Page:The Development of Navies During the Last Half-Century.djvu/87

 battery at the sides were recessed. This enabled two of the battery guns to point ahead and two astern. The length of the ship did not exceed 325 ft.

From this brief description it is evident how rapid had been the advance in most of the fighting elements of the new warship. Speed alone had not increased, but this had been maintained with a shorter and handier ship. The great length of the 'Warrior' and 'Minotaur' was inconvenient, to say the least of it, owing to the space they required to turn in. The 'Hercules' was universally recognised as a splendid specimen of construction, and remains to this day a great favourite with naval officers. She was, however, eclipsed by the 'Alexandra,' launched a few years after—the last representative of the broadside system. Her length was the same as that of the 'Hercules,' but the displacement was increased to 9500 tons, by which she was enabled to carry armour 12 in. thick at the water line opposite the machinery, and tapering to 6 in. at the bow and stern. The importance of protecting the motive power more completely than other portions of the hull had for some time been recognised, and, moreover, the extremities would be overburdened with such heavy weights as 12-in. plates. The disposition of the armament differed somewhat from that of the 'Hercules.' There was the same central battery, containing ten 18-ton guns, but above this was another battery, in which was placed two 25-ton guns. Both batteries had recessed ports, by which a powerful bow fire was obtained. It may be observed here that the