Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/226

 220 Southern Historical Society Papers.

some of our ships, by cutting them down for the purpose. It was a vessel that could go all round the coast, but it had neither masts nor yards, and he felt persuaded that it would be found very effective for the protection of our shores. The Admiralty were at present con- structing six different kinds of plated vessels, but he was not quite satisfied with any of them, because the iron-plating hung heavily on all their sides without giving them the utmost conceivable amount of strength. We could cut down twenty of our line of battle ships, and adapt them, with iron plating, for coast and shallow water-service, and that change could be effected at a comparatively small cost, while we should, during these alterations, still possess a powerful fleet of about forty vessels. He believed, therefore, that if we were compelled to engage in a maritime war, in which we should have to fight with iron ships, we should be quite prepared for the contest. He would next proceed to say a few words with respect to the recent sea-fight in America. It had been said that that fight altered every- thing in maritime warfare. He was not of that opinion, and he should state what he thought it left unchanged. He believed that it in no way changed the opinion, which all naval authorities had already held, that a timber-ship could not resist an iron ship. But it made this great difference in our case, that hitherto we had only wooden ships to encounter on distant stations, while we must henceforth be prepared to encounter iron vessels. We should certainly have to meet that altered state of things : but he believed that the cost of meeting it would not be so expensive to us as many people seemed to imagine. There was another point which he wished to notice. He perceived lhat many persons in this country had come to the conclusion that those iron ships were invulnerable. But he should say that he had arrived at a different opinion. He believed that they were very far from being invulnerable. As against wooden ships they were " invulnerable" ; but his belief was, that when iron ships met iron ships then invulnerability would not be found so secure. They were told that an iron ship could run down its opponent. Now, the Merrimac was a vessel of three thousand tons, and it had run down a sailing vessel that was at anchor. But he did not think that fact was conclusive. He believed that many of our wooden ships would have done the same thing, and it would necessarily not be so easy to run down a steamer, as such a vessel would be much better able to avoid the collision. It appeared, too, that the Merrimac had been injured in that operation. He would next proceed to notice the other vessel, the Monitor. That was a vessel of a very curious form.