The Works Of Messrs. Schneider And Co.

STEEL ARMOUR PLATES 75 About this time the United States of America took serions steps towards creating a navy. An important part of their new naval programme was a decision as to the type of plate to be accepted, and the encouragement of private Companies to develop the manufacture of that special type. They chose, in 1887, the all-steel Schneider plate. The Bethlehem Iron Company, wlio were appointée! by the United States Government for the supply of armour, contractée! witli Messrs. Schneider and Co. for the designing of the necessary plant, and sent engineers and officers to Creusot to follow the manufacture in every detail. From the outset this brauch of industry acquired in the United States a very great development, which is justifiée! by the high quality of the American armour-plates manufacturée!. Notwithstanding the progress they had already made in the production of armour, by their expérience in the manufacture and in the handling of varions grades of steel of soft grade is now used with the best results, instead of extra-mild ordinary steel, for the manufacture o£ deck plates. We now arrive at the period when Harvey was perfecting, in the United States, his process for hardening plates with a powdered cementing material, and at the same time Messrs. Schneider and Co. were endeavouring to increase still more the résistance to penetration. They were the first in France to design, put in practice, and regulate cementing by gas, as already described (see page 62, ante) ; this treatment, with water-hardening, gives plates, the front surface of which is of such hardness that the heaviest projectiles are broken on impact. Having demonstratecl the value of this method, Messrs. Schneider and Co. lost no time in constructing a new and costly plant for the purpose, and were then enabled to produ.ee cemented plates, and to deliver them to the Russian Navy TESTS OF STEEL ARMOUR-PLATES MADE BY MESSRS. SCHNEIDER AND 00., CREUSOT. — Date of Trial. Country for which Plate was Tested. Name of Ship. Thickness of Plate. Calibre of Gun. Remarks. mm. in. cent. in. Fig. 165 ... Dec., 1881... France... “Terrible” 500 and 19.69 and 32.0 12.60 ! Homogeneous stee'l, “ Schneider Metal.” 402 15.83 Fig. 171... Oct., 1888... Sweden “ Gota ” 243 9.56 15.0 5.90 Homogeneous steel, “ Schneider Metal.” Fig. 172 1 Fig. 173 J July, 1890... Denmark . “Tordenskjold ” 115 4.52 15.0 5.90 f Homogeneous steel, “ Schneider Métal.” ( Bear view. Fig. 177 ... Jan., 1892... Roumania . “Turrets” 120 4.72 15.0 5.90 Cast steel. Fig. 167 ... „ 1893... France... . “ Tréhouart ” ... 320 12.60 32.0 12.60 Homogeneous steel. Fig. 180 ... Aug., 1893... Russia... . “Trois Saints ”... 406 15.99 24.0 9.45 Cemented steel. Fig. 179 1 Fig. 178 J July, 1895... Sweden “Oden” 250 9.84 15.0 5.90 f Homogeneous steel. ( Bear view. Fig. 169 ... Jan., 1896... Denmark . “Skjöld” 200 7.87 15.0 5.90 Cemented steel. Fig. 175 ... „ 1896... France... . “Massena” 100 3.94 13.68 5.36 Homogeneous steel. Fig. 181 ... May, 1896... », “Bouvet” 370 14.57 34.0 13.39 Cemented steel. Fig. 166 \ Fig. 170 J Jan., 1897... Spain ... . “ Catuluna ” 250 9.84 15.0 5.90 ( Homogeneous steel. ( Bear view. Fig. 168 ... June, 1897 ... Expe •in lental plate. 156 6.14 15.0 5.90 Special cemented steel. Fig. 176... Oct., 1897... France... . “Gaulois” 270 10.63 27.44 10.80 Cemented steel. Fig. 174 ... April, 1898... Expe •imental plate. 1 156 6.14 15.0 5.90 Special cemented steel. steel, which enabled them to control at will the degrees of hardness then required, Messrs. Schneider and Co. made a considérable improvement by placing upon the market, nickel-steel plates. They were the first to discover that nickel in steel gives great tenacity to the metal. The trials carried out on September 18 and 19, 1890, at the Navy proving-yard of Annapolis (U.S.), were quite a révélation. Messrs. Schneider and Co.’s nickel-steel plate, manufacturée! at Creusot, carried the day, the one second in value being a steel Schneider plate, sent over from Creusot at the same time. The presence of nickel in steel not only inereases in a remarkable way the toughness of a plate, but also its power of resisting penetration ; this is especially the case with plates of medium thickness. At the present time, though improvements have been realised in the manufacture of plates by hardening the surface, the steel used still contains nickel, and this faet demonstrates the value of Messrs. Schneider and Co.’s discovery. Nickel for the “ Three Saints and to the Danish Navy for the “Skjold;” they were the first to supply the French Navy with large quantities. While Messrs. Schneider and Co. were continuing to improve their process of cementation, the first Krupp plates appeared, the remarkable feature of these being tliat they do not crack under fire, a quality due to a particular treatment to which the metal is submitted ; this characteristic inereases in a marked degree their résistance to penetration. Messrs. Schneider and Co. have acquired the process of manufacture of these new armour- plates, so as to be able to meet the demands of the govern- ments which would require armour-plates showing this remarkable résistance to cracking after a certain number of rounds. As a supplement to this sketch of the all-important part taken by Messrs. Schneider and Co. in developing and improving the manufacture of armour, the repro-