a metal “skeleton”, which was then covered with several layers of wooden sheathing. The volume ratio of iron and wood in construction is largely dependent on the specific project and its creators. Part of the warships set remained wood, but was strengthened numerous metal beams and timbers, forming sometimes quite complex, but the strong diagonal structure. Especially composite structures are widely used in the construction of relatively small cruisers, the length of which allowed us to maintain sufficient strength in the constant growth of the caliber (and consequently weight) of artillery.

 

 

 

However, the age of the net “wood pieces” are not yet passed. On the stocks there were many sailboats, founded in “dowindow” era. Some of them, cut in half and provided with a new section with a steam machine, have found their place in the composition of war fleets. It is clear that such an operation is, in principle, was subject only to the wooden frigates. The same British in addition to the already mentioned “type Immortality” remade in the same way for another seven smaller cruisers types “of Aretusa” and “Aurora” with a displacement of 3300 to 3850 so Their weapons, which included ten 203 mm smoothbore bomber cannons, added forty 32-funtovyj (already little useful at the time), of course, could not be in open battle with transatlantic “super”, but it is suited for other traditional potential enemy — France

 

While the French themselves were limited to frigates in size medium. Large series of six units of type “Doses” with a displacement of 3765 tons, laid down at the end of the Crimean war, was armed with 56 guns the calibre of which, however, was inferior to the British Then followed a series of changes of sailing ships, a total of more than a dozen, of different tonnage and year of a bookmark (the oldest was the “Semiramis”, laid down at the shipyard in Rochefort for 30 years before launching).