Page:The Development of Navies During the Last Half-Century.djvu/167

 with the Austrian Squadron a shell exploded in the heap and set it on fire. The occurrence appears to have been unheeded at the time, or the crew were too busy with their guns to be called off. When they did endeavour to extinguish the fire, it had gone too far, and while they were thus employed the ship blew up. Few of the crew escaped, but I have been told by an officer, who took part in the action in another ship, that this mass of coal was over a magazine, and it is believed that the intervening deck was burnt through until suddenly a flaming mass of coal fell into the magazine. This seems a reasonable explanation, as the explosion was unexpected, or preparation would have been made to abandon the ship. This occurrence shows the danger of carrying extra coal about the decks. It appears to me unwise, also, to place reliance on protection from coal when stowed in its proper place. If it is not to be used, why employ it in preference to armour? When consumed in the legitimate way, which circumstances may render necessary, a vulnerable part of the ship may be exposed to an enemy whom this fuel has assisted the ship to overtake, or from whom it has not sufficed to make escape possible.

The disposition of armour and armament adopted in the 'Inflexible' was followed in only four other vessels, the 'Ajax,' 'Agamemnon,' 'Colossus,' and 'Edinburgh.' It was considered that smaller battle ships on the same design would be useful additions to the fleet. The first two named have a displacement of 8700 tons, and carry in each turret two 38-ton guns,